“Free People Into the Community”: Debbie Kilroy on the Queensland COVID Prison Crisis
Right now, Queensland correctional facilities from Bundaberg down to the NSW border are in hard lockdown following prison officers having tested positive to COVID-19 for a second time in recent weeks. And somewhat unsurprisingly, inmates have been rioting at a...
Challenging WA’s Solitary Confinement Regime: An Interview With Dr Hannah McGlade
On 29 July, a WA Supreme Court challenge was lodged against that state’s practice of subjecting inmates to prolonged solitary confinement, which the main UN standards on prisoner treatment considers to be torture. The challenge was on behalf of three...
NSW Police Shut Down Sydney Uni Protest Again: An Interview With the SRC’s Jack Mansell
NSW police was at it again last Friday, as it took advantage of the opportunity the COVID-19 health crisis has afforded it to continue its clampdown on public protests. The overt reasoning is to counter virus transmission, whereas the covert...
Asylum Seeker: An Interview With the King of South Sudanese Music Gordon Koang
“My dear asylum seeker,” sings South Sudanese musician Gordon Koang on his 2019 single Asylum Seeker, “We know you’re waiting for your permanent protection visa. We know you’ve been waiting for a long time.” He then goes on to advise...
“Protecting the Political Space”: An Interview With MALS Melbourne Activist Legal Support
The enhancement of law enforcement powers over the COVID-19 pandemic period has dramatically changed the social landscape to the point where police officers have been empowered to maintain that the majority of the civilian population remain indoors for lengthy periods...
International Travel During COVID: The Haves Versus the Have Nots
While thousands of people have been told they cannot leave the country, a Sydney businessman has been given permission to pick up a luxury yacht in Europe. When the Federal Government shut Australia’s international borders in March, it made it...
“This Is Indefinite Detention”: Councillor Jonathan Sri on the Kangaroo Point Standoff
Right now, there’s around 120 former Manus and Nauru asylum-seeking detainees being held in Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point Central Hotel. This is after they were flown to Australia under the now revoked Medevac laws, as medical professionals assessed it was necessary due...
Defending Black Lives Matter: An Interview With Barrister Felicity Graham
“Felicity Graham is a gun,” declared Black Lives Matter rally organiser Paddy Gibson, as he stood out the front of the NSW Supreme Court on 24 July. At that moment, Gibson had just left the courtroom, where the Sydney barrister...
Promises Made, Unkept: Lanz Priestley on Martin Place Tent City Three Years On
Three years ago, Tuesday, the organisers of the Martin Place Tent City dismantled the setup, which had provided rough sleepers, and those in need in Sydney’s CBD, with free meals and a safe space to sleep between mid-December 2016 until...
“The New Paternalism”: Professor Chelsea Bond on the Reworked Closing the Gap
The Morrison government released the reworked Closing the Gap on 30 July. Rebranded The National Agreement, the strategy has been broadened to encompass sixteen targets - rather the previous seven - and it also includes four new priority reform areas....
