For the first time since its creation, Gellung Warl is challenging the Victorian government on a legislative bill that passed parliament.
- Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney
Every state and territory must have these programs, but as was recently revealed in New South Wales, they’re often ineffective. There are better ways.
While accused Bondi gunman Naveed Akram’s case is among the worst of the worst, his severe incarceration has a flow-on effect to non-violent inmates nationally.
More First Nations people have died in custody in the past year than in any since 1980. It’s the inevitable result of policies that flout evidence of what would help.
The government’s laws cancelling social security payments for some accused of crimes turn a safety net into a weapon for punishing people.
Prison conditions should comply with human rights obligations and avoid cruel, inhumane, degrading treatment of prisoners.
The inquest findings did not deliver a crushing blow to racial violence in the NT Police. It is a missed opportunity that will likely have devastating consequences.
Those who murdered the 15 year-old have received life sentences, but the ruling on racially motivated crime isn’t so definitive.
Indigenous people are again grieving the deaths of loved ones in custody. Would they have occurred if the royal commission recommendations had been fully implemented?
Coronial findings into the disappearance of Dhäkiyarr Wirrpanda were handed recently – 91 years after he was last seen.
After some violent incidents, the town is under a curfew from 10pm to 6am. But evidence from cities in Australia and the United States suggest it will bring little benefit.
Lowering Indigenous incarceration rates is a key aim of the Closing The Gap targets, but there are more First Nations people behind bars than ever. How did this happen and what can fix it?
The ABC Four Corners episode ‘Guarded’ shows an increase of private policing and security in the Northern Territory. These privatised security measures need legislation to ensure community safety.
Whenever there is talk of a “crime wave” in Indigenous communities, the response has always been paternalistic and harsh. The evidence shows it doesn’t work.
The inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker has begun, examining the causes of Kumanjayi’s death.
The High Court has thwarted a potential defence for the NT constable accused of shooting and killing Kumunjayi Walker in 2019 – that he was acting in ‘good faith’ as an officer at the time.
Opportunities to give voice to Aboriginal people in prison have the potential to address the growing impacts of racism in the justice system in Australia.
The first class action on stolen wages against the Commonwealth seeks compensation for wages owed to Aboriginal workers in the Northern Territory.
Warlpiri people in Yuendumu have been strident in their demands for justice for Walker and protections from ongoing police violence.
There has been some progress on judicial reform in Australia since the protests began, but structural change requires a truth-telling process and a real commitment from government for action.
Police played a unique role in many settler colonies executing assimilationist policies designed to dismantle First Nations families.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s statement that ‘there was no slavery in Australia’ is at odds with the historical record.
As the US continues to protest the death of George Floyd, Australia is choosing not to look at the hundreds of Indigenous deaths in custody here.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we need to rebuild our justice system to invest more in First Nations communities, not prisons. It is vital we not return to the status quo.
We asked three legal experts - in Victoria, NSW and Queensland - to help shed some light on what the coronavirus rules might mean for residents of those states.
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