Victoria is one of the more enlightened states in looking after Indigenous people...but still the statistics are appalling, as this analysis by Keith McEwan points out. "Life is not so good for an Indigenous person living in Victoria...or, for that matter, anywhere in Australia."

With an appeal pending in the High Court from the SA Government because of the over-turning of part of its 'bikie' legislation, similar laws are largely on hold Australia-wide. In WA, motorcycle groups are getting active ahead of a likely mid-year introduction of anti-association laws to the WA Parliament.
(Photo: Club rally, Fremantle, Feb 2010: photo by JR)

Who would have thought a Labor Government would introduce Big-Brother-like ID numbers for school students! With the rationale that parents could "be able to track the records of a child's schooling" even if they move schools.

Editor, CLA Your Opinion: The Tax Commissioner's defence of his powers to break into homes and businesses without judicial warrants as 'trust me, I'm a good guy' is a dangerous argument. Powers such as these should be resisted when proposed, and removed where they exist. Many societies have lived to regret their complacency in allowing them. In the 1970s the Statistician asked for these powers to gather statistics. After a vigorous campaign, they were deleted.

One CLA member has run into what he calls 'hypocritical bullies' administering land tax. He has had to produce a 'sleep diary' for three years - yes, three years - to prove he lives where he lives. What's next - a thought diary to prove you haven't thought any bad thoughts against government bureaucrats,

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People who think refugees do it easy on Christmas Island don't understand the reality of their situation, Marie Gordon writes. She refutes claims of Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison after his recent whistle-stop visit to CI.

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Throughout Australia, people are making personal decisions about full-body airport scanners. If you are against them (or for them), you can have your say by writing to the man responsible for the decision. Here Kathy Lund's point of view.

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Editor, Canberra Times: I agree with Prof Pat McGorry that immigration detention centres are "factories for producing mental illness". But I'd go further. I'd say federal laws designed to punish refugees (for who they are) are similar to the penal laws that England used to punish the Irish for who they were.

Despite parades and entertainment on Australia Day, dark clouds will hover over the heads of our country`s First People.

Replacing Empire Day as a day of national pride in 1911, 10 years after Federation, Australia Day never achieved its objective of unifying " One people - one destiny - one flag" because the main emphasis remained on re-enacting the arrival of the British fleet into Sydney Harbour on January 26, 1788, which Aboriginal people view as Invasion Day.

Editor, The West Australian, Sir: I welcome your report "State to pay big compo bill after confiscation case dropped" TWA, p1, by Sean Cowan.

Even though the Australian Crime Commission had not charged Nigel Cunningham Swift Mansfield with any offence, the State DPP decided to freeze all the assets of Mr Mansfield, and cause him and his family physical, psychological and financial hardship to such extent that the case went to the High Court of Australia. There the court considered the legality that the WA DPP would not release funds so that Mr Mansfield could properly defend his case, amongst other matters.

Should prisons be islands of purity, or should society recognise that prisoners engage in sex? If we acknowledge the fact, then condoms should be issued for everyone's safety, as Mark contends here. A similar argument applies to providing syringes in jails for drug use.

CLA's CEO Bill Rowlings was quoted in Brisbane's Sunday Mail in January 2010 decrying the fact that Qld Police are taking DNA swabs from 10 to 16-year-olds and filing them away on a criminal database. A reader has taken him to task; read her comment and here's his response.

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