The troubled island, off the Queensland coast near Townsville, started life as a penal colony for dozens of different Aboriginal groups a century ago. Is it still a purgatory for its people in a paradise-like environment? Keith McEwan tried to visit to s…
No proof roadside drug testing drivers benefits the community
Around Australia, drug testing of drivers takes places with no proven benefit to society and great penalty to people’s civil liberties. In WA, the accuracy of the tests is declining, research in SA shows (see CLArion newsletter July 2010). Here, Bill Bus…
Best safety is
freedom to choose
Cyber-safety comes down to trusting parents to choose for themselves how much educating and monitoring is right for individual children in relation to web browsing (and bullying and other youth concerns), CLA says. The Australian Government’s role is to…
‘Hidden’ victims of
violence need help
A new report – Intimate Partner Abuse of Men – has revealed that about one in three cases of domestic violence in Australia are against men. Government-funded public awareness campaigns and different training within the health and welfare sector are n…
Coroner says police should cut chases
State Coroner Michael Barnes has told Queensland police they should not get involved in car chases with drunk drivers. His findings, after a detailed examination of 10 major chase death incidents over three years, provides a new benchmark for Australia,…
Privacy’s blood spilled on new Wattle?
New, web-based systems for information filing and control are great…but are they coming at the price of shaving off layers of privacy, CLA’s Tim Vines asks. Should the ANU’s new Wattle system allow others to question your private reasons for missing an…
Aborigines bear the brunt of
‘lock ’em’ up’ mentality
Aborigines continue to be massively over-represented in the nation’s jails. But in WA, the situation is beyond dire: Aborigines are closing in on being half the total number of people jailed in the state, when they comprise only about 3% of the state’s…
SAS man speaks out for liberty
A former SAS soldier, the newest member of the WA Parliament, delivered a telling commentary on the erosion of civil liberties in Australia when he gave his maiden speech in March. “…a speech capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up;
UN man slams NT intervention
It’s official! The UN says that the Rudd Government is acting in a racially discriminating manner and breaching international human rights obligations with its NT intervention. So says James Anaya, the Special Rapporteur, in his Advance report.NT inter…
Student ID numbers or Big-Brother?
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.
I have been/am a teacher.…