An Australian corruption watchdog urged the Northern Territory (NT) government on Thursday to audit personnel records of public officers with certain role qualifications. The move follows findings of corruption within the recruitment processes in the public sector. The NT Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) released the findings of an independent investigation, concluding that a public [...]

The UN is set to sanction Australia for failing to meet its international human rights obligations. On Saturday, in an exclusive interview with The Saturday Paper, vice-chair of the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT), Aisha Shujune Muhammad, said that Australia has failed to implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and [...]

An Australian police force is launching an internal investigation after police officers tasered a 95-year-old woman at an elderly care facility. In a statement released last week, the New South Wales Police Force confirmed that “ critical incident investigation has been launched after an elderly woman sustained injuries during an interaction with police at an [...]

A climate change advocacy group has filed an application for judicial review on Tuesday in the New Zealand High Court following claims that recent climate regulations fail to meet emissions reduction targets. Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc (LCANZI) filed the statement of claim against the Minister of Climate Change, claiming that the price and [...]

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government Tuesday introduced a bill to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 years old to 14. The Justice (Age of Criminal Responsibility) Legislation Amendment Bill 2023  has been introduced in the Legislative Assembly, making the ACT the first Australian jurisdiction to increase the age of criminal responsibility [...]

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2023 World Press Freedom Index Friday ranked Greece as the lowest-ranked country in the EU for press freedom for the second consecutive year. The RSF annual report on the state of press freedom across 180 countries found that Europe is the safest region for journalists to work in the world. [...]

University staff across Australia are striking from Monday as academics protest for improved job security, manageable workloads and wages in line with the increased cost of living. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Monday announced the National Week of Action for Better Universities and Better Workplaces, which will see university staff partake in demonstrations, enterprise [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Friday called on Thai authorities to release a 15-year-old student activist who was detained after allegedly defaming the nation’s monarchy. Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai was arrested in Bangkok on 28 March after police accused her of criticising the monarchy during a protest rally in October 2022. She was later charged with lèse-majesté [...]

An Australian law firm on Friday launched a class-action lawsuit against telecommunications giant Optus, seeking compensation for the fallout of a major data breach that occurred in September.  Filed in the Federal Court of Australia, the lawsuit accuses Optus of violating fundamental privacy principles and breaching its duty of care to its customers. The suit [...]

Several Australian MPs Sunday accused Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of misrepresenting the prevalence of sexual abuse in Alice Springs. Following the federal government’s response to rising crime rates in the Northern Territory, Dutton claimed that sexual abuse remains “rampant” in the town. Northern Territory Police Minister Kate Worden has called Dutton’s trip to Alice [...]