In essence criminal law theory is based on the notion of personal responsibility; people are punished for their crimes because they could have chosen not to commit them. The choice…
Australian Vietnam Veteran, Bill Johnson, appeared in a Solomon Islands court on Tuesday 30th January, 2007 charged with conspiracy to murder. His alleged victim was to be none other than…
“I’m really starting to understand how the Aborigines feel … this country has to stop stealing other people’s land!” (‘Daryl Kerrigan’, The Castle) I was having a chuckle a few…
The same sentencing principles are to be applied, of course, in every case, irrespective of the identity of a particular offender or his membership of an ethnic or other group.…
Firstly I want to dispel any illusions that my heading might have created about Mr Grant being in any way connected to the Organisasi Papua Merdeka. The connection between the…
An interesting advertorial appeared in last Friday's The National in Papua New Guinea. This advertorial appears to be a copy of a letter written by Mr Niwia Sawabarri, Chairman of…
“A State cannot claim to be operating under the rule of law unless laws are administered fairly, rationally, predictably, consistently and impartially.” (Chief Justice Spigelman, as he then was, in…
‘ Will there be sugar after the Rebellion?’ ‘No,’ said Snowball firmly. ‘We have no means of making sugar on this farm. Besides, you do not need sugar. You will…
"The pattern from the 1980s right through to Haneef is a culture of obsessive secrecy... where the AFP's major objective has been to look good whilst at the same time…
Bakchos has asked me to write a post for Blak and Black about what has come to be known in the United States as Modern Racism a concept which I…
Racial discrimination against Indigenous Australians is as alive and well in Australia today as it ever was. In fact, under the lost years of opportunity known to history as the…
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today rebuked Australia for its political, rather than human rights based approach to indigenous people and asylum-seekers. Although criticizing some of Australia's…
Well, it would appear that Australian lawyer and senior Australian Litigation Advisor to the Attorney-General of Vanuatu Ari Jenshel has been a very naughty boy! So naughty indeed, that he…
21) After coffee was served Mr and Mrs King [i] and I were discussing Mrs (name removed on legal advice) dog Sooty and all of his aliments when a dark…
Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. George Orwell. Why have there been no terrorist…
Chinese mafia groups have infiltrated and corrupted the highest levels of Papua New Guinea’s police force, crippling the struggling nation’s attempts to tackle its law-and-order crisis and posing a potential…
While the Australian Labor Party squanders billions of dollars chasing a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council to appease the ghost of its former leader, sacrificed before completing even…
I lived in Australia for a year and was astounded at the level of casual racism in all walks of Australian life. The term 'wog' is used by many people…
TONY JONES: Now Labor has been talking for a long time about staying focused on our own region. What's new about the new direction? KEVIN RUDD: Well, around Australia we…
The resource sector is expected to spend an historic $76 billion on mining projects next financial year, with mining investment accounting for six per cent of Australia’s gross domestic product…