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Child Protection and the Role of Child Safety

A child, being a person under 18 years of age, has an inherent right to be protected from harm. A child’s family is foremost responsible for the child’s upbringing, protection and development. If a child does not have a parent who is able and willing to offer that protection, the state will take on the … Continue reading Child Protection and the Role of Child Safety

A Fair Hearing – the Right to an Interpreter during Court Proceedings

On the international stage, Australia is a signatory to a number of international agreements that include provisions that everyone is entitled to be informed promptly and comprehensively about the nature and cause of the charge against the person in a language that they understand (Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).  … Continue reading A Fair Hearing – the Right to an Interpreter during Court Proceedings

Decriminalisation of Public Offences

Law reform submission to the parliamentary committee Caxton has joined with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health Ltd (IUIH) to make a submission to the Queensland Parliamentary Community Support and Services Committee supporting the decriminalisation of public drunkenness, begging and other similar offences. IUIH is a not-for-profit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health service, … Continue reading Decriminalisation of Public Offences

History in the Making

Domestic and family violence needs to be everybody’s business. The time has come for a total system overhaul if the Queensland Government wants change. Caxton acknowledges the Queensland Government’s historic announcement, committing a $363 million package to combat domestic abuse. The government’s Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce (the Taskforce) was established in December 2021 and … Continue reading History in the Making

Legal Information for the SEQ Community – 2022 Floods

Your Rights in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster After a flood, many people have immediate legal problems including tenancy, employment and family law issues. Down the track, problems with insurers, banks and neighbours can emerge. There is good-quality legal information available in the Queensland Law Handbook (QLH) and on the websites of Legal Aid … Continue reading Legal Information for the SEQ Community – 2022 Floods

Big Ideas – ABC Radio National

How do we Stop Coercive Control and Elder Abuse? Listen to Thelma Schwartz, Dr Heather Nancarrow and Helen Wallace in conversation with Paul Barclay (ABC Radio National) discussing the proposal to criminalise coercive control, an insidious form of domestic violence used to control, humiliate and intimidate another person. Broadcast Wednesday 9 February 2022 at 8.05 … Continue reading Big Ideas – ABC Radio National