The criminal offence of begging should be abolished. Criminalising begging is tantamount to criminalising poverty. It perpetuates, rather than alleviates, the marginalisation and disadvantage experienced by people who beg. It also violates the fundamental human rights of some of the most vulnerable in our society. When people need to beg, the last thing we should […]
Author Archives: James Farrell
About James Farrell
http://www.deakin.edu.au/profiles/james-farrell
On the streets of Geelong and Melbourne, and around the world, we often feel uncomfortable when people ask us for money. It seems as though the number of people begging on our streets is increasing, and I’m sure many of us struggle to know how to respond to people we don’t know asking us for […]
As we prepare to share Christmas with our families, we’re thankful that we have a roof over our head, food on our table, and family and friends to share the festive season with. Not everyone in our community is so lucky. This week, the Geelong Advertiser reported that a new accommodation service for homeless men […]
While much has been made of the fact that Nicola Roxon is our first female attorney-general, celebrations will be short-lived as Roxon faces significant tests in this new role. She will continue to lead the Government’s defence of new laws requiring plain packaging of tobacco products, and has already flagged her intentions to use […]
Background The Federal Government’s White Paper on Homelessness, The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness (White Paper), proposed the introduction of new legislation that would “underpin the national response to homelessness, setting standards to deliver the best quality services possible”. In June 2009, the Minister for Housing referred the inquiry into homelessness legislation […]
Occupy protestors have a right to protest; police powers to move them on from public spaces should be questioned. RynChristophe/Youtube When police removed a young woman’s “tent dress” this week at the Occupy Melbourne encampment, it was yet another controversial interaction between protesters and authorities. As shown in the Occupy movement, the increasing […]