Prison officers in Queensland fear deaths in custody and more assaults on staff under a proposed bill. The bill would remove a requirement for corrective services staff to consider prisoners' human rights. Officers interviewed by the ABC say overcrowding, including possible triple bunking, would make jails more dangerous. Queensland Corrective Services supports the exemption, saying it is needed for staff and community safety. Corrective Services Minister Laura Gerber says the government will put victims' rights ahead of offenders' rights.
A convicted murderer has lost a legal challenge against the ban on Vegemite in Victoria's prisons. Andre McKechnie, held at Barwon Prison, argued the ban breached his human right to enjoy his Australian culture. Supreme Court Justice Claire Harris found that Vegemite may be seen as part of Australian culture, but that McKechnie's cultural rights were limited because he is a prisoner. She ruled the restriction reasonable. Corrections Victoria had argued the spread could be used to make alcohol and could hinder sniffer dogs detecting contraband.
A convicted murderer has lost a Victorian Supreme Court case over a ban on Vegemite in prisons. Andre McKechnie argued that being refused the spread breached his human right to enjoy his culture as an Australian. Justice Claire Harris found the ban was a proportionate measure by prison authorities and dismissed the case. The ban was introduced in Victorian prisons in 2006 over concerns it could interfere with narcotic detection dogs and that its yeast could be used to brew alcohol. McKechnie is serving a life sentence for a 1996 stabbing murder in Queensland.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
A convicted killer has lost a legal bid to overturn Victoria's ban on Vegemite in prisons. Andre McKechnie, held at Barwon Prison, argued the ban breached his human right to enjoy Australian culture and was needed for his wellbeing. Supreme Court judge Claire Harris rejected the claim, finding the state's Corrections Act did not require prisons to supply culturally significant foods. She said McKechnie's isolation was more likely caused by imprisonment than by a lack of Vegemite. Corrections Victoria has argued the spread could hamper sniffer dogs and be used to make alcohol.
A convicted murderer has failed in a Victorian court bid to overturn a prison ban on Vegemite. Andre McKechnie argued that being refused the spread denied him his right to enjoy Australian culture. Justice Claire Harris dismissed the case on Monday, finding the ban was a proportionate measure by authorities. Vegemite has been banned in Victorian prisons since 2006 over concerns it could interfere with drug-detection dogs and be used to brew alcohol. McKechnie is serving a life sentence for a stabbing murder in Queensland.
A convicted murderer has lost his bid to overturn Victoria's ban on Vegemite in prisons. Andre McKechnie sued the Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections, arguing the refusal breached his human rights. The Victorian Supreme Court dismissed the case on Monday. Justice Claire Harris found the ban was a proportionate measure by prison authorities. Victorian prisons have banned the spread since 2006, reportedly over concerns about sniffer dogs and its potential use in brewing alcohol.
Dr Jane Tiller has been shortlisted for a Human Rights Medal for her work protecting Australians from genetic discrimination and widening equal access to medical care. Based at Monash University, where she serves as Legal and Policy Lead in Public Health Genomics, she has pushed to shield people from disadvantage linked to their genetic information, especially when applying for insurance or treatment. Her efforts helped bring about a nationwide prohibition on using genetic test results in life insurance, which cleared Parliament in April 2026.
Western Australia will propose new laws to prevent religious schools from firing teachers or expelling students based on their sexuality or disability. The changes will allow discrimination only on religious grounds. Attorney General Tony Buti said the bill is the biggest overhaul of the state's anti-discrimination laws in over 40 years. It also aims to protect homeless people, those exposed to domestic violence, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, and union members.
More than 200 people attended the inaugural Dr Adnan Al-Bursh Memorial Lecture on October 17, hosted by the Australian Healthcare Alliance for Palestine and Nurses and Midwives for Palestine. The event honoured Al-Bursh, a Palestinian orthopaedic surgeon who died on April 19, 2024, aged 50, after being tortured at Ofer Prison in the Occupied West Bank. Speakers included cardiologist Professor Peter Macdonald, who gave the keynote, and doctors who have undertaken medical missions in Gaza. Speakers described harsh conditions for medical staff and residents in Gaza, and called for people to speak out.
Complaints to the ACT Human Rights Commission rose 21 per cent last financial year, with 2,068 lodged in 2025-2026. Complaints from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rose by 50 per cent, and complaints about abuse and neglect of older people and people with a disability rose by a third. Commissioner Karen Toohey said some community narratives about vilification and racism were encouraging more complaints. Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs said many people remain reluctant to report. Commissioner Penelope Mathew warned that staffing levels cannot meet demand.
Imprisoned Australian pro-democracy activist Hiep Tran has told his family he never crossed into Vietnam. Supporters say this shows he was abducted by Vietnamese authorities a month ago. Australian officials met Mr Tran at a detention centre in Ho Chi Minh City, where he is held after disappearing in Cambodia. His wife, Chloe Dang, said he described being traumatised and terrified. Vietnamese authorities say Mr Tran and Norwegian activist Duc Thuan Nguyen tried to illegally enter Vietnam, a claim the embassy calls unfounded.
Five federal commissioners have written to the Northern Territory Government about the closure of the YiSSA short-term accommodation facility in Darwin. They are concerned about residents in vulnerable situations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, women and children escaping family violence, and children needing education. The commissioners have asked Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro for an urgent meeting. They also raised questions about whether a new site at Batchelor, which opened on 12 October 2026, can meet residents' needs, including medical care for some residents with chronic conditions.
Bill Dowson, who built small businesses in hardware, self-storage and document management, now chairs The Cram Foundation. He advocates for people with disability across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions. Dowson joined the board in 2017, arguing that running a not-for-profit requires many of the same skills as running a business. He says the organisation has shifted from a clinical approach to a human rights approach, with people with disability entitled to the same freedoms and choices as anyone else. Dowson has been named a finalist for a 2026 social justice award.
The ACT government has said it will develop laws to shut down illegal tobacco and vape shops. The decision followed criticism from health groups and federal MP Julian Hill over the territory's delay, which the health minister had linked to human rights considerations. Health minister Marisa Paterson said the government would also examine whether such laws were effective elsewhere. The package will include closure orders, strengthened seizure powers and criminal penalties for shops selling illegal products. The ACT Equality Minister rejected claims the territory was falling behind.
Human rights groups are urging the federal government to increase pressure on Vietnam over Melbourne man Hiep Tran, who disappeared in Cambodia last month. Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security says it caught Mr Tran and Norwegian citizen Duc Thuan Nguyen trying to enter Vietnam illegally. Their supporters deny this and allege the pair were abducted. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia has made representations on the matter. Mr Tran's wife, Chloe Dang, has pleaded for his release.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay has recalled growing up under apartheid in South Africa, where her family was barred from beaches and parks. Born in Durban in 1941, she became the first non-white woman appointed to South Africa's High Court and later served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In her first Australian interview since receiving the 2026 prize, she called Donald Trump's criticism of the award pathetic. She also said sanctions imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court were unlawful and cruel.
Australia's High Court has ruled that Rachel Smith, a 36-year-old serving a 10-year prison term in Queensland, can apply to freeze her eggs while behind bars. Smith is serving time for trafficking in a dangerous drug. The court found the Queensland courts had misread the Corrective Services Act, and it ordered the prison authority to reconsider her application under the law. The judges said Smith was likely to lose fertility before her parole. The decision may open the way for other Queensland prisoners to seek egg freezing.
A woman serving a 10-year prison term in Queensland has won a High Court challenge to freeze her eggs from behind bars. Rachel Smith had applied to the state's prison authority to undergo the procedure at her own cost, but Queensland Corrective Services argued it was banned under the Corrective Services Act 2006. The High Court found the Queensland courts had misconstrued the Act and ordered the prison authority to reconsider her application according to law. The judges also ordered the authority to pay Smith's legal costs.
The family of Aishima Shizuo, a Japanese engineer who died in detention, has asked a United Nations working group to investigate whether his detention violated international law. He was arrested in 2020 over alleged export breaches, and his bail requests were repeatedly rejected. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died before the case against him was dropped in 2023, when the arrests were deemed illegal. His family and lawyers say his case reflects a wider problem they call hostage justice, where suspects are held to obtain confessions. The Japanese government has rejected such criticism.
