Allan Government's Draconian Anti-Protest Laws | The Horrors Of Strip Searches in NSW | Data on VicPol Racial Profiling |

Monday, 24 November 2025 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm

CONTENT WARNING: This Episode of Doin' Time contains audio images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died and graphic discussion of deaths in custody and racial profiling.

 

Today on the show Marisa interviewed Dr Vicki Sentas, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and Justice at UNSW Sydney. Marisa invited Vicki on the show to alert listeners about a landmark class action highlighting horrors of strip searches, and hear an overview of what has happened to date. Following a class action led by leading law firm Slater and Gordon and Redfern Legal Centre, a judgment was handed down in the Supreme Court of NSW which awarded significant damages to the lead plaintiff, Raya Meredith, for an unlawful strip search undertaken by NSW Police at the Splendour in the Grass Festival in 2018.

 

After that, Marisa interviewed Cath Strong from the Defend Dissent Coalition who also did some brilliant MCing at last Tuesday's rally at Parliament House which had a number of speakers discussing new police powers. Cath joined Marisa to give a report back and talk about the Justice Legislation Amendment Bill, focusing on draconian anti-protest laws the Allan Government has been proposing.

 

Finally, Marisa interviewed Dr Tamar Hopkins: Expert on racial profiling data, and Founder Centre Against Racial Profiling. She discussed findings, based on an analysis of Victoria Police's own 2024 data, revealing that Aboriginal people are now 15 times more likely to be searched and 10 times more likely to have force used against them than white people. Racialised communities are subjected to over-policing that frequently escalates into police violence.