New gun laws have been introduced in the New South Wales Parliament that could unravel the strict measures brought in after the Port Arthur Massacre.

The bill introduced by the Shooters Party removes the four week waiting period for people who want to buy a second gun.

The Greens say Labor is backing the proposal to secure support in the upper house for its electricity privatisation plans.

The Bill has been passed through the upper house and will now go before the legislative assembly.

2SER’s Glyn Cryer spoke to Roland Browne from the National Coalition for Gun Control.

Newly elected Senator and ‘No Pokies’ advocate Nick Xenophon has announced that his first move in the Senate will be to introduce a bill to ban ATMs from pubs and clubs with poker machines.

As a former member of the South Australian Parliament, Xenophon first came to politics as an elected representative in 1997.

Now he’s set to have a big influence in the new Federal Senate, sharing the balance of power with several other MP’s.

He wants to remove easy access to cash around poker machines as evidence shows a strong link with gambling addiction.

There are currently over 200,000 gaming machines in Australia and state governments have been under attack for failing to act to reduce problem gambling.

Senator Xenophon is speaking here with 2ser’s Paige Nguyen.

As Sydney gets ready to host hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who will attend World Catholic Youth Day, a coalition of local activists is planning a special welcome.

The “No to pope” coalition will protest and hand out free condoms as the faithful gather for the Popes address on July 19.

The group says the Catholic church’s policies on HIV prevention, homosexuality and reproductive rights are outdated and bigoted.

2ser’s Glyn Cryer spoke to the No-To-Pope Coalition’s Rachel Evans.

A new study has revealed that the methadone program is too expensive and is driving people back to heroin addiction.

The study, conducted by Dr James Rowe from RMIT University in Melbourne, in partnership with the Salvation Army has found that the $60 a fortnight needed to pay for methadone is costing users up to 20% of their fortnightly income.

In Victoria, where methadone is only available at pharmacies and is not provided for free at methadone clinics, those who can’t afford it are turning to prostitution or crime to continue to pay for their treatment.

Dr Rowe says that it’s unfair that other health issues, attributed to people’s past lifestyles, like type 2 diabetes or alcoholism, have their medication subsidised while heroin addiction does not.

He says the program must be fully subsidised under the PBS in order to stop driving people back to heroin.

Dr Rowe spoke with 2ser’s Belinda Merhab.

“Keeping the bastards honest” was Don Chips famous catchcry.

But the party he founded, the Australian Democrats, are no more.

All four of the party’s senators terms are ending this week and for the first time since the party was formed in 1977 there will be no Democrats prowling the halls of the senate.

The party was a major force in the Australian Senate for three decades – at one stage boasting NINE senators.

They were active campaigners on native title, gay rights, asylum seekers and the environment.

But many believe that infighting between leaders, high profile defections to other parties and controversially allowing the GST to pass through the senate prompted the party’s decline.

2ser’s Tanya Evans reports.

In just 10 months 100,000 hectares of private land in N.S.W. has been approved for logging - that’s the equivalent of 517 football fields a day.

Conservationists say the approvals have been made without proper public scrutiny, under a new code of practice.

The North Coast Environment Council wants the issue investigated and believes old-growth forest and sensitive habitats could be at risk.

The Council’s Deputy Chair Susie Russell spoke with 2SER’s Sam Willcock.

Greenpeace this week put forward its picture of Australia’s energy future, with the release of a report that calls for the total elimination of the local coal industry by 2030.

The report – entitled Australia’s Energy Revolution – calls for greater investment in renewable technologies inlcuding solar, wind, geo-thermal and ocean power.

Greenpeace contends that Australia could produce 40% of its energy needs from renewables, and in the process address what it calls ‘the single biggest contributor to Australia’s greenhouse-gas emissions’.

2ser’s Glyn Cryer spoke to Julien Vincent, one of the report’s authors.

The relationship between the PR industry and journalists has been brought under scrutiny again this month, with the release of a new British study which found that, within a 2 week period, 80 percent of the stories run by quality daily papers were re-written from wire services and press releases.

Although journalists continue to cite on-going cost cutting, pressing deadlines and increased workload and possible causes for what has been called “churnalism”, critics say that journalists are simply not doing their job by taking information given to them at face value.

2ser’s Ekaterina Kossian spoke with Jim Macnamara, Professor of Public Communication at the University of Technology in Sydney.

The Victorian Greens are pushing ahead with their bill to legalise Euthanasia, despite this week’s court verdict, which could see two elderly women jailed, for helping a man to end his life.

The Physician Assisted Dying Bill, proposes that people who are suffering intolerably from a terminal or incurable illness, be granted a prescription drug to end their life.

Despite numerous safeguards within the Bill, designed to protect patients, some Victorian MP’s, including euthanasia supporters, have criticized the proposal.

They say it has too many holes and that the wording is problematic.

Greens MP Colleen Hartland spoke with 2ser’s Belinda Merhab.

The NSW government this week narrowly succeeded in passing controversial new planning legislation which Minister Frank Sartor says is designed to make planning decisions more efficient.

But not everyone agrees.

The Local Government Association led a ‘Keep it Local’ campaign, which brought together The National Trust, the Environmental Defenders Office, and several other groups to fight the State Government.

These organisations all say that the Government’s plans will make an already-complex system even worse, reducing accountability and favouring the interests of developers.

Genia McCaffery is the President of the Local Government Association and the Mayor of North Sydney.

2SER’s Glyn Cryer asked her what change we can expect from the new laws.

This week a group of fifty animal rights organisations met with environment minister Peter Garret to lobby against the current kangaroo management program.

Around 3.5 million kangaroos are culled every year for the commercial meat industry.

The World League for the Protection of animals says that the killing of female kangaroos results in a terrible cruelty inflicted on millions of joeys

Authorities and farmers have argued that growing kangaroo populations are threatening farming land and livestock, but the group says that the population of kangaroos has been vastly overestimated

It warns that unless the kangaroo is given official protection, it could become the new Tasmanian devil.

2ser’s Katrina Yu spoke to Halina Thompson from the World League for the Protection of Animals.

In 2007, when Justice Betty King charged Melbourne underworld figure Carl Williams with 3 counts of murder,
she expressed her concern that Carl would gain hero status

With the recent popularity of channel 9’s ‘Underbelly’ series which is based around Melbourne’s Gangland war, Carl has gained a cult following.

He even has a Facebook page with 5000 friends.

So is it healthy for the mainstream media to glorify serious criminals, who are often multiple murderers?

2SER’s James Jarrett spoke to Dr Peter Doyle, A lecturer in media at Macquarie university and expert on crime fiction to find out why Australian’s idolise criminals like Ned Kelly, ‘Chopper’ Read and Carl Williams.

A new study has revealed that some university vice-chancellors are getting paid twice or three times as much as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Universities are public institutions, yet the salaries of their top executives are being compared to those of merchant bank CEO’s.

Individual pay-packets are ranging from 400 thousand dollars per year, up to 1.9 million dollars.

In many cases VC’s are also receiving luxury cars, houses and more.

At a time when universities are struggling with a lack of resources and overblown class sizes, education unions aren’t impressed.

2ser’s Katrina Yu spoke to Ken McAlpine from the National Tertiary Education union.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the price of oil is on the march. And there’s analysts saying we’ll look back at 2008 in the years to come and think we were lucky. That petrol was cheap.

So what's happening with oil?

There’s no doubt the world’s demand for oil is increasing in a big way. What is in contention is the world’s supply.

A growing number of experts are saying we won’t be able to keep up with the world’s insatiable demand. And in fact, we’ve reached a tipping point. The term they’re using is ‘peak oil’.

In this interview, Michael Lardelli from the University of Adelaide sounds the alarm bells about peak oil.

He spoke with environment reporter Phil Stubbs.

Republicans and Monarchists clashed this week over the Queens birthday awards, with the Australian Republican Movement branding them "anachronistic".

The movement says the honours should be solely Australian and seperated from the British monarchy.

But "Australians for a Constitutional monarchy" says the awards and the public holiday are a crucial part of Australia's heritage.

With Kevin Rudd promising to re-visit the issue of a referendum, Republicans are stepping up their public campaigns.

2ser's Sam Willcock asked the Deputy Chair of the Republican Movement, Terry Fewtrell what changes would take place, if Australia did severe ties with the Monarchy.

In the lead up to last year’s federal election, the Labor party campaigned against the opening of a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.

Labor promised a new approach to the management of radioactive waste and vowed to repeal coalition legislation that would allow the Commonwealth to build a dump in the Territory.

While the Environment Minister Peter Garrett has recently promised to scrap the law, the Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson says otherwise.

The Australian Conservation Foundation says that those people who will be affected by the dump have been left in limbo, with no idea as to whether or not it will be built.

The ACF’s Adele Pedder, spoke with 2ser’s Belinda Merhab.

New planning laws put forward by the Iemma government could mean councils and will no longer be able to stop unwanted developments in their local areas.

The bill also means property owners would no longer have to apply for council permission to demolish buildings, even if they have potential heritage value.

Instead, developers would only need the permission of private certifiers.

Organisations such as the National Trust are concerned that historic buildings could be demolished before heritage applications are submitted.

National Trust Conservation Director Graham Quint spoke to 2ser's Libby King.

Protest, boycott, political campaigns and blogging.

They're all words we associate with being an activist.

But what about the phrase 'annual general meeting'?

In boardrooms across Australia, shareholders are pushing for better corporate governance from the companies they partially own.

In recent times shareholders rejected plans to privatise Qantas, stopped a takeover of APN News & Media, and forced Telstra executives to justify their generous pay packets.

But does this dissent necessarily result in better run companies?

2ser's Leeanne Torpey spoke with Stewart Wilson, the CEO of the Australian Shareholders Association.

Environment groups are calling on the state government to urgently review plans for an expansion of underground coal mining in southern NSW.

The calls follow the release of a report by Indian coal-mining giant Gujarat NRE entitled “India on steroids”.

It outlines the company’s plans to build more, so-called “longwall mines” which have been implicated in draining important river systems.

Longwall mining invloves deep underground excavation over a large area - sometimes 50 kilometres long.

Conservation groups are calling the latest plan a scandal, saying the mines could put the environment as well as Sydney's drinking water in danger.

2ser's Belinda Merhab spoke with David Burgess from the Total Environment Centre.

How can the Government lose part of the country almost double the size of Tasmania?

This is exactly what a new report by the Australian Department of Forestry suggests.

It's found that Australia actually has ten per cent less forest than official figures suggest.

While government is keen to put this down to a change in methodology, these figures are the basis of environmental policy and forestry agreements allowing continued logging.

The Australian Conservation Foundation believes this needs to be reevaluated, along with the broader role destruction of forests plays in Global Warming.

2ser's Jessica Minshall spoke to their Forest Campaigner Lindsay Hesketh.

Premier Morris Iemma has threatened Labor MPs considering crossing the floor over privatisation, that they could face expulsion from the party.

Already locked in battle with the union movement and the ALP conference over the sell off, the Premier is now facing an internal revolt, with two MP’s announcing they will vote against the plan.

The NSW Greens' have already put forward a bill to force the government to allow all MPs to vote on the sell-off and say there could be far more than just 2 MP’s willing to defy Morris Iemma.

Greens Upper House MP John Kaye spoke to 2ser's Libby King.

Two years ago a series of provocative childrens advertisements, spurred a think tank to release a report called "Corporate paedophilia - Sexualising Children by Advertising and Marketing".

The Australia Institute mentioned several major clothing chains in their study.

In 2007, David Jones started legal proceedings against the institute, under the trade practices act, claiming the report had damaged their business.

Under current defamation laws a corporation cannot sue a non-profit organization, so companies are often using trade practices laws instead.

Last week the matter was settled out of court.

Clive Hamilton, is an author and former Executive Director of the Institute – he discussed the case with 2SER’s Angela Aldred.

Ashfield council has now joined Blacktown and Manly in a ban on water bottles within their organizations.

They say our enormous appetite for expensive water is leading to mountains of landfill waste when the containers are thrown away.

The councils were urged to do so by John Dee, the co-founder of Planet Ark who has written to every local government agency in Australia

Environment ministers at the state and federal levels are also getting in to the mix, raising questions about the poor recycling rates of empty drink bottles.

Nick Hollins spoke to the chief executive of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute, Tony Gentile, to get his reaction to the council ban.

Sharks have had a pretty bad wrap for a long time.

Now a new film busts several myths about sharks - and it highlights the dire situation for shark populations around the world.

Rob Stewart, an underwater photographer, set out to show the beauty of sharks in his film ‘Sharkwater’, but stumbled instead onto the billion dollar shark fin industry.

He found sharks having their fins cut off and their bodies thrown back in the ocean on a large scale - all to supply the demand for shark fin soup in Asia.

Our environment reporter Phil Stubbs went to see the film, then tracked down the director Rob Stewart in Paris for this interview.

175 billion dollars - That’s the staggering amount George Bush is asking Parliament to approve for ongoing funding of the Iraq war.

If the supplementary funding bill goes through, the cost of the War in Iraq could reach 3 trillion dollars - making it the second most expensive war in American history.

Theodore Lowi is a Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University and has been following the escalating cost to American taxpayers.

2ser’s Ekaterina Kossian asked him to outline how supplementary funding operates.

There are claims today that a new federal budget decision could cripple the solar energy industry in Australia.

The Government is introducing a means test for the 8,000 dollar solar power rebate, which was originally designed to promote solar power for use in private homes.

Households with a total income of more than one hundred thousand dollars will no longer be eligible for the rebate.

Maurice Wells from the Sydney Energy Cooperative has joined with several major environment groups in condemning the move.

He says over 80% of the solar systems his co-op recently installed would not have been eligible for the rebate under the new threshold.

He spoke with 2ser's Jessica Minshall.

Here in Australia we know we should be watching how much water we use for things like showers, gardens and washing cars.

But it’s a drop in the ocean compared to how much water goes into the products we consume.

Now an Australian academic has proposed that the amount of water used in making food and other items be clearly shown on product labeling.

Environment reporter Phil Stubbs compiled this story.

More info: http://www.waterfootprint.org/

Professor Mick Dodson is leading research into possible models for a new Aboriginal organization to replace ATSIC.

The controversial study was initiated by the Human Rights commission but is opposed by some indigenous leaders.

Mick Dodson’s team at the Australian National University will present their findings to Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin at the end of May.

ATSIC was the former representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, disbanded by the Howard Government amid claims it was ineffective and corrupt.

But what kind of relationship might this new organization have with Federal and State Governments?

2ser’s Nick Hollins spoke to Professor Larissa Berendt from the Jumbunna Indigenous Centre the University of Technology, Sydney.

Could going to school be bad for your health? - students in the Blue Mountains think so.

A delegation from ten schools in the area met with their MP Bob Debus, saying the heaters in their schools are poisonous, due to toxic emissions.

The students say that because they need heating most of the year, they should be considered special “cold climate” schools.

The controversial unflued heaters have been the subject of several government reports and health department warnings, and have banned in other parts of Australia.

Richard Kalina coordinates the Campaign Opposing Unflued Gas Heaters – He spoke with 2ser’s Jessica Minshall.

This week Macquarie University unveiled its controversial plan to introduce a compulsory volunteering credit to all its degrees by 2010.

But rather than praise, the announcement attracted criticism and raised questions as to whether the program takes into account student needs.

National Union of Students President, Angus McFarland welcomes the concept, but is concerned about the added financial pressure the program will place on students, as well as adding to their HECS debt.

2ser’s Katrina Yu spoke to Macquarie Uni Deputy Vic-Chancellor Judith Sachs about the paradox of compulsory volunteering.

The average fuel efficiency of Australia’s cars has not changed since the early 1960s.

In research for the Garnaut Climate Change Review, Dr Paul Mees of Melbourne University has shown the current average of 11.4 litres per 100 kilometres is identical to that of 1963.

Dr Mees says the motor industry’s claims of reduced emissions are misleading.

He is also concerned by possible greenwashing by state Governments, hoping to avoid tough decisions on transport and infrastructure.

He spoke with 2ser’s Nick Hollins.

A new study released this week about women in the workplace, has once again confirmed what many women already know, that despite their qualifications and experience, they still play second fiddle to their male co-workers when it comes to salary and work promotions.

Commissioned by the Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, the report noted that women were just as career driven as men, and that the perception that the workplace was "a bit of a boys club" was a feeling shared by almost half of the men surveyed in the study.

2ser's Ekaterina Kossian spoke with Dr. Leslie Cannold, author and Lecturer at the Centre for gender and medicine at Monash University.

She began the interview by asking whether the findings of the study told us anything we didn't already know:

Mental Health services in NSW are at such a crisis point that federal intervention is needed.

These are the words of Dr. Jean Lennane, a psychiatrist campaigning for the redevelopment of Callan Park, a mental health facility in Rozelle, which closed its doors this week.

Callan Park provided 240 hospital beds, and took overflowing patients from various hospitals throughout greater Sydney, including the Prince of Wales, where emergency department staff have recently been assaulted by patients due to lack of space.

So why has this facility been closed at a time when Sydney seems to need it most?

2ser’s Katrina Yu has the story.

In what seems to be a dramatic shift in policy, the Federal Opposition has called for further investment into solar power.

The Opposition Environment Spokesman Greg Hunt has outlined a vision for a "solar continent".

He wants to replace burning coal with solar energy for the baseload power of Australian cities.

Dr Alistair Sproul, from the School of Renewable Engineering at UNSW, disagrees with the idea and says the focus should be on energy efficiency.

He spoke at a climate change forum at the University of New South Wales about how renewable energy will lead to a low-carbon society.

2ser's Jessica Minshall asked him about the current state of Solar power industry.

Sex workers have suggested a new way to curb the exploitation of migrants – give international prostitutes - skilled worker visas.

The Scarlet Alliance, says granting proper visas to sex workers visiting Australia - may be more useful than trying to track down the sex traffickers who prey on poor women.

With trafficking from Asia on the rise, Alliance President Elena Jeffreys – believes the legalisation of sex workers coming into the country - would allow more women to avoid sweatshop conditions and low pay.

Jeffries first raised the controversial idea at the 20/20 summit – but will politicians see the logic – or prefer to stick with their tough law and order approach?

She’s speaking here with 2ser’s Mig Caldwell.

Australians got the bad news this week that food prices have increased significantly over the last year.

But spare a thought for many developed countries where food prices have skyrocketed and serious food shortages have become a reality.

So much so, there have been riots and demonstrations in a range of countries from Cameroon and Senegal to Haiti, Mexico and Egypt.

One factor is believed to be the increasing use of crops to produce biofuels rather than food.

A staple like corn now has more value for sale to the petroleum industry - which in turn makes it more expensive to buy as a food.

So are biofuels creating problems the world doesn’t need?

2SER's Phil Stubbs spoke with the CSIRO’s biofuels expert Deborah O’Connell.

Leaders representing 29 West Papuan political and civil society organizations have formed a coalition in an effort to get self determination for West Papua onto the international agenda.

Indonesia maintains that West Papua is a part of their country, since occupying Papua after the 1969 so-called “Act of Free Choice”.

In an effort to kerb growing calls for independence, Indonesia introduced “Special Autonomy” for West Papua, which was intended to lead to economic and social benefits for the indigenous population.

But the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation say that “Special Autonomy” has failed, and that they are ready to take their struggle to the international stage.

Featured in story - Paula Makabory - Institute of Human Rights Study and Advocacy, Matthew Jamieson - Institute of Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights and Dino Kusnadi - spokesperson for the Indonesian Embassy. Reporter: Shevonne Hunt.

14 weeks of paid maternity leave might soon be available for all Australian women.

Following the recent announcement of the Federal Government to hold a PRODUCTTIVITY COMMISSION INQUIRY into the economic and social benefits of a universal system, lobbyists say we are closer than ever before.

At this week’s ‘COMMON GROUND’ forum, hosted by the CENTRE FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT (CPD), guest speakers agreed on a minimum wage government funded scheme.

SHARAN BURROW, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and TONY STEVENS of the Council of Small Businesses (COBOA) said such a scheme was long overdue.

Currently 81% of women want paid maternity leave but only one-third has access to it because there is no universal system in place.

2SERs ANNE VON FEHRN spoke to MIRIAM LYONS of the CPD

Same sex couples will have new parenting rights, if their child is born using IVF or artificial fertilisation, under plans by the NSW government.

At present non-biological lesbian mothers have very few rights under the law.

Emily Gray from the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby welcomed the changes but wants government to look at adoption rights.

She spoke with 2ser's Sam Willcock.

Animal welfare groups have taken legal action in a bid to stop or reduce the annual kangaroo cull.

The Wildlife Protection Association are challenging the NSW Kangaroo Management Plan in the administrative appeals tribunal - and say the current plan - to allow three million kangaroos to be shot nationwide is a disgrace.

Each year commercial shooters are given a cull quota - based on surveys of the roo population.

Some scientists argue that kangaroo harvesting is necessary to prevent a boom and bust population cycle - and to reduce damage to farm lands.

But Pat O’Brien from the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia disagrees.

2ser’s Alison Massy asked him why he decided to mount
a legal challenge.

Residents of the Blue Mountains are demanding answers from the NSW government - following the revelation that cyanide is being transported through their communities on a regular basis.

The potentially dangerous substance is now being taken by rail from Gladstone, where it’s produced, to gold mines in Western NSW through the Blue Mountains, Lithgow, and Bathurst.

Local Environment groups estimate that more than 6,000 tonnes of cyanide are freighted per year - and say that figure could jump if plans to expand the controversial lake Cowal gold mine are approved.

2SER’s Angela Aldred went to the latest protest on the issue in Katoomba - and spoke with Graeme Dunstan from the group, “Cyanide Watch”.

The promoter of Earth Hour was itself subject of some green criticism this week, over support for further investment into carbon capture and storage technology - also known as CCS or "clean coal".

The World Wildlife Fund has joined the Climate Institute, the Miners union and the Australian Coal Association in calling for more demonstration plants to test this technology.

Just this month, Australia's first carbon storage demonstration plant was opened at Otway basin in Victoria.

Already the NSW Government has put $100 million into a clean coal fund, and $500 million has been announced for a national clean coal initiative.

Unimpressed by the announcement, several environmentgroups picketed the WWF's Sydney office.

2ser's Jessica Minshall was there.

Human rights groups have criticised Indonesia’s decision to set free Eurico Guterres, the only man ever convicted of
post-election violence in East Timor in 1999.

More than 14 hundred East Timorese were killed in a brutal retaliation blamed on Indonesian-backed militia groups, following a UN vote for independence.

This week Guterres walked out of jail after serving only two years of his ten year sentence for the war crime.

The Indonesian Supreme Court cited lack of evidence, despite the existence of extensive documentary proof.

Now a free man, the self-proclaimed nationalist, has announced plans for a political career. 2SER's Katrina Yu reports.

Although embraced by governments internationally as a green alternative – biofuels, or “agrofuels”, have been the subject of much criticism.

While running cars on a fuel made from crops like corn and sugarcane
sounds like a great substitute for dwindling oil reserves - critics say the move is causing serious problems - by dramatically increasing food prices in some countries.

Some studies also suggest that biofuels produce increased carbon emissions when looking at the whole lifecycle of the crops and processing.

Amidst this criticism, NSW Premier Morris Iemma this week announced plans for all unleaded petrol to be made up of 10 per cent ethanol by 2010.

More than 500 service stations in NSW currently sell this ‘E10’ petrol.

Iemma says International concerns do not apply on the state level.

But the Greens want an independent inquiry into the overall environmental
impacts before expansion of the ethanol industry.

2ser's Jessica Minshall spoke with Greens Upper House MP, Lee Rhiannon.

Knowing what’s in the morning paper or the latest magazines is something most people take for granted.

But for Australians who are vision impaired, it's a different story.

Sydney’s Radio Reading service, 2RPH, ior Radio for the Print Handicapped, is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary.

Every day volunteers read a variety of articles from The Sydney Morning Herald to Women’s Day.

Ron McCallum, the co-creator of 2RPH spoke to 2SERs Angela Aldred about the history and future of this important broadcasting service.

More info: http://www.2rph.org.au/

The NSW government has decided to allow the commercial production of Hemp.

Industrial hemp is used around the world to produce paper, textiles and skin care products.

NSW will now follow several other states in allowing the growing of a special form of hemp that doesn't contain the psychotropic ingredient THC.

Klara Marosszeky has a licence to cultivate hemp - she spoke with 2ser's Mig Caldwell.

Have you ever thought you might be safer riding a bicycle without a helmet?

This is the findings of a research report written by Cyclist Rights Action Group president Bill Curnow.

The report argues that bicycle helmets increase chronic injury to the brain, and that this could be avoided by riding without a helmet.

The RTA in NSW have imposed a compulsory helmet law since 1990.

The law was formed on research which found that approved bicycle helmets reduce the rate of head injuries to cyclists.

CRAG president Bill Curnow spoke to Michelle Watts.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority might be given more powers to police racism on the internet.

At a recent meeting of attorneys-general in Adelaide a proposal was put forward to ban race-hate websites.

Civil libertarians fear that this will restrict free speech and won't do anything to stop material posted on websites overseas.

But community groups that represent people from non-English speaking backgrounds have expressed support for the Government's plan.

Dale Clapperton from the free speech group Electronic Frontiers says existing laws already outlaw racial vilification and new laws aren’t necessary – He spoke with 2SER's Anne von Fehrn.

Many people might have been on their guard for April Fools Day this week, but what about Fossil Fools Day?

A group of friends infuriated motorists by transforming a Newtown car park into a park – for people.

The first of April was the third annual Fossil Fools Day, where people around the world are urged to play pranks on petroleum users.

The idea drew the attention of many including the Marrickville council and eventually – the Police.

Michelle Watts with this report.

Last year the cost of detaining asylum seekers was $28 million - and it is those applying for refugee status - whether they have been granted asylum in Australia or deported - who are billed for the costs.

In one case an asylum seeker currently owes the government $271 000 for his time in a detention centre.

This debt recovery was subject of a report released this week by the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Jessica Minshall spoke with Mark Goudkamp, from the NSW Refugee Action Coalition, about what impact this debt has on the lives of people who have sought refuge.