Defining Community Safety “Safety is care, it’s community, it’s dignity and it’s meeting each other with support.” (Apryl Day, Dhadjowa Foundation) The term ‘community safety’ is often thrown around as …
July 7, 2026
Mental health and policing interactions in NSW
July 7, 2026
SUBMISSION SUMMARY The National Justice Project and AFR Team put forward a submission to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission’s community survey on Mental Health and Policing Interactions in NSW. The …
AFR Team – Submission
July 2, 2026
Having a mental health crisis is not a crime
July 2, 2026
The AFR team stood alongside BEING – the peak body for mental health consumers in NSW – Leesa Topic (mother of Courtney Topic), Nichole and Sharee (cousins of Jodi Knott) …
AFR Team – Blog
June 23, 2026
Inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
June 23, 2026
SUBMISSION SUMMARY In June 2026, The Alternative First Responders (AFR) Team put forward a submission to The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs for the Inquiry …
AFR Team – Formal Statement, News, Submission
May 29, 2026
Pressure grows to rethink police as first responders ahead of Victorian election
May 29, 2026
MEDIA RELEASE: 29 May 2026 Pressure grows to rethink police as first responders ahead of Victorian election Ahead of the Victorian State Election, more than 170 people from across Australia …
May 14, 2026
The Alternative First Responders Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit
May 14, 2026
On Tuesday 12 May, The Alternative First Responder Team launched The Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit with The Law Reform and Justice (LRSJ) Program, ANU at the Food Co-op & Shop, in Canberra. …
April 2, 2026
Reach out and ask
April 2, 2026
On Friday, 6 February 2026, we had the privilege of welcoming the new cohort of first year law students starting at the University of Technology (UTS), as part of O-Week. Side-by-side with …
AFR Team – Blog
March 31, 2026
Young people deserve support, not police force
March 31, 2026
SUBMISSION SUMMARY In March 2026, the Alternative First Responders (AFR) Team put forward a submission to the New South Wales (NSW) Select Committee on Youth Justice advocating for the …
AFR Team – News, Submission
March 19, 2026
This World Storytelling Day – Pledge Your Story
March 19, 2026
In the Alternative First Responder position paper we share the data and research behind the issues and harms caused by status quo policing and the impacts that can have on individuals and whole communities. These patterns of police …
March 9, 2026
More than ambulances replacing police: What does better crisis response look like?
March 9, 2026
Dr Chris Maylea is a social worker, lawyer, and Professor of Law at La Trobe University. He has practice experience in mental health services as a social worker and manager, …
Dr Chris Maylea and Dr Panos Karanikolas – Blog, Opinion Piece
RELATED MEDIA
- Carly couldn’t get the healthcare she needed. She almost didn’t make it home, 1 July, Sydney Morning Herald
- Open Letter Signed: having a mental health crisis is not a crime, 24 June, Being – NSW peak body for mental health consumers
- AFR Campaign Lead delivers speech outside NSW Parliament, 24 June, Being – NSW peak body for mental health consumers
- AFR Advocate interview, 3CR Radio, 30 June, 3CR Radio
- Inside Australia’s Mental Health System, 23 June, Farrago Magazine
- Alternatives to Police as First Responders, 18 June, About Time Magazine
- 3CR Radio Interview with AFR Campaign Lead, 2 June, 3CR Radio
- Why Australia Needs Alternative First Responders, 1 June, ABC Radio
- Why public confidence in the police and justice system is plunging, 25 May, Sydney Morning Herald
- No funding spent under $842 million NT remote Aboriginal services agreement, documents reveal, 25 May, National Indigenous Times
- Kimberley Aboriginal community sets new blueprint for health and wellbeing, 16 March, National Indigenous Times
- AFR Campaign Lead Interview with 4ZZZ Radio, 7 March, 4ZZZ Radio
- Centring community and care: why Australia needs an alternative to police-first responses 11 October, Cheek Media
