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
March 5, 2026
March 5, 2026
Ahead of the South Australia state elections, we’ve created an election explainer to clearly outline where each political party stands on issues related to alternative first responders. We gathered information …
AFR Team – News
February 19, 2026
February 19, 2026
South Australia’s political leaders are being urged to rethink how community safety is funded, with a growing demand for care-led alternatives to policing that prevent harm. Alternative First Responders are not new, they are …
AFR Team – Formal Statement
February 9, 2026
February 9, 2026
Alternative First Responders Submission Summary In December 2025, the Alternative First Respoder Team put forward a submission to the inquiry, with a focus on Terms of Reference 2B: evidence of …
AFR Team – Formal Statement, Submission
January 29, 2026
January 29, 2026
As we arrive in 2026, we wanted to reflect on how far this work has come, the lessons learned along the way, and the collective effort that brought us here. Alternative First Responder …
AFR Team – Blog
January 13, 2026
January 13, 2026
When someone is experiencing psychological distress, the response they receive can mean the difference between safety and traumatisation. For too long, Australia has defaulted to the police as first responders …
Danelle Lever, Knowmore Legal Services – Blog, Opinion Piece
November 10, 2025
November 10, 2025
When looking at the numerous contexts and communities that stand to benefit from the establishment of alternative first responders, the area of mental health is hard to ignore. It is …
AFR Team – Blog
May 20, 2025
May 20, 2025
For the last ten years the National Justice Project has worked with a clear vision in mind – to fearlessly fight injustice. As a law firm this fight has been …
AFR Team – Blog
May 20, 2025
May 20, 2025
When the question is posed for how we can improve policing and outcomes for people needing mental health support, often the policy response is – more training. How effective is …
Dr Matthew Morgan – Conversation, Opinion Piece
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