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 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
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 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
March 5, 2026
Election Explainer South Australia 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 and community safety. …
AFR Team – News
February 19, 2026
Open Letter: Investment in Alternative First Responders
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
Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system
February 9, 2026
Alternative First Responders Submission Summary In December 2025, the Alternative First Responder 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
Alternative First Responders in Australia: Impact, Advocacy and Lessons from 2025
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
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
