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 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
January 13, 2026
Beyond police in mental health crisis: centring First Nations leadership and community-driven care
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
Building an Ecosystem of Care
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
RELATED MEDIA
- 3CR Radio Interview with AFR Campaign Lead, 2 June, 3CR Radio
- Why Australia Needs Alternative First Responders, 1 June, ABC Radio
- 3CR Radio Interview with AFR Campaign Lead, 26 May, 3CR Radio
- 666 ABC Radio Interview with AFR Campaign Lead, 21 May, ABC Radio
- Australian Policy Online – AFR position paper listed as resource
- 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
- ACT spends $44.2m for violence support services, 21 May, CBR City News
- NT laws to allow police to hold young people for 48 hours, 19 May, The Guardian
- 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

