The Courts Legislation Amendment (Reserve Judicial Officers) Bill 2012 will abolish the offices of acting judges and acting magistrates and create the offices of reserve judge and reserve magistrate. The bill was introduced to Parliament on Wednesday.The Introductory Print is here and the Explanatory Memorandum here.On my reading of it, these reforms are unlikely to …
Tag: law reform
Sentencing discounts
The Criminal Law (Sentencing) (Guilty Pleas) Amendment Bill 2012 (SA) caught my eye today. This bill recently passed the South Australian Parliament, and amends the Criminal Law (Sentencing) Act 1988 (SA).The legislation encourages sentencing discounts for early pleas of guilty, and provides proportional limits on the discounts that can be offered, depending on when the …
Legislation Watch: Road Safety Amendment (Operator Onus) Bill 2012
This legislation is about to pass the Assembly, and will take effect once it's proclaimed. It has a forced commencement date of 1 July 2014.The Statement of Compatibility is here, the Explanatory Memorandum is here, and the Second Reading is here.Clause 4 will insert a new s 84BA into the Road Safety Act 1986, which …
Continue reading Legislation Watch: Road Safety Amendment (Operator Onus) Bill 2012
Monitoring the public interest
Andrew McIntosh, the Minister responsible for establishing an anti-corruption commission, recently announced the appointment of Brendan Murphy QC as Victoria's first Public Interest Monitor.The PIM is appointed under the Public Interest Monitor Act 2011. His role is to appear at the Supreme Court and Administrative Appeals Tribunal when investigative agencies apply for confidential or secret …
The same, but different
Last week the Commonwealth government announced a change of name for the Federal Magistrates Court. At a date yet to be decided, the Court will become known as the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, and FMs will now be referred to as judges.At various times through the last few years it looked like the Court …