Chief Justice Robert French: The Status Quo Needs to Change

Photo source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/chief-justice-robert-french-rails-at-national-disgrace/news-story/1d1e7ea5650cb2343b636320a2e7e71a

In the 16th State of the Judicature address, Chief Justice French discussed the issue of indigenous incarceration and labelled it a "national disgrace" worthy of more attention. Whilst he mostly focused on the concerns raised by laws which impinge upon traditional rights protected by the common law, French made various interesting points which may interest those in the wider community. For instance, he noted that mandatory minimum sentencing is not the right answer. A recent article in the Australian Business Review provided a concise summary of some of the concerns French raised: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/chief-justice-robert-french-rails-at-national-disgrace/news-story/1d1e7ea5650cb2343b636320a2e7e71a

NB: To maintain the network's non-political stance, it is worth adding that the network does not endorse views regarding Julia Gillard as alluded to in the above article.

References:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/chief-justice-robert-french-rails-at-national-disgrace/news-story/1d1e7ea5650cb2343b636320a2e7e71a