Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tasmanians also have bad laws

I sometimes think that foreign countries can't possibly have family courts as bad as ours. Now I read this from the other side of the world:
A TASMANIAN group has filed a $200 million class action against Premier David Bartlett and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It is believed to be the first Australian class action against a law.

JAIL (Juries Against Illegal Laws) filed papers with the Federal Court of Australia on February 4 claiming that the Family Violence Act 2004 (Tasmania) was invalid. ...

The writ further seeks an order that the Tasmanian Government and DPP Tim Ellis cease to engage in arresting people without proper evidence or procedures, giving police judicial powers, denying people the right to a fair and proper hearing and usurping the proper role of the courts. ...

Sir John said he agreed to represent JAIL because the case raised important and fundamental questions of human rights, such as the presumption of innocence, right to a fair trial and the separation of powers.
I only learned several years ago that people lived on Tasmania. It is a remote island on the other side of Australia. It is home to some unusual animals. And apparently the disease of bad domestic violence laws has reached there.

No comments: