Chief Justice addresses Toowoomba residents

More than 200 Toowoomba lawyers, law students and residents attended a public lecture by Australia’s most senior judge last week (Friday, June 25).

The Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, the Honourable Robert Shenton French AC presented Courts in a Representative Democracy at USQ as part of the Shine Lawyers/USQ Law free public lecture series.

During the lecture, Chief Justice French gave a strong indication of his personal interest in regional Australia which was due, in part, to an earlier stage in his career when he was president of the National Native Title Tribunal.

USQ School of Law Head, Professor Mike Robertson, described the lecture as extremely successful.

'The Chief Justice gave a very scholarly and extensive lecture on the role of Australian courts in the Australian democratic system and touched on many crucially important issues within the Constitutional Law area,' Professor Robertson said.

'These included the crucial and ongoing need for the separation of legislative, administrative and judicial powers, the courts’ role in interpreting the Constitution in protecting individual rights and in holding government accountable, and the underlying value we place on judicial independence in carrying out these functions.'

Professor Robertson said he was extremely pleased with the level of support and interest generated by the visit.

'It was a memorable occasion, given that no-one is able to remember when a sitting Chief Justice of Australia has previously delivered a public lecture in Toowoomba.'

After the lecture, USQ Chancellor Ms Bobbie Brazil hosted a dinner in honour of Chief Justice French.