SUPPORT: Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail
QUEENSLAND could be the first state in Australia to hear the past convictions of defendants after the Attorney-General opened the door to the radical reform.
Mr Bleijie was among few voices to lend support to the Supreme Court judge, and within hours of his speech Mr Bleijie said he would consider the proposal.
"I am encouraged by the Chief Justice's willingness to express his views on legislative reform in the public arena," Mr Bleijie told The Courier-Mail.
"He brings a unique perspective as a representative of neither the prosecution nor the defence, and I look forward to the community debate on these issues.
"There is no doubt that these contemporary, and some may say controversial reforms, would require a large mind shift of those practising in criminal law in Queensland.
Allowing for criminal histories to be made available to juries, allowing judges to explain the concept of reasonable doubt and requiring defence counsel to disclose their case prior to the commencement of a trial, some could argue, would allow for greater transparency in criminal trials."
REFORM: Queensland Chief Justice Paul de Jersey.
However, Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said he was concerned and surprised by the Chief Justice's speech, which was exclusively revealed by The Courier-Mail.
"In my 35 years I have never seen it. The Chief Justice has effectively climbed down from the bench and started a political debate about law and order," Mr O'Gorman said.
"The Chief Justice is to stay above the fray of controversy and political debate, not start it." Several criminal lawyers also voiced concerns.
The legal community and victims groups yesterday lined up to have their say on the issue, with some claiming a change could send innocent people to jail.
Chris Nyst, spokesman for Griffith University's Innocence Project, which rallies against wrongful convictions, warned against any moves to undo the centuries-old convention.
"I cannot think of a single reason to admit prior convictions other than to . . . prejudice and stigmatise the accused by introducing information that has no relevance to the issues the jury is required to determine," adjunct Professor Nyst said.
Queensland Bar Association president Roger Traves said he was cautious about the proposal.
Bravehearts criminologist Carol Ronken said it was "100 per cent behind Chief Justice de Jersey".
The Queensland Police Union said it appreciated the Chief Justice raising the issue "as it is certainly worthy of debate and has many facets and consequences, both intended and unintended, that we as a community can explore further".
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