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Scales need rebalancing

Scales need rebalancing

There are signs throughout Australia, but particularly in Tasmania, that some long-standing laws need revisiting and reviewing, Jim Collier says. Overhauling the balance mechanism of the scales of justice is an important task for government, he says.

The Editor, The (Launceston) Examiner:
Dear Sir/Madam: I was raised believing our legal system was the world’s finest, that it was established on the basis of a fair trial for all, a presumption of innocence until proven guilty and that the ‘Scales of Justice’ were evenly balanced.

A murder trial is in progress in Hobart and, irrespective of whether the accused is guilty or innocent, denied bail they have been detained in prison for over twelve months: ‘innocent till proven guilty’?

Refugees seeking freedom from persecution are treated like convicted criminals held behind barbed wire for extensive periods, some so desperate they are driven to taking their own lives.

I personally was sentenced, without a trial or hearing and with no right of appeal, to a six month banishment from Tasmania’s parliamentary precincts under legislation enacted in 1858!

It appears I was naive; the ‘Scales of Justice’ are not evenly balanced…suggesting the need for a radical overhaul of our entire legal system.

Jim Collier, Launceston Coordinator,
Civil Liberties Australia,
Tamar River

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