Over the last month the Society has contributed to two inquiries - the Australian Law Reform Commission's inquiry into judicial impartiality and the NSW Law Reform Commission's inquiry into open justice in New South Wales.

The Society's submission to the judicial impartiality inquiry argued for procedural reforms to remove the discretion for judges to hear applications for their own disqualification, as well as suggesting that the ALRC revisit pecuniary interest registers for federal judges, the introduction of a Federal Judicial Commission, and measures to diversify the bench. You can read the submission here.

Our submission to the open justice review supported the NSW Law Reform Commission's proposed consolidation of open justice legislation in New South Wales, but suggested that further safeguards be introduced to ensure final judgments are open to general public, including by allowing members of the public to bring an application to discard a suppression order after a minimum period of time has lapsed. You can read the submission here.