THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
BRANDIS MUST COME CLEAN ON FAMILY COURT
Reports today that George Brandis is planning a radical overhaul of the courts system by Christmas are highly concerning.
Senator Brandis has so far said absolutely nothing about what his plans are.
Australians have good reason not to trust Senator Brandis when it comes to decisions regarding the court system. His tenure as Attorney-General has been marked by severe neglect of the courts. That includes leaving several judicial positions inexplicably vacant for months. Federal court staff feel so hard done by that a half-day strike action took place on Friday the first time in 25 years this has taken place.
Now, as he packs his bags on his way to London, he is apparently looking for a legacy project.
If Senator Brandis does have radical plans, he must be far more transparent about what these are. He cannot be allowed to act unsupervised and in secret there are too many vulnerable families and children tied up in the Family Court system who could get hurt.
We just can't trust Senator Brandis to do the right thing. Prime Minister Turnbull must demand that Senator Brandis publicly detail his plans for the Family Court, and do so straight away.
MONDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2017
