Timbo Carmody: The Libs’ man at court
It’s widely anticipated that in October a Queensland Liberal National Party government will be elected – under the dynamic leadership of David Crisafulli and his deputy, Jiving Jarrod Bjelke-Bleijie, the former Conveyancer General from the days of the lustrous Campbell Newman regime.
Can Do Campbell and the Conveyancer General were the guiding lights behind the speedy elevation of Tim “Bluto” Carmody from Chief Madge to Chief Justice – a move that inflamed the judiciary and great swathes of the bar.
A celebration for Carmody’s appointment as CJ was held at the Groove Train Brasserie and included barrister Ryan Haddrick, the Conveyancer General’s former chief of staff.
Carmody’s welcome ceremony at the Supreme Court was a depressing affair with the bulk of judges absenting themselves. Naturally, Murdoch’s Bowen Hills Bugle was a steadfast supporter.
Things didn’t improve. Margaret McMurdo, the president of the Court of Appeal refused to sit with him on suggestions of bias, and Bluto referred collectively to his judicial colleagues as “snakes and scum”.
The Bar Association itself was in uproar. The president Peter Davis resigned, pointing to Haddrick’s role in the affray – explaining:
“From the moment an inexperienced and under-educated and, in my view, incompetent, attorney general was appointed in 2012, the bar was faced with huge trials …
Lawyers who dared to challenge laws introduced by the Newman government were besmirched as part of the ‘criminal gang machine’. Judges whose decisions did not accord with the government’s view were publicly disparaged …
One result of this failure was that the association was shamed, to a degree which I found almost unbearable …”
A year after his appointment as CJ Timbo was gone, and in short order so too was the entire Newman government.
Peter Davis wasn’t the only one venting about Jiving Jarrod and his chums. Corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald also unloaded:
“Shortly after the election, the Attorney-General, Jarrod Bleijie, a junior, inexperienced solicitor, appointed a junior, inexperienced barrister, Ryan Haddrick, as his interim Chief of Staff. Haddrick, who had previously worked in the offices of Commonwealth Liberal Party Ministers and a former Queensland LNP opposition leader, had been admitted as a barrister in 2010. At the time of the election, he was a member of a small group of barristers which also included Aaron Simpson, the husband of a media adviser to Bleijie, and Tim Carmody SC, a competent but unremarkable senior counsel in the limited fields in which he practised, who had briefly been a Family Court judge.”
Bjelke-Bleijie appointed Bluto to inquire into child protection in Pineappleland, and Simpson plus Haddrick were enrolled as his assistants.
The report, a year later, recommended that the entire Goss Labor cabinet be considered for prosecution for action taken with the advice of the Crown Solicitor 20 years earlier.
Less than three months later Bluto moved up a rung with an appointment as Chief Magistrate, while Simmo also went to the Local Court.
Kidston: mover and shaker from Level 17
Another mover and shaker is Aston Martin driver Ben Kidston, who is nestled with Haddrick at Level 17 Inns of Court.
Our local field agent, Pineapple Pol, suggests that when it comes to advice on judicial selections, Kidston also has the ear of Bleijie – once the LNP comfortably has sufficient backsides on the parliamentary leather.
It seems that Kidston and Harrdick are the Banana Bending versions of Yarraside’s Stuart Wood KC.
Will Haddrick and Kidston get the nod? Will the Qld Supreme Court under the LNP ultimately be so stacked with pals that Chrisafulli and Bleijie have a Trump v United States type of immunity for everything they do in office?
These are the big issues concentrating the minds of Banana Benders.
Debrett’s
Dashed plans for the Restoration in Tasmania
The KC poll at the Van Diemen’s Bar Association proved to be a disappointment for Major General Mellick SC and Slippery Pete Slipper.
They led the fight for the restoration of Royal Plumage for local silks.
This was the question sent around to members last month:
Following the recent discussion about the possible introduction of the title KC in Tasmania, we are surveying the local members of the Tasmanian Bar. Would you, if interested in commenting, please fill out the survey below and return it to the Tasmanian Bar by return email.
The only method proposed is that the Chief Justice continue to appoint Senior Counsel and that only persons holding that title, presently or in the future, would be entitled to apply for Letters Patent.
Should that method of appointment of King’s Counsel be introduced in Tasmania?
Yes
No
Don’t care
After the distribution of the survey by the bar’s HQ, there was some time-consuming email discussion about whether members wanted to be bombarded with messages, either for or against.
The final tally notified by president Tom Cox was Yes: 14; No: 17 and Don’t care: 6.
A total of 37 replied out of 55 who received the survey.
Another disappointed soul is Otto Abetz, the Stuttgart born monarchist, now a member of the Rockliff cabinet. Among many of his contentious utterances he made a contribution to the Brittany Higgins case.
The former speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly claimed Abetz told her:
“As for that Higgins girl, anybody so disgustingly drunk who would sleep with anybody could have slept with one of our spies and put the security of the nation at risk.”
Barristers’ chinwag
Vic’s Bar n Grill has introduced a discussion group. The inaugural session next Thursday (Aug. 15) will get to grips with the pressing issues of “Robes and Religion”.
It’s described as a “conversation” (no CPD) under the baton of Jeremy Ruskin KC with panellists Jack Rush, Rachael Doyle, Pamela Thiagarajan and Min Guo.
Comment dodgers
A concerned Sydney barrister (no names, no pack-drill) diligently sought a response from the Australian Bar Association on the ICJ’s finding that Israel illegally occupies the Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem.