The Future of The West Australian Bar – 45 Years on “The functional
Transcription
The Future of The West Australian Bar – 45 Years on “The functional
Issue 5 December 2007 Contents page 2 The New District Court of Western Australia 2 Human Rights Laws for Western Australia 4 The future of the West Australian Bar - 45 Years on 5 Coping with the pressures of litigation 10 Interview with Ian Viner QC 12 Bar Readers Course 2007 16 Bar and Bench Dinner 17 Judicial Appointments 18-20 Judicial Retirements 20-22 Case Notes 23 Book Reviews Retirement or Deployment - Malcolm Lee QC 27, 28, 29 31 The Future of The West Australian Bar – 45 Years on “The functional model of the English Bar has stood the test of time over centuries and for good reason.” page 2 The New District Court of Western Australia Building “Every effort is being made to facilitate the use of the latest technology in court, by the judges and staff, by the court administration and by the legal profession when working in courtrooms and associated areas.” spring 2ada.qxd 11/26/07 4:51 PM Page 1 7PSTQSVOHEVSDI5FDIOJLXXXBVEJDFOUSFQFSUIDPNBV CELEBRATE SPRING with LexisNexis AND WIN! 5IFOFX"VEJ4$PVQ± %SJWJOHSFEFmOFE We’ve decided to cancel summer and extend spring… YOU HAVEN’T MISSED OUT! 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Visit www.lexisnexis.com.au/spring or call Customer Relations on 1800 772 772 *Visit website for full terms and conditions %SJWFBNPSFFYIJMBSBUJOHMJOFoBOEFYQFSJFODFUIFQPXFSGVMDPNCJOBUJPOPGTQPSUTQFSGPSNBODF BOEUIFDMBTTJDBMMZFMFHBOUDPOUPVSTPGBUSVFDPVQ±'SPNBEWBODFETUFFSJOHBOETVTQFOTJPO TZTUFNTUPRVBUUSPÚBMMXIFFMESJWFUFDIOPMPHZFWFSZJODIPGUIF Bar Council Craig Colvin SC President Grant Donaldson SC Vice President: Ron Birmingham QC Michael Berry Felicity Davis John Hockley Joe McGrath Dominic Mulligan Peter Quinlan Judy Seif Joshua Thomson "VEJ4IBTCFFOEFTJHOFEUPFOIBODFZPVSESJWJOHFYQFSJFODF Editorial Committee "EEUPUIJTBSBDFXJOOJOHMJUSF7'4*ÚFOHJOFBOEJUTFWFSZUIJOHZPVFYQFDUGSPNB Peter MacMillan - Editor Greg McIntyre SC Felicity Davis Peter Johnston John Hockley Linda Black MFBEFSJOBVUPNPUJWFUFDIOPMPHZ5IFOFX"VEJ45IFDPVQ±SFEFmOFE 5PSFBXBLFOZPVSQBTTJPOGPSESJWJOHo7JTJU"VEJ$FOUSF1FSUI)BSCPSOF4USFFU0TCPSOF1BSL PSDBMMXXXBVEJDFOUSFQFSUIDPNBV %- Please send all contributions for the next WA Bar Association Review to the Editor, Dr Peter MacMillan by 30 April 2008. The Western Australian Bar Association (Inc) Level 23, Allendale Square 77 St George’s Terrace PERTH WA 6000 GPO Box C122 PERTH WA 6832 Telephone: +61 8 9220 0532 Facsimile: +61 8 9325 2041 Website: www.wabar.asn.au 0WFSTFBTNPEFMTIPXO Issue 5, December 2007 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Issue 5, December 2007 President’s Welcome From the President In 2008, the WA Bar Association (Inc) will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Of course, the independent bar in Western Australia was established by Sir Francis Burt some years before that time. However, I expect that the occasion will be appropriately marked during the course of next year. Significant anniversaries provide a time to look back and to plan for the future. I hope in the forthcoming year that Bar Council will be able to review its strategic goals for the next 5 years and communicate its plans to members. The association has developed from humble beginnings to an organisation with a significant role within a fused profession. It works in the interests of members, but most often in advancing the public interest in the fair and proper administration of justice. It seeks to support, promote and encourage the independence of practicing solely as barrister. It facilitates valuable dialogue between bench and bar. By joining the association, members provide the support that is necessary for this to continue. The association was pleased to be able to appoint Debbie Cole as a full-time Executive Officer and Education Coordinator earlier this year. Debbie has commenced her new role with enthusiasm and brings great experience as well as excellent administrative and personal skills. With the prospect of mandatory legal education for all practitioners to commence in 2008, members can expect the bar to be providing training tailored to practice as an independent barrister. This will enable the association to build upon the enthusiastic and dedicated work over many years of Chris Shanahan SC in establishing the Bar Readers Course. I thank Chris on behalf of members for all his work as a member of Bar Council since 1999. I also wish to thank Ken Martin QC for his many years of service on Bar Council since 1995 culminating in his term as President. Ken has made a substantial contribution to the work of the bar especially in relation to consolidating arrangements for advocacy training and in developing the profile of the association within the ABA. Craig Colvin SC President I look forward to serving the association over the next year. I am interested in receiving suggestions or comments from members concerning the matters that should be the strategic focus of the association in the future ([email protected]). Editorial many examples, elsewhere, of show piece Court buildings. Whatever the reason, the pendulum appears, in Western Australia, appropriately, to have swung to some extent in favour of adequately resourcing the Court system. The New District Court building is due to open for business in May 2008. It will be a welcome change for those who sit, appear or work in the Court. Peter MacMillan Editor An explanation for the inadequate resourcing of our Courts is that it is not a political priority. Priorities may change, as may the affluence of our society. There are certainly W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n The first appointments of senior counsel under the new committee system were made recently. Congratulations are extended to Jeremy Allanson SC, Gail Archer SC, Theo Lampropoulos SC, Peter Van Hattem SC, and Rob Mitchell SC. Whilst Western Australia operates a de facto fused profession, its counterparts in Victoria and New South Wales do not. Victoria has the highest number of senior counsel (by membership of the Bar Association) in B a r A s s o c i a t i o n Australia, followed by New South Wales. Although the number of senior counsel per capita of population differs in the two States, it is in the range of 1 for every 15,000 to 20,000 head of population. The ratio for Queensland is 1 for every (approximately) 48,000 head of population. As Ken Martin QC points out in his article in this issue on the Western Australian Bar Association, “If the local Bar cannot meet the demands of its local consumers in Western Australia then high level work that should be performed by it will go elsewhere”. In this regard it is noteworthy that the ratio of senior counsel (by membership of the Bar Association) to head of population in this State is 1 to (approximately) 85,000 of head of population; approximately four to five times higher than its equivalent in Victoria and New South Wales and nearly double that for Queensland. R e v i e w 1 - Issue 5, December 2007 The New District Court of Western Australia Building Judge Philip Eaton The District Court of Western Australia was established as a court of record with criminal and civil jurisdiction in 1969. The judges, staff and central registry of the Court moved to the Central Law Courts building when it opened in April 1982. During the 1990’s it became clear that the growth in the work of the Court and the Court itself was such that it would require a new building dedicated to it. In 2004 an announcement was made by the State government that the preferred tenderer for the construction of a building to house the District Court of Western Australia was the Western Liberty Group. That group was led by ABN Amro with Multiplex as the builder. The project was to be a public private partnership between the State Government and the group. Construction began in July 2005 at the site which formerly housed a City of Perth car park and The Black Swan Café. The project is due to be completed in May 2008. There is a present expectation that the Court will begin sitting in the new building in the week commencing 5 May 2008. The design and construction of a modern court building accommodating trial by jury involves considerable complexity compared with that of a building for general commercial use. It must accommodate separate systems for the movement of the public, jurors, persons in custody, the judicial officers of the court and their staff and those involved in the administration of justice in both civil and criminal jurisdictions, whether as litigants, members of the legal professional, the media and others. The project comprises the main building with a frontage on Hay Street which contains 32 judge’s chambers, 24 courtrooms, court administration, the court registry and public foyer, facilities for handling persons in custody and, of course, car parking. That building, in its entirety, comprises 15 levels. A smaller building with a frontage along Irwin Street will contain the Victim Support Service and Child Witness Service and staff, Community Justice Services staff, practitioners’ robing facilities and day work spaces and office space for both Commonwealth and State prosecutors. Between the two major structures will be 2 - Issue 4, December 2007 an atrium with raised walkways connecting the two structures, security facilities leading to escalators to the public areas of the court levels and space for the general public and court users to relax and have coffee. Shane Pickett, a well known and very accomplished Western Australian Aboriginal artist has been commissioned to paint a substantial work which will hang on the wall behind the “Construction began in July 2005 at the site which formerly housed a City of Perth car park and The Black Swan Café. The project is due to be completed in May 2008” main enquiry counter and which will, it is hoped, have a striking presence appreciable immediately upon entry from the revolving doors at the main Hay Street entrance. The main building will house the court registry, a ceremonial jury court, the State’s W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r first permanent high security jury court, eighteen jury courts for general use and four civil courts. It will also accommodate the District Court Registrars and will have four large civil pre-trial/mediation rooms and eighteen civil conference meeting rooms. Jury facilities, including a large jury hall, jury lounge and administrative support areas are also incorporated into the design. The building generally and all court rooms, whether civil or criminal, have been designed to facilitate access for the disabled. At a cost of about $195,000,000 the project, upon completion, will house the District Court of Western Australia. It will be, in terms of safety, security, technology, convenience and efficiency, at the forefront of design and innovation. Unlike the Central Law Courts with its dark and poorly lit corridors and its harsh textures and finishes the new development has been designed, where possible, to bring light into the building and to give those visiting and working within a feeling of light, space and air. For example, the main public areas on each of the main courtroom floors will have vistas across the Swan coastal plain to the Darling scarp. There is, in the Central Law Courts, no major courtroom or jury room with natural light. The architects of the new development have attempted, very A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w successfully, to remedy those failings. Every effort is being made to facilitate the use of the latest technology in court, by the judges and staff, by the court administration and by the legal profession when working in courtrooms and associated areas. Where possible, wireless technology will be employed. All courtrooms will, of course, be equipped with the latest in digital flat screen technology to facilitate not only the giving of evidence by remote closed circuit link but also document imaging, the playing of pre recorded evidence and the dissemination of electronic information. Given that the new District Court of Western Australia building will provide the most up to date facilities for management of juries and management of persons in custody it is anticipated that a substantial number of trials which might otherwise have been conducted in the Supreme Court building will now be conducted in the new building. Visiting judges’ chambers and staff facilities are available for that purpose. The District Court judges, staff and registry will move from the existing Central Law Courts building in early May of next year. That will be preceded by an exhaustive process of testing and monitoring the new building and its facilities to ensure, hopefully, a smooth transition. There has been a programme of refurbishment of the Central Law Courts proceeding in tandem with the construction of the new building. That has been undertaken by the Western Liberty Group with John Holland Pty Ltd as the builder. The May Holman Centre, W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n “...the main public areas on each of the main courtroom floors will have vistas across the Swan coastal plain to the Darling scarp.” adjacent to the Central Law Courts has been sold to a private owner. The District Court will continue to have the use of the courts in that building until such time as the new building is occupied and operational. Those courts and associated facilities will then be made available for use by the Magistrates Court during the refurbishment of the Central Law Courts building. The Central Law Courts will, in due course, house both the Magistrates’ Courts and the Coroner’s Court. The District Court and the Magistrates’ Courts will be connected by conduits beneath Hay Street already constructed. The management of persons in custody in the new development will service not only the needs of the District Court of Western Australia but also the Magistrates’ Courts. The site of the new development has an historical legal connection. It was formerly occupied by St George’s Hall originally built as a theatre by the legal partners of B a r A s s o c i a t i o n Stone & Burt, solicitors, on land adjacent to their offices. The hall was opened on the evening of 14 December 1879 with a gala performance of an Irish play “The Colleen Baun”. It was frequently used for public entertainments for about 20 years. The building was eventually taken over by government to house the WA Government Lithographer until about 1920 when it became the offices of the Child Welfare Department. That Department continued to occupy the building until the early 1960’s. Subsequently, the hall itself was demolished leaving what remains today, being the imposing facade with Greek columns and pediment. There was, in the 1960’s, a recommendation that the facade be re erected in a more commanding position. That recommendation did not find favour. The facade remains in situ because of its heritage value and will stand on the Hay Street frontage of the new development. It does not have a function so far as the District Court of Western Australia is concerned but it does have, of course, significant heritage value. A photograph or artistic representation of the building, as it previously existed, will be mounted in an appropriate place within the main foyer of the new District Court building along with some detail as to the history of the site. The District Court of Western Australia is, according to the most recent productivity figures produced by the Australian Government, the most efficient court in Australia in terms of its clearance rates. That has been achieved notwithstanding a substantial increase, in past decades, in the workflow to the Court and a struggle to deal with what has been, for several years now, a troublesome backlog. It is anticipated that, in the environment of and with the facilities available in the new court complex and with additions to the complement of the Court, it will continue to set high standards both in terms of productivity and in terms of the quality of justice provided. R e v i e w 3 - Issue 5, December 2007 Jim McGinty MLA – Attorney General Human Rights Laws For WA Australia is the only common law country in the world with no bill of rights. The United Kingdom, Hong Kong, South Africa, Europe, USA – the list goes on – all have some form of a bill of rights. been able to educate people about human rights and encourage debate. Australia does not have a history of protecting and enshrining human rights. 107 year ago, when Australia became a Federation, the colonies wanted to discriminate against indigenous and non-Anglo-Saxon people. The Constitution when it was first written included clear breaches of human rights by making indigenous people non-citizens. One of the first pieces of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament, the White Australia Policy, clearly offended human rights. The WA Draft Human Rights Bill is largely based on the ACT and Victorian statutes. The protected rights are civil and political which includes rights surrounding legal proceedings and process particularly in a criminal context. Today, however, there is a growing concern about the ‘little person’ against Government – Davis vs. Goliath – as people now recognise the need to give ordinary people the ability to take on Government. Ideally, all States and Territories and the Commonwealth will introduce human rights legislation. However at a service delivery level such as health and education, human rights legislation is significant primarily for the States and Territories. High profile cases and issues such as boat people, detention centres, terrorism and recently the case of Dr Haneef all come under the Commonwealth umbrella. Although there are a small number of people at an international level, it is the every day issues that affect every day people that concern the States. The ACT and Victoria have enacted human rights legislation. WA is now heading in a similar direction. Other States and Territories will no doubt follow. It is hoped that from this legislation, a culture of human rights will be established in Western Australia. Fred Chaney AO was appointed as Chair of the Consultation Committee for a Proposed WA Human Rights Act. The other members of the committee are the Most Reverend Peter Carnley, Ms Lisa Baker and Ms Colleen Hayward. All are eminent community members who have been tasked to consult with the public about whether WA should adopt a Human Rights Act. As part of the process of obtaining views of the community, the committee has also 4 - Issue 4, December 2007 The consultation process has now been completed. The final report will be delivered to Government in November 2007. The Bill is aimed at Government – departments and agencies – not to individual members of the community or private sector bodies. “This is the first step in building a human rights culture in Western Australia. If the committee recommends legislation it will be for the Government to consider its response.” Parliamentary sovereignty is retained in this model. The WA Human Rights Bill is not based on the US model. For any new bills before Parliament, they must be accompanied by a ‘statement of compatibility’ which states whether the bill is compatible with human rights. This must be laid before the House before the bill receives its second reading. If a statement is made that the bill is not compatible with human rights, it must set out the nature and extent of the incompatibility and why the bill should nevertheless be considered by the Parliament. In the United Kingdom, following the introduction of its Human Rights Act in 1998, there have been approximately 17 occasions where the courts have pointed to problems in legislation in terms of compatibility with human rights - and, as a result, on each occasion the Parliament W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r Jim McGinty MLA has responded positively by appropriately amending the legislation. The Courts have a role to play in the interpretation of written laws. Under the proposed Bill unclear written laws will be interpreted compatibly with human rights. However, a law that limits a human right in WA is not incompatible with the human right if the limitation is reasonable and demonstrably justifiable. A ‘declaration of incompatibility’ is defined as a declaration that the written law cannot be interpreted in a way that is compatible with human rights in so far as it is possible to do so consistently with the purpose or object underlying the written law. A declaration of incompatibility may only arise when there is an action in the Supreme Court. A declaration of incompatibility does not affect the validity or operation or enforcement of the written law and it does not create any enforceable right or any cause of action. Remedy for breaches of human rights can be sought in any court or tribunal. It will be unlawful for a government agency to act in a way that is incompatible with a human right; or, in making a decision, to fail to give proper consideration to a relevant human right. As in Victoria, a person could bring another cause of action, they can include a breach of human rights as an additional ground of unlawfulness. A person will not be entitled to damages or any other pecuniary remedy in respect of any injury or loss suffered as a result of breach of human rights legislation. This is the first step in building a human rights culture in Western Australia. If the committee recommends legislation it will be for the Government to consider its response. A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Ken Martin QC (Immediate Past President) West Australian Bar Association The Future of The West Australian Bar – 45 Years on In October 1963, F TP Burt QC, and Messrs JL Wickham, G Clarkson and T Walsh (as they then were), founded the West Australian Bar Association. Unlike the position in NSW and Queensland, where there had always been a strict separation between barristers and solicitors, that had not, until 1963, been the experience or culture of the organisation of the legal profession within the Swan River Colony and the State of WA. Instead, local considerations of small population, small rural economy and vast distances, had seen Western Australia’s legal profession develop as an amalgam. That is not to say that prior to 1963 that there had not been outstanding advocates practising in Western Australia. There had. But these ‘local legends’ practised within the environment of legal partnership, operating in Perth, Geraldton or Kalgoorlie. Such local advocates were not infrequently in receipt of “briefs” from other Western Australian firms which were accepted and returned at the conclusion of the briefed assignment. A gradual evolution of an independent bar in Western Australia since 1963, mirrors the situation in Victoria – where it was not really until the start of the 20th Century that the phenomenon of an independent bar took root and then grew rapidly. It is probably the case that a strong tradition of amalgam advocacy in Western Australia, has taken longer to subside than in Victoria. But in my view, the emergence of a separate bar in Western Australia was always inevitable, for two key reasons. First, specialisation is inevitable as society grows more complex and the intensity of modern commerce develops. Once Western Australia began to experience dramatic economic growth in the 1960s and shrugged off its tag as the rurally grounded Cinderella State, strong project based growth was going to carry with it the allied phenomenon of commercial disputation. As commercial disputes increased and became more significant in monetary terms, a need for more specialist advisers and specialist advocates intensified. Second and more importantly, the separation of function as between the barrister and the W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n solicitor roles is a wholly logical and natural dichotomy under the Westminster justice system. The functional model of the English Bar has stood the test of time over centuries and for good reason. It allows the much in demand top-flight legal specialist to devote an appropriate level of quality preparation time to the complexities of litigation, without all the distractions and intrusions of a daily solicitor’s practice. As would be expected this was eloquently explained by Sir Francis Burt in an interview with Brief “The Foundations of the Independent Bar – Interview with Sir Francis Burt and Terry Walsh QC” August 1992 (pages 11-19) quoted in, May it Please your Honour – a History of the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1861 to 2005, by Bolton & Byrne (2005): “… it enabled you to give all your time and attention to the more interesting problems without being harassed by customers wanting to know how they stood with their problems … I’d be in Court all day in those days, I’d get back, half past four I suppose, and there would be a great line of people waiting to see me. As soon they came in to tell you what their problems were the telephone started to ring. It just struck me as an impossible way to practice law. … The only way you could do the better work in town with some degree of objectivity was to do it as a barrister, out of contact, inter alia with your lay client.” Ken Martin QC potential interruption nowadays, the distraction factor is magnified tenfold, if account is taken of the immediacy of modern communication as a result of faxes, mobile telephones, e-mails, pagers and of course, the ubiquitous Blackberry. Consumer expectations are also wholly intolerant of workload. Every client deep down thinks that their problem is the only task that matters to their advisers. E-mail as a phenomenon, is grounded on the heretical assumption that no one has anything to do all day except sit staring at a computer screen, waiting for the privilege of receiving an e-mail from the sender. Recognition as to a natural order of separation of legal functions, is not to imply that the role of barrister is in any way superior to that of the role of a solicitor. Both roles are indispensably essential. But the responsibilities are different. Again, the point was captured perfectly by Burt, explaining why the WA Bar was founded upon the basis (abandoned in 2004 as a pernicious vice upon commerce – courtesy of the ACCC) that its members would also be members of The Law Society of Western Australia. He said: Burt’s observations are even more apposite in late 2007. In terms of intrusion and The functional model of the English Bar has stood the test of time over centuries and for good reason. B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w “We weren’t going to survive if we pretended that we were superior to the solicitors and were trying to start something in opposition to the amalgam who were doing Bar work. … But that wasn’t the primary reason. … I think the profession is one profession. And that’s why at the beginning when we were very vulnerable to it really, we always encouraged Eastern States Silks. … We used to like it, and always thought it gave us a great deal of confidence how inefficient many of them were. … One of my criticisms 5 - Issue 5, December 2007 of the Bars in the East is that they don’t understand the problems of the solicitors.” But at the end of 2007 where does the future lie for the WA Bar? Almost 45 years subsequent to the founding of the West Australian Bar Association it finds itself with 171 local members and with 16 interstate members. There are approximately 7 sets of barristers’ chambers across the Perth CBD. From a perspective of promoting some planning for its future, I have chosen to take up the invitation of the Editor to navel gaze – by reference to a modern strategic planning tool – the SWOT analysis, namely to consider Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for the WA Bar. Without apology, I have applied a highly subjective analysis, based upon personal experience after almost 30 years in legal practice in WA and 16 years at the WA Bar. I expect that there must be different perspectives and viewpoints, and I do hope that there may be an opportunity during 2008 for them to be expressed and evaluated. I have only endeavoured to mention a few key points under each heading – which I have addressed in truncated form. I would welcome a robust debate in due course. which the work is to be performed. Being accountable only to oneself does not mean (in the experience of most) any net reduction in the hours of work performed. However, there is a personal flexibility associated with when and how the work is completed – which adds an immeasurable component of enjoyment to the process. If a barrister takes on too much work, they have no one to blame except themselves and there is no point grumbling to oneself. With control comes personal contentment. At the Bar, the sole trader has a greater ability to decide how much and what kind of work to accept and the hours within which the work is to be performed. A] STRENGTHS I identify the following elements as falling under this heading. (1) Quality. The biggest strength of the Bar is its People. From inception, the Bar has attracted the best and the brightest West Australian lawyers. There are a number of reasons for this, including a sanity benefit referred to by Sir Francis Burt, of essentially being able to function as a sole trader without the intrusion of direct client responsibilities. Almost everyone who has made the transition to the Bar from a legal partnership will attest to the pure, uncluttered enjoyment of practising solely on one’s own account – without the accompanying attendance to client idiosyncrasies, daily administrative burdens of partners’ meetings, responsibility for the wellbeing of numerous employees and all the modern business baggage that goes with all that responsibility. I mention two other attractions that will always be a lure to the best people – Control and Challenge. With control comes personal contentment. At the Bar, the sole trader has a greater ability to decide how much and what kind of work to accept and the hours within 6 - Issue 4, December 2007 The challenge to function at the highest professional level also needs to be factored into the equation. For someone who wants to perform at the highest levels possible, there is no greater challenge than providing an opinion or some strategic advice, which may in due course need to be defended on your feet before the highest courts in the land. Unlike the insulated adviser who may never be called into court to defend their advice or what they have deemed arguable, the practising barrister knows that in due course, he or she may be required to stand up before some severely sceptical judges and defend that advice. This injects a component of intellectual honesty and pragmatic reality into the barrister’s product. The best and the brightest will always find the lure of performing at elite level – irresistible. (2) Empathy with the consumer (solicitors) In Western Australia most barristers have spent some time practising within the amalgam as partner/solicitor advocates. Because of this experience, they come to the Bar with a realistic insight into the pragmatic difficulties encountered within a solicitor’s W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r day-to-day practice, such as collecting fees from impossible clients and the sheer logistics of assembling materials, witnesses and getting them to a court and the timing pressures which flow from all that. Recall what Sir Francis Burt described above for other Bars, where a young law graduate could sign the Bar Roll immediately after a short practice course and never set foot in their whole life within a solicitor’s office. Most barristers at the West Australian Bar have experienced firsthand the niceties of operating within a solicitor’s practice and so, have a deeper understanding of what is required to work with and to assist the instructing solicitor. Most in the past have also themselves been consumers of independent barrister’s services – whilst operating within the WA amalgam and therefore will as solicitors have seen good service or lesser standards of service from the Bar. Walking in the other profession’s shoes for a period is an invaluable grounding for a second professional life at the Bar. (3) Geographic isolation The West Australian Bar has always enjoyed to a degree, the Australian continent’s geographic protection afforded by the Nullarbor Plain. No doubt, as modern air travel becomes faster, easier and as the Australian legal profession becomes increasingly more mobile, the insulation benefits of Perth being the world ’s most isolated city will diminish further. Nevertheless there is nothing like local knowledge and local insight. The benefit of constantly appearing before a local judiciary and familiarity with local rules of court, procedures, practice directions and the much feared (by outsiders!) local ‘Sandgroper’ customs is tangible. There is also some disinclination to outsiders in travelling too far away from a comfortable home and living out of a suit case for too long – which factors continue to provide Perth based professionals with a home ground advantage. Whilst too much should not be made of this factor, it nevertheless must be weighed in any equation in terms of favouring a local Bar, for as long as it provides good service to its core consumer base. (4) Aspiration to Silk and judicial appointment There are certain institutional factors which tend to orient local solicitor advocates towards a longer term future practice, as members of the Bar. Such factors A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w include the desire to be more widely briefed and thereby to satisfy one of the key requirements for becoming a Senior Counsel (“SC”) in Western Australia. There is no doubt that it is far easier to satisfy this requirement practising as an independent barrister – although that is not to say that the task is impossible. The Bar, by reason of the customary barristerial traits of independence and stand alone individuality associated with the job, will always be a natural recruiting ground for sound appointments to the judiciary. The Bar should not, cannot and does not claim a monopoly in this regard. But there are obviously close ties between the local Bar and the local Bench. An analysis of the backgrounds of the local judiciary indicates that prior professional life experience as a senior barrister is a very strong plus in terms of acquiring the essential underlying qualifications required in order to perform the demanding functions of judicial office to an acceptable standard. B] WEAKNESSES There are four to which I draw attention. (1) The financial position of the WABA The WABA has the balance sheet of a small country town tennis club. From an income perspective it is almost totally reliant upon the annual subscriptions which it levies to its members. Yet the WABA is annually now becoming an increasingly busier organisation with national involvement in the Law Council of Australia as a constituent body in its own right since 2005 and as a member of the National Association of Australian Barristers (the Australian Bar Association). To date, the WA Bar Association has never had more than one full-time employee. Yet its views are now sought in a multitude of areas, on a multitude of topics. It receives many requests for pro bono assistance from its website. It is increasingly asked to comment on important and topical local legislation and issues affecting the administration of justice. It is taking on, as it must, an increasingly demanding and professional role in the continuing legal education of its young members. A comparison with the balance sheets of the much longer established eastern seaboard Bars reveals their immeasurably greater resources, allowing the engagement of policy officers, legal research officers, media liaison officers etc. The comparison is a humbling experience. In contrast, the WABA has had to operate on a ‘shoe string’ from inception. W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n It relies very heavily upon its annually elected Bar Councillors to shoulder an increasing burden of daily responsibility across all these areas, on a completely voluntary basis. To meet its obligations and to operate with the required level of future professionalism, it is imperative, in my view, that over time the capital base of the WABA be greatly strengthened, so that the asset side of the WABA balance sheet moves more into line with that of the eastern seaboard Bars with which it now seeks to stand shoulder-toshoulder. I have some ideas on this but so do others and the Bar should get together as an organisation in 2008 and plan how to meet these objectives. (2) Space Rental space is currently at an expensive premium across the Perth CBD. Rents are rising sharply. The traditional barrister’s model was someone who operated in a low rent, somewhat down at heel (Rumpolian) environment thereby working off a low cost base – in order to present a certain economic attraction in terms of engaging the services of a barrister. At the present time, most of the chambers around the Perth CBD are at close to reaching capacity – although there are the usual seasonal fluctuations and vacancies arising, particularly as In the short to medium term some new chambers, operating off a relatively low cost base will need to be established, if the Bar is to continue to grow. appointments to the Bench occur. Nevertheless it is imperative that there be sufficient long term, low cost space options in good sets of chambers available, in order to continue to grow and to attract young, talented legal practitioners to the WA Bar, on a rental basis that is not unduly intimidating, measured against the challenge of operating as a sole practitioner. B a r A s s o c i a t i o n The largest set of chambers in Perth, Francis Burt Chambers – operates across five floors of the Allendale Square Building on St George’s Terrace. Scope for the physical expansion of those chambers too much further is limited. In the short to medium term some new chambers, operating off a relatively low cost base will need to be established, if the Bar is to continue to grow. (3) A numerically small Bar The West Australian Bar is still relatively small – viewed against the size of the eastern seaboard Bars. Accordingly, its capacity to cover all areas of legal specialty is sometimes stretched too thinly. This particularly occurs in the wake of multiple judicial appointments, which in Western Australia seems to happen at a younger age than in comparison to what occurs on the eastern seaboard. As a result, the WA Bar, like the WA legal profession is youthful, and prone to being at times thin on the ground in terms of seniority and experience, particularly for demanding commercial cases and in high level crime. If the local Bar cannot meet the demands of its local consumers in Western Australia then high level work that should be performed by it will go elsewhere. (4) Gender balance Gender imbalance in terms of numbers of women practising at the Bar remains a concern. In some mitigation, this is not just a West Australian Bar problem and there have been a significant number of highly talented women barristers appointed at a relatively young point in their professional careers to the judiciary (measured across the Perth Magistracy and the District and Supreme Courts) which needs to be recognised as having impacted against a better overall ratio – reflecting continuing efforts to persuade talented female legal practitioners that the Bar is a desirable environment within which to practice. The issue could occupy a planning day in its own right. Notwithstanding strenuous efforts that undoubtedly have been made in the past decade to attract outstanding female legal practitioners to the local Bar, these efforts must be maintained and intensified, so that the Bar as an institution, continues to enjoy wide public confidence and does not carry the unwelcome baggage of an undeserved reputation as being a “boy’s club” (5) “Perthcentric” Unlike the situation on the eastern seaboard, R e v i e w 7 - Issue 5, December 2007 the WABA’s membership is almost entirely found practising in chambers within the Perth CBD (with acknowledgement and due recognition to Ian Morison’s chambers at Bunbury). The failure by Western Australia as a State to adequately de-centralise its regional centres is a weakness of a generic kind which of course cannot be attributed to the Bar Association. In contrast, witness the position in Queensland and in NSW, where strong regional centres have developed barristers’ chambers. In contrast, successive West Australian Government’s efforts at regional de-centralisation beyond Perth have been less than successful. It will be seen whether the impact of climate change could bear upon this. It needs to be borne in mind longer term, that the WABA must represent the interests of West Australian barristers, not just Perth based barristers. A development of the Bar into WA’s regional centres such as Geraldton, Broome, Albany, Kalgoorlie and Esperance must happen in the 21st Century. C] OPPORTUNITIES These should be mentioned: (1) Continuing Professional Education: The future of the WA Bar overwhelmingly lies here. Forty-five years ago the Bar began as a small group of like-minded men, who sought to establish in WA, the model of the English Bar – imposing that model across a tradition of amalgam advocacy which had taken root over 130 years in the Colony/ State. Now that a local independent Bar is securely established, the next step is to capitalise upon the immense intellectual talent that lies within its midst and convert that to its long term future and security. Coincidentally, a new State Legal Profession Bill which is to come into effect in mid 2008, will lay down a mandatory regime of continuing professional development for the whole legal profession of Western Australia. A unique and immediate opportunity now presents for the WA Bar Association to establish itself as a pre-eminent legal educator, not only to its own members, through a delivery of intellectual product, but also as an education provider to the wider legal profession of WA. A correlative benefit of the WA Bar entrenching itself as a leading educator of the legal profession is that the process could also address the financial vulnerability, mentioned as weakness (1) above. A precious opportunity also exists now to form strategic alliances with other commercial legal education providers that will see the delivery of these 8 - Issue 4, December 2007 more demand for barristers’ unique services in overall commercial context. A development of the Bar into WA’s regional centres such as Geraldton, Broome, Albany, Kalgoorlie and Esperance must happen in the 21st Century. services met. The Bar must be careful to attribute proper ‘value’ to its unique position as potentially a pre-eminent legal education provider for Western Australia. (2) Intellectual influence across the broader community: With more on the ground human resources, the West Australian Bar could set itself a target of evolving toward a position of local strategic influence, more akin say, to that of the NSW Bar Association in that State. This is obviously a longer term goal. It would require the deployment of resources to the field of legal research and policy officers – rather than just working off a traditional reliance upon the ad hoc West Australian ‘small town’ model of seeing the busiest people being leaned on to voluntarily assist, with everyone else just sitting back and watching. That outdated ‘small town’ model functioned well, where the demands placed on volunteers were relatively modest, bearing in mind that most of them, by reason of their innate competence and diligence, were themselves likely to be barristers in high demand and discharging significantly oppressive personal workloads. Asking even more of them is not a long term answer in the 21st Century. The Bar as an institution needs to become more professional in terms of organisational structure. More modest and realistic expectations from volunteers assisting a team of focussed core professional staff – must be the objective of the future. (3) Growth: The Bar has a unique opportunity to expand in the next decades. The State and economy continues to grow rapidly. There seems to be no sign of economic downturn on the horizon. More commerce, deals and projects, means more disputation and so, W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r With more formalised education programs for new barristers (such as through the now four year old Bar Readers’ Course and through ABA sponsored national advocacy residential training programs such as was witnessed in Perth in January 2007 and which will be conducted in Sydney January 2008 and Adelaide July 2008), potential exists for talented, younger legal practitioners to make a move to the Bar – earlier than they might otherwise have done a generation ago. Then, the typical arrival model would have seen a period in an amalgam solicitor’s practice, followed by amalgam partnership, followed by departure to the Bar at or around age 3540. But a need for our local Bar to grow and an enhanced capacity to educate and mentor its young ‘readers’ means that that old stereotype will not necessarily be appropriate for the future. A caveat here is that talented young lawyers attracted to a life at the Bar, willing to make a ‘courageous’ early move, need to be nurtured for a time as they develop self sustaining practices. As a loose competitive association of single minded sole traders, it is easy for barristers to be all consumed with the hourly demands of their own daily practices and so, not to take in a wider view of the needs of others across chambers generally. Infrastructure needs to be established to make sure that this broader oversight is in place. (4) Mediation and dispute resolution: The nature of civil litigation is changing. An adversarial process driven intensively by a wide array of human input, makes full flown trials in the civil area, very costly, time consuming and a less attractive dispute resolution to business, than in days gone by. At the end of the day the base service being rendered by a justice system is about civilised dispute resolution. The Bar needs to ensure that it holds or acquires modern pre-eminent dispute resolution skills within its ranks to be deployed towards the contemporary needs of parties in dispute. There are opportunities here for barristers, uniquely independent and free thinking in spirit, to perform the dispute resolution function. (5) Interstate and international practice: When the new West Australian and South Australian Legal Profession Acts are finally A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w proclaimed during 2008, there should be a uniform national Australian legal practice regime across the Australian States and Territories. Over time rules of court, processes and evidentiary thresholds will become even more uniform. Notwithstanding the natural geographic barrier of the Nullarbor Plain, which I referred to as a strength, West Australian barristers as a group are inherently robust, mobile and adaptable. There are international opportunities throughout South East Asia in places such as Hong Kong where the services of capable, independent barristers could be usefully deployed. To date, particularly in the field of international arbitration, a mobile English Bar has dominated provision of these services in the Asia Pacific region. But in the longer term the geographic proximity of Australia and particularly Western Australia to South East Asia in terms of a provision of arbitration services, is capable of being developed. D] THREATS I identify the following. (1) Maintaining high standards Solicitors only brief the Bar, if there is a perception that the exercise amounts to value adding. It is imperative therefore that the Bar be viewed as containing the leading legal practitioners at the cutting edge in their fields of expertise. Because of the historically small numerical numbers at the West Australian Bar the relatively rapid growth of the judiciary in the last 20 years, has seen many outstanding members of the Bar take up judicial office at the pinnacle of their legal careers as barristers. It is important that the growth and replacement of the local judiciary does not denude the strength of the local Bar in terms of seniority and its widespread expertise. It is obviously in the wider public interest that the best qualified candidates be appointed judges. But as the judiciary grows, there is some potential for that to denude the Bar of its intellectual “riches” too quickly, and thereby temporarily lower the reputation of the Bar for excellence. This must be addressed by an earlier recruitment of younger barristers to our Bar than was the case a generation ago. (2) Interstate counsel If the Bar does not provide the first class service to meet the needs of the local potential consumers of their services to an acceptable level of performance, then local consumers (solicitors) will be driven to look elsewhere. Although it adds extra cost to the exercise, a sufficiently significant commercial dispute will warrant deployment W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n of fly in, fly out counsel to perform work to the acceptable standard. As Sir Francis Burt mentioned in the article to which I referred, the West Australian Bar has always welcomed interstate competition and has been keen to measure itself professionally against national standards rather than try to keep outsiders away. That will continue to be the case. But West Australian barristers must strive to be competitive, in comparison to counsel from elsewhere. And not just competitive in terms of the economics of their engagement, but forensically and intellectually competitive. (3) Perceptions In early 21st Century Australian society, perception tends to be reality. This is a matter of regret, but any provider of services traders, in fierce competition against each other, the Bar presents as a truly unique economic phenomenon. Any aspirant barrister who expects that the Bar will operate like a big law firm with overseeing responsible partners delegating down to willing hordes of closely monitored junior solicitors, is in for a rude shock. The Bar was never meant to operate in such fashion and never will. That is one of its great strengths. The Bar is a collection of widely diverse, single minded individuals, unified essentially by a common regard for the importance of the rule of law. But a great strength can also have its downsides. If senior influential members of the Bar are so preoccupied that they are inhibited from having an eye for the bigger picture, then the institution they operate within, will be diminished. But West Australian barristers must strive to be competitive, in comparison to counsel from elsewhere. It is imperative that all members of the Association contribute as much as they can to the activities of the Bar and accept some personal responsibility to provide leadership and nurturing of new members. The members of the Bar need to support their hardworking Council, attend its functions and strive to preserve the unique and invaluable links which exist between it and the judiciary. needs to listen closely to what the market is saying about their product. Importantly for the next 5-10 years, the members of the WA Bar as a whole, need to wholeheartedly support the Bar’s forthcoming education initiatives in continuing professional development. There is currently a need like never before to support these new CPD efforts to the hilt, through attendance, participation and goodwill to ensure that they are a resounding success. Apathy, disinterest or cynicism have a potential to derail the WA Bar becoming an even more successful institution in Western Australia in the next 45 years. Members need to recognise and embrace the supreme privilege which is accorded to them as members of the Bar, still best expressed in the words of Sir Owen Dixon in 1952 in the following terms: To the extent that junior legal practitioners are dissuaded from a career at the Bar based upon a false perception that it is a “boy’s club”, or is repressively conservative (which it isn’t, but is sometimes accused of being), or that it provides no adequate support structures for new arrivals in terms of mentoring or support, then these perceptions need to be confronted and addressed. The freedom and liberated pleasure of practice at the Bar needs to be constantly voiced, as a counter-balance to some negativit y which may exist, albeit emanating from a stance of ignorance or misunderstanding. In other words, the Bar needs to have a marketing strategy to counter ill formed or negative perceptions which have a tendency to detract from it capturing in future, the brightest and best legal talent of the next legal generation. The Bar’s place, attractions and message needs to penetrate early into the law schools in a more visible way, to ensure some more accurate and balanced facts counter-balance any negativity. (4) Apathy, disinterest and overwork As a collection of busy, individualistic sole B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w “I would like to say that from long experience on the Bench and a not much shorter experience at the Bar there is no more important contribution to the doing of justice than the elucidation of the facts and the ascertainment of what a case is really about, which is done before it comes to counsel’s hands. Counsel, who brings his learning, ability, character and firmness of mind to the conduct of causes and maintains the very very high tradition of honour and independence of English advocacy, in my opinion makes a great contribution to justice than the judge himself.” 9 - Issue 5, December 2007 The Hon Justice Miller Coping with the pressures of litigation or Coping with the pressures of being an ‘in court barrister’ has been done. Nothing is worse than keeping the instructing solicitor in the dark. Barristers are expected to be professional, and professionalism requires the effort of producing in writing on-going assessments of the strengths/weaknesses of the case, the requirements for the instructing solicitor, and predictions of the outcome. The following is the text of an address given by Justice Miller at a Western Australian Bar Association Seminar in September/October 1996. General These random observations about the pressures that constant court work bring to bear on the barrister are written from an experience of thirty years in almost all jurisdictions, but predominantly in the criminal court. Being a barrister makes for a tough life. There is no room for error, no room for being sick, and absolutely no excuse for failing to prepare a case. Before embarking upon any major case there are some “Does and Don’ts” which are universally applicable. • Be physically and mentally fit. • Avoid distractions like … w e e k e n d s a w a y b e f o r e t h e commencement of a trial, … S u n d a y p a r t i e s b e f o r e t h e commencement of a trial, … and (in particular) overseas trips which terminate on the eve of a trial. Before a big case the issues will be (or at least should be) constantly in the barrister’s mind ... forever surfacing as the days count down to the beginning of the trial. Invariably big trials being on a Monday and this means that throughout the course of the preceding weekend the barrister’s mind will turn to the case, the issues in the case, the tactics of the case, the cross-examinations of the witnesses, and the basis upon which the case will be summed up at the end. A good way to combine relaxation with an ever-present concentration on the case is to go walking on the Sunday before a big Monday trial. You will be amazed how the mind can concentrate on the case ahead as you cover the kilometres. Some jurisdictions call for the highest level of mental concentration. An appearance before the High Court of Australia on either a special leave application, or a hearing itself, is something I liken to a league footballer preparing for the Grand Final. It requires total focus, constant mental rehearsal of the approach to be taken, and (above all) a building of self confidence before the fateful morning arrives. This is not to say it is easy. It is not. It is very 10 - Issue 4, December 2007 Demands Of The Client Justice Geoffrey Miller hard. But that is the job we have selected for our life’s work, and the pressures which come with it have to be coped with. What Are The Pressures Receipt Of The Papers The bigger the trial, the bigger will be the brief. The sheer task of reading and assimilating the facts contained within the brief and identifying the issues of law which will arise, can be a daunting task when six lever arch files are delivered in a cardboard box. Here again, there are some important “Does and Don’ts”: • Insist upon the instructing solicitor providing a precis of the issues in the trial, and the points of law which are likely to arise. • As you read the brief, keep a pad next to the file and make a running notation of the key issues as you see them as and when they arise ... much as you would have done in Law School days in taking a note of what a lecturer is saying. • At the conclusion of reading the brief, dictate immediately a Memorandum of Advice on the issues, the shortcomings of your case, work that is still required to be done, and tentative conclusions on the outcome. • Furnish the instructing solicitor with a preliminary Memorandum of Advice so that the solicitor can see what W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r One of the great advantages of being a barrister is that you can be shielded from the lay client. Not only can you be, but you should be. The “Does and Don’ts” in this area are as follows: • Minimise conferences with the client. • NEVER fall for proofing the client... that is the job of the solicitor and the barrister should never fall for a request to perform that task. • Avoid at all costs trying to placate the family of the client... this is a job for the instructing solicitor and/or a clerk, and not for the barrister ... your eyes have to be kept firmly on the task ahead and should not be distracted with this task. • In cases where the client is an accused in prison awaiting trial minimise conferences at prison ... these conferences are held in unsuitable accommodation, in a negative environment, and are usually interspersed with anecdotal advice from other prison inmates which the barrister does not require. It is the solicitor’s job to see the client in prison, get the proof of evidence and arrange the key conference with the barrister prior to trial. The Preparation Phase Needless to say it is preparation that often wins or loses cases. Some cases are so hopeless that no amount of preparation will ever win them. But even then, preparation is essential. No counsel should ever embark upon a major case without having prepared in advance either an outline or skeleton of cross-examination, or even a detailed crossexamination of the key witnesses. The “Does and Don’t’s” here are: • Above all allow TIME before trial within which to prepare … to many barristers begin their preparation for a Monday trial on the Sunday beforehand. A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w • • • • Do not be afraid to reject a brief which will have the effect of bringing you back to back with the next brief. Barristers are generally far too greedy to reject briefs. The result is that they compact cases one after the other, and have too little time to prepare for each succeeding case. TIME is required to – … search out the issues …agree facts where they can be agreed … identify issues which may need to be determined at a Directions Hearing. Preparation of proposed crossexaminations is best done by dictating the questions you think you will be putting to a particular witness ... in that way you can prepare a format for cross-examination which will have some substance and direction. Invariably it will need to be changed in running, but the typed script on the bar table will give confidence to the cross-examiner as he sits through examination-in-chief and waits for his turn. Trial I have already made the point that backto-back trials should be avoided. Space from one trial to the next is essential for the barrister if he is to perform at his top. Too many barristers do endless case after case, and their performances tire as they do so. In this respect they are no different from sportsmen coming towards the end of a season. Unfortunately, the law knows no seasons and there is no off-season respite. For this reason constant SPACE between trials is essential. Prior to turning up at court, there are some essential logistics to consider: • The brief needs to be properly housed in the appropriate folders. • A trolley will be needed in any trial that is likely to go more than a couple of days • Spare folders will be needed for transcript as it is produced. • The bar table needs to be set up properly before your appearance on the first day. • Arrangements need to be made for things like morning tea and lunch. “Does and Don’t’s” in relation to trials include: • Avoid lunchtime conferences with the client … the luncheon break is a time to relax, take in some food which will raise the blood sugar level, W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n • • and give strength for the afternoon session. Avoid after day trial conferences unless they are absolutely vital ... too often the client wants a conference at the end of a day in court just for the sake of it. Ask yourself: What can the client contribute? The answer generally is: Nothing. At the end of each day, do a small amount of on-going preparation ... this may be in the form of further cross-examination questions, or (ideally) preparing for the ultimate address which is to be given in the trial. Short Trials Short trials (by which I mean two or three day trials) require the attitude of a “sprinter”. Here you have to be ready to cross-examine a succession of witnesses in the course of a day, and perhaps deliver an address to a jury the following day. All the more reason why intensive preparation has to be done prior to the trial. There is simply no time for preparation during the trial. Short trials are all about impact and performance. The barrister has to be on top of the case, ready to change direction at a moment’s notice, and he must not be distracted. This is where the role of the instructing solicitor becomes particularly important. Being shielded from the client is essential to enable the barrister to focus on the task ahead. Long Trials In a long trial there is no need for the barrister to make an explosive impact on the first day. Rather, a slow working into the case is required. Long cases require concentration, but they also demand relaxation. There is no point in having an adrenalin rush every day of a ten week trial. You will simply be worn out. “Dead spots” in long trials should be utilised by the barrister to prepare for what is to come. In particular, when things are going quietly and you are not being called upon, it is important to start preparing for the address which you will have to give at the conclusion of the case. Nothing is worse in a three month trial than trying to pull together the threads of the case in the last few days. It is something that has to be worked on, massaged, and perfected week by week as the trial runs along. If you are in a trial where there are six accused, and there are large slabs of evidence which are of no concern to your client, there is no reason why an application should not be made to the trial judge for leave to come and go from the trial as and when it is appropriate to your own case. Judges will B a r A s s o c i a t i o n But West Australian barristers must strive to be competitive, in comparison to counsel from elsewhere. have no hesitation in granting that leave. Opportunities like this need to be grabbed with both hands, because they afford the time to prepare for the all important address to the jury which will come at the termination of proceedings. Verdict I have some strict “Does and Don’ts” about verdict days in criminal trials: • If you win, do not … jump about and make a big noise; … go around telling everybody what a great job you did; … give doorstop interviews to the media outside the court; … commiserate with your opposing counsel. • Instead, feel professionally satisfied and quit the venue at the earliest possible opportunity. • If you lose ... do not fall for the trap of reflex comment “we will appeal”; … but hide your disappointment by collecting your papers and quietly leaving the venue; … leave your instructing solicitor to handle family and friends of the accused; ... tell the accused you will be in contact with him when you have had an opportunity of considering whether or not there are any grounds for appeal. When the case is over take a break. Any trial, but particularly criminal trials, can be physically and mentally exhausting. You often feel good the day after the trial because it is over. But it is important to take time out to re-group for the next occasion when you are in court. Do not fall for the idea that you are indispensable. Above all, do not panic when there is a gap in your diary. Barristers must keep flexible … flexibility will give you the opportunity to accept that all important brief which is around the corner … whereas a full diary of back-to-back trials will lock you in for a year or more and cause a lot of heartache in having to reject something you really wanted to do. R e v i e w 11 - Issue 5, December 2007 Interview with Ian Viner QC Felicity Davis The Hon. Ian Viner, AO QC will soon be retiring following a long and distinguished career in both the law and politics. Mr Viner was born on 21 January 1933 and grew up in Bunbury, Western Australia. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Western Australia in 1958. He was admitted to practice in WA in 1960, after completing articles with the firm Muir Williams, later becoming a partner of that firm. In 1964 he joined the then newly established Western Australian Bar. He ceased practising as a barrister when he became the Member fo r Sti r l ing in th e H o u se o f Representatives from 1972 to 1983. He was the first Aboriginal Affairs Minister in the Fraser Government and continued successively in a number of Ministerial and Cabinet portfolios until 1983. He introduced the 1976 Northern Territory Land Rights Act and the Aboriginal Community Councils Act. In 1983 Mr Viner returned to his practice as a barrister. He was appointed Queens Counsel in 1984 and an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia on 14 June 1999. He was a part-time member of the National Native Title Tribunal in 1995 to 1996. He was Deputy-Chair, Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation 19951997. He is a Past President of the Western Australian Bar Association (2001 – 2004) and Past President of the Australian Bar Association (2005-2006). He is married to Ngaire and they have 7 children – 3 sons and 4 daughters – and 16 grandchildren Felicity Davis recently interviewed Mr Viner. 12 - Issue 4, December 2007 Have you actually officially retired from the Bar? No, not yet. As I say to people, I am in semiretirement and some people are unkind enough to have a bit of chuckle because they have seen me around the 23rd floor fairly often. I am presently sitting on a door tenancy with Francis Burt Chambers and that continues until the end of January 2008. I am in ‘run off ’ mode. What are you doing with the spare time that you must have now? Well it’s a mixture. I think inevitably when you go into retirement or semi retirement you go travelling although I have been doing a fair amount of that for the last few years. Ngaire and I went off to Europe in June and July for about 5 weeks and I have more time to spend on my own affairs, to be at home, to visit people and just recently we’ve been over to Queensland for a family wedding – that kind of thing. Have you got any interest in doing projects, getting involved on any committees or anything similar in the law, or will you cut all ties after retirement? Oh no, not cut all ties, in fact I am still a member of the Legal Contribution Trust for which I’ve been a trustee for about 15 years. I am happy to continue contact with the profession and I intend to keep my practice certificate and be a member of the Bar Association. I know you have a particular interest in the history of the Bar. Are you planning to write a history? Well that’s an area in which I would like to make a contribution. When I was president of the Bar Association we did a quite a number of oral histories including some for those who have since passed away, like Sir Francis Burt. I think a history of the Bar would be a tremendous venture for the Association. It would be a fascinating project, because it would reflect the social, political and legal history of Western Australia from the time when the Bar W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r Ian Viner QC was established in the early 1960’s. It would be a picture of the development of Western Australia from personalities like Peter Durack and Darryl Williams, Commonwealth Attorneys General, and Sir Francis Burt and others on the judiciary. How long after you started practice did you join the Bar? I was fortunate to be articled to Red Burt and then I became a partner in what was then Joseph Muir Williams and within a couple of years of that Burt went to the Bar and he was very soon followed by John Wickham. So coming through the common law litigation scene in Muir Williams it was a natural inclination of mine, and I went to the Bar soon after.i How did you decide to study and practice law? Ah well that’s interesting, because I started working life as a banker at the ripe old age of 15 down in my home town of Bunbury. I then did national service training in the Air Force for 6 months. After returning to work as a bank officer it really set me thinking about what I wanted to do. I had been working for the bank in York and there was a solicitor in town, Rolly Iddison (later a magistrate) who I got to know. I had a talk to him when I came out of the Air Force and went back to the bank, and he said he would be prepared to take me as an articled clerk and that I could do it by 5 years articles. So I left the bank and started off with Rolly but then for a number of reasons decided that 5 years articles wasn’t the way to go. So I sat down and got my leaving by correspondence – I did a 2 year course in about 5 months. Thankfully I A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w passed my 5 subjects to scrape through, went down and saw Frank Beasley the Dean of the Law School and was accepted. So on about my 21st birthday I jumped on the train and came down to Perth to become a full-time student. How many people were in your year at law school? In the first year there would have been about 20 I think, no more than about 20 and in the final year we finished up with about 10. So it was a pretty small group. How long was the course for? It was a four year course and then 2 year articles. That was the way it was done in those days. How did you manage to get articles with Red Burt? I really didn’t know anybody in the legal profession except Roley Iddison but my wife’s uncle, who was an eye specialist, happened to give evidence for Red in a worker’s compensation case. So he had a word to Red and, thankfully, Red accepted me. What was he like to work for? Oh very good, very good. A very good trainer. Always gave you complete confidence and he showed confidence in you, even to the point where I can remember him coming in one day and saying ‘well I’m off on a couple of weeks holiday, Ian, you’ll look after all the files won’t you?’, which I had to do. He was a great one for sitting down at the end of the day over a beer talking about either the day’s case or cases that he had coming up, so that you learnt from not only your own practical experience but by being exposed to Burt talking about the law, talking about issues. Your practised as a barrister for a number of years and then decided to go into politics? Well, I was always interested in politics. I was a member of the University Liberal Club. I stayed with the Liberal Party when I finished Uni and I was fortunate to work with people like Ian Medcalf who became State Attorney-General, Peter Durack, who became Commonwealth Attorney General and the late Ray Nowland, who was always trying to win the seat of West Perth. So I cut my teeth in politics with people like that and then the opportunity came up with a W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n set of vacancies. I can remember talking to Red Burt about it and he said ‘well go for it Ian’. I nominated for a Senate vacancy but didn’t get endorsement. Reg Withers actually got the endorsement that time. Later the seat of Stirling became vacant for endorsement and I nominated for that. I lost the first election in 1969 and then won the second in 1972 and became a Minister under Malcolm Fraser in 1975. I represented the Stirling electorate until the March 1983 election when I lost my seat when the Fraser Government lost the election. “As I say to people, I am in semiretirement and some people are unkind enough to have a bit of chuckle because they have seen me around the 23rd floor fairly often.” And what were your portfolios? I had all sorts of portfolios. Aboriginal Affairs, Employment and Youth Affairs, assisting the Treasurer, assisting the Prime Minister, the Leader of the House of Representatives, Industrial Relations, representing the Attorney General and then I finished with the portfolio of Defence Support (which was all the defence production facilities of Australia), assisting the Minister of Defence and on the Australian Defence Council. What was the most interesting of those portfolios? Well the most interesting has to be undoubtedly Aboriginal Affairs. It was very much a life changing personal experience to be exposed to that section of the community and all the issues that they had both personally, socially and culturally. I think I saw more of Australia than almost any other person in terms of travelling around. Land Rights was the big political issue affecting Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders at that time, so I introduced B a r A s s o c i a t i o n and put through Parliament the Northern Territory Land Rights Bill. I was very fortunate that I had the whole hearted support of both Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and Deputy Prime Minister Doug Anthony and some very valued colleagues, like Fred Chaney, who assisted me getting it through. What was your greatest achievement do you think, as a politician - was it getting that Bill passed? Well I hesitate to talk about greatest achievements but the Northern Territory Land Rights Act probably was, because it was so important to Aboriginal people and also because the Act has lasted the test of time and is still in force, although Governments of both political persuasions since have taken steps to water it down. Now back to the Bar… did you go back immediately after you lost your seat in the 1983 election? Yes, well, fairly soon after I lost the seat. Interestingly because Stirling in my time, except for the 1975 and 1977 elections, was a marginal seat (and still is), I always said to myself that thankfully I’ve got the Bar to go back to. Whilst in Parliament my approach was that I didn’t want to be a lawyer in Parliament, I wanted to be a politician in Parliament using my legal background and training to advantage. But making the decision to come back to the Bar was a fairly easy one. What changes have you observed in the Bar over the last 20 odd years? Well, I think the depth of the Bar in terms of the people who are here, and the breadth of skills and professional experience of the Bar – those are the two big things which are reflected in the numbers now at the Bar. When I went into Parliament there were only probably about 15 barristers at the independent Bar. So there’s been tremendous growth in the Bar since I began, went into Parliament and came back. What were the most satisfying cases that you’ve worked on? Well I’ve pretty well always been a plaintiff ’s lawyer. I had a few defendant’s matters but primarily I was a plaintiff ’s lawyer. Muir Williams had a large plaintiff ’s common R e v i e w 13 - Issue 5, December 2007 law practice, that carried over into when I went to the Bar and when I returned. There is tremendous satisfaction in achieving a good outcome, whether after a trial or by compromise, for people who have been very very seriously injured. Can you name a highlight? One was actually my second appearance in the High Court when I was a member of the Air Force Legal Reserve. I was called in to advise someone who was charged with an offence on the RAAF Base Pearce. He was charged under State law and the question arose as to whether State law or Commonwealth law ran on RAAF Base Pearce. So anyway, I was only a pretty young lawyer at the time and pretty young at the Bar, so I took that strange animal called a demurrer down in the Supreme Court. The case involved a constitutional point, so it went up to the High Court. I went across to Sydney and I can remember lining up on the first day with Sir Garfield Barwick presiding and I had all the Solicitors General from around Australia all lined up against me, led by Ron Wilson. I thought to myself, well they want to affirm the jurisdiction of the State so they should go first, so cheekily, when I was called upon by Sir Garfield Barwick, I made that submission. He said ‘I regret Mr Viner to say that you have to begin, would you proceed please.’ I was on my feet for a day and half and then all the Solicitors General followed and I finished up winning.ii So that was an early experience and a very satisfying one. In terms of trials here I am not sure that I could pull one out of the hat and say that was the most satisfying one, simply because you win some and you lose some. There was of course, Gracetown.iii That has a combination as one of the most satisfying but the most disappointing of cases I have done. That was probably the longest too, was it? Just about the longest, I think so. That went for about 8 weeks. I felt that those people needed to be represented and needed to be able to go to court in what I thought was a just cause. They lost. We’ll all have views about whether it was the right or the wrong decision. Interestingly the case came towards the end of my professional career. It was a matter of giving back something and doing something for people. 14 - Issue 4, December 2007 Now I’m going to ask you about personalities at the Bar. Are there any that stand out for you? Well, of course, Red Burt, not simply because he was my principal and mentor but because I sat with him in the Supreme Court and in the High Court, saw him at work and then experienced him, as I say, at the end of the day whether at Muir Williams or at the Bar, having a beer and talking about the law. Other personalities… interestingly, there are early ones like the late Ken Hatfield who was ‘Mr MVIT’. He was the number one lawyer for the motor vehicle third party insurer. I came up against him a number of times and in my first trial on a motor vehicle accident he beat me. Phil Sharp on the plaintiff ’s side was in those days the doyen of personal injury lawyers who came to the Bar early. Leo Wood was the doyen of the Criminal Bar at the time. He was a great guy, Leo. We were such a small profession in those days and a small Bar, that those kind of people dominated, whereas today with a much larger profession and many more people at the Bar, I don’t think I’m being unkind to say that people haven’t in more recent years dominated so much as those early figures did. “We couldn’t allow ourselves in WA to be isolated or remote from what’s happening on the other side of Australia” I don’t think I preferred one or the other because I’ve always been very satisfied with both. A very political answer. I’m going to press you on this! I was going to add that there is nothing like the experience of being a politician and in particular being a Minister and a member of Cabinet. Really nothing can equal it in my view. That’s not simply the aphrodisiac of power but it’s the participation in the A u s t r a l i a n What tips would you give a young barrister? Get into any court you can at any time. Don’t try to get into the Supreme Court too early. I grew up ‘knocking about’ all the courts. The court of Petty Sessions and Local Court as it was then known, the Magistrates Court, doing a bit of crime, doing a bit of family law, doing a bit of common law, industrial law, equity and so on. I found that you could try yourself out, learn what your own capacities are and if you are self educating you will learn where you’ve made your mistakes. So that has always been my primary advice. The next tip I would give would be to keep your ears open to what more senior barristers are talking about in terms of how cases have gone, issues that arise so that you are hearing from them how they’ve been coping with the good and the bad of being in court. Did you prefer your life as a politician or your life as a barrister? W e s t e r n parliamentary system and your capacity to influence the course of or the direction of society. The Northern Territory Land Rights Act is an example of this. And being there as a parliamentarian you are making decisions that you are conscious are going to influence so many lives. In contrast in litigation it’s one-on-one, plaintiff against defendant. Yes, you make law with different cases which influence legal history, yes you provide satisfying outcomes for people as I mentioned and the law is a very challenging intellectual exercise and very satisfying, but politics and particularly being a member of government is a unique experience. B a r Finally, I would advise a young barrister to always be prepared to seek advice. I have been at the Bar as a silk and as president of the Bar Association and I always had an open door policy. So for junior barristers they should not be afraid to go and knock on a silk’s door or a senior junior’s door practising in a particular field and ask for advice. As president of the Bar Association you introduced a number of initiatives including education at the Bar and the Bar Readers’ Course. What are your views on continuing education for barristers? Well I think it is imperative. The Bar has to be prepared to do what other professions A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w have been doing in terms of continuing education. I think the old days and attitudes of ‘well, you’ll learn on your feet’ are all very well because part of what I was saying earlier, knocking about the courts is learning on your feet, but these days I think the profession and the community expect something more than that. The Bar Readers’ Course was also established at a time when it was obvious that there was going to be, at some time in the future, compulsory continuing education. The other thing that drove me was seeing the benefit of Bar Readers’ Courses in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The legal profession, including the Bar, was becoming much more national and it was time for WA to become part of that national context and develop its own Bar Readers’ Course. So it was from those different perspectives that I thought we should have one and thankfully the Bar Council agreed and I think it has been a tremendous success. What other issues do you see for the Bar in this State? Well the other initiative that I introduced was to become a member of the Law Council of Australia. I thought that we should do that from two perspectives. First, all Bars should be represented on Law Council and secondly because of the national outlook. We couldn’t allow ourselves in WA to be isolated or remote from what’s happening on the other side of Australia. I would also like to see the Bar encourage young people to join. It has always been contentious as to how soon people should come to the Bar, but I think if somebody is enthusiastic and wants to be a barrister and has got that motivation, well, let them come to the Bar. And if they are good learners they will do well. Women at the Bar is another aspect. It has been very pleasing to see individual sets of chambers going out of their way to encourage women lawyers to look at the Bar as a profession. I think the Bar Association and individual sets of chambers should provide ways to encourage women to come to the Bar. Finally, something that I’ve talked about, is to encourage indigenous lawyers to look at the Bar. When I was here on the 23rd floor I had an arrangement with George Turnbull at Legal Aid for some of his indigenous articled clerks to come over and spend several weeks with me. We ought to encourage indigenous law students to “Finally, I would advise a young barrister to always be prepared to seek advice.” look at the Bar as a profession. So that is something that I would like to do, as well as look at the history of the Bar. Thank you, we wish you all the best for your retirement. i. The first 10 entries on the Bar Roll are as follows. 1. Francis Theodore Page BURT 2. Terence Alan WALSH 3. John Leonard Clifton WICKHAM 4. Gresley Drummond CLARKSON 5. Philip Lionel SHARP 6. Robert Ian VINER 7. Henry Albert WALLWORK 8. Phillip Rennell ADAMS 9. Peter Drew DURACK 10.John Leslie TOOHEY ii. R v Phillips (1971) 125 CLR 93 iii Litigation arising from the collapse of a cliff at Huzza’s Beach near Gracetown on 27 September 1996. See McFarlane & Ors v The State of Western Australia [2004] WADC 245. EXPERT ACCOUNTING WITNESS With over twenty years experience in this field the services offered to the legal profession include: Litigation support on accounting and business matters Forensic accounting Detailed financial analysis Special investigations ordered by the Court Business valuations Expert opinions on the application of accounting and auditing practices All engagements are handled personally. Wherever possible, fees are charged on a fixed fee basis agreed in advance. Trevor Gorey Chartered Accountant 9335 6316 or 0417 903 304 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w 15 - Issue 5, December 2007 Felicity Davis Bar Readers Course 2007 It was my pleasure to be involved in the organization of the WA Bar Association’s Bar Readers’ Course and to oversee the Course this year. This is the fourth year that the Bar Readers Course has been offered to those joining the independent Bar in this State. The first course was in 2004 after the Association, in late 2002, resolved to create a formal educational structure for entry to the Association. The Bar Readers’ Course is designed to ensure that our barristers meet the recommended Australian Bar Association standards, reflecting international best practice. In the past 3 years there have been 4 modules to the Bar Readers’ Course – Advocacy, Evidence, Ethics and Jurisdiction & Procedure. The ABA introduced this year its inaugural Advocacy Training Course, held in Perth in January, which some of our new barristers attended. WABA offered the remaining 3 modules to its new barristers this year. 18 bar readers participated in the 3 modules of Evidence, Ethics and Jurisdiction & Procedure. Each module involved 6 seminars of 2 hours duration from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm on a weekday. Ethics: Chris Shanahan SC, Paul Mendelow and Michael Berry Evidence: Ken Martin QC, John Hockley and Peter Doherty WABA thanks the sponsors of the Course, LexisNexis and the many judges, magistrates and senior members of the Bar who gave their time and shared their knowledge and experience with our bar readers to present at seminars. Their willingness and assistance in presenting at module seminars was invaluable to this year’s participants and to the success of the course. The closing of the Course and presentation took place on 24 August 2007, with certificates and prizes, sponsored by LexisNexis, presented to the best performed module participant in each module and the Chief Justice’s prize for overall best performed reader. The bar readers who were adjudged the best in each module and overall were: Ethics: Richard Douglas Jurisdiction & Procedure: John Vaughan Evidence: Jeremy Ludlow Best Performed Reader in the 2007 Bar Readers’ Course: Richard Douglas. Congratulations to all bar readers who successfully completed the Course. Planning has already commenced for the Bar Readers’ Course next year, which will include a residential Advocacy Training Course to be held jointly with the South Australian Bar Association, at the Barossa Valley between 15 and 19 July 2008. There were 3 coordinators for each of the modules who chaired and coordinated the seminars over the 6 weeks they were presented and thanks go to each of them: Jurisdiction & Procedure: The Honourable Wayne Martin, Neil McKerracher QC, Richard Price and Frances Veltman, Richard Douglas 58026Holler WA Bar Magazine Advert.qxp 13/04/2007 2:42and PM Jim Page 1 Mark Pitts. The Honourable Wayne Martin with Richard Douglas. Makers of Fine Regalia LEGAL ACADEMIC MILITARY MUNICIPAL CORPORATE FRATERNAL ECCLESIASTICAL MEDAL MOUNTING DRESSWEAR SHOP ONLINE AT www.blashki.com.au Toll Free: 1800 803 584 Email: [email protected] 16 - Issue 4, December 2007 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Felicity Davis Bar and Bench Dinner 17 August 2007 Members of the Bench and the Bar attended the annual WABA Bar and Bench Dinner, held this year at the Old Swan Brewery on 17 August 2007. A toast to the judiciary was proposed by Jason MacLaurin. His Honour Judge Keen of the District Court responded with a toast to the Bar. In Jason MacLaurin’s toast, he compared the learned judges of the Bench to chefs at a restaurant, with members of the Bar their customers. Some chefs were more demanding than others, leaving their customers wondering about the service to expect in each restaurant. Fortunately, the idea of having one’s head served on a platter appeared not to affect any Bar member’s appetite for dinner. His Honour Judge Phillip McCann and John Staude In keeping with long standing tradition, his Honour Judge Keen regaled the dinner with reminiscences of his career at the Bar and some entertaining anecdotes of his early judicial career. The venue, food and wine and speeches were excellent. It was a memorable evening, as the accompanying photographs show. Grahame Young, David Bruns and Mark Holler Her Honour Judge Anette Schoombee and Johannes Schoombee W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r Rebecca Lee and Ken Martin QC A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w 17 - Issue 5, December 2007 Craig Colvin SC Appointment of Justice Andrew Beech A welcome may be friendly or hostile. It may be glad, kind and hearty or it may be announced by a trumpet and followed by a brace of bullets. Over the long history of judicial appointments, a practice has emerged whereby new judges first preside at a ceremonial sitting of the court known as a “welcome”. Representatives attend to express the sentiments of the profession concerning the appointment. On such occasions, to say of a judicial appointment that it should be particularly or even universally welcomed by all is tantalisingly opaque. It may be a call to acclamation or a call to arms. Justice Andrew Robert Beech was welcomed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 25 June 2007. There were no trumpets and no battlements. Rather, the occasion was marked by sincere expressions of a professional consensus that the welcome should be fond and hearty. Out of respect for his Honour’s preference for plain and direct speaking, the use of unnecessary adverb and hyperbole was eschewed. The Attorney General captured the sentiment of the profession in his earlier announcement saying that his Honour was an outstanding practitioner about whom “there is a strong consensus that he has the necessary intellect, experience, work ethic, personality and temperament to make an excellent judicial officer”. At Francis Burt Chambers his counsel was often sought by colleagues and solicitors on ethical issues. Justice Beech joins the court with a breadth of experience that matches the court’s jurisdiction. After some early years in commercial litigation with law firms Northmore Hale Davey & Leake (19856) and Parker & Parker (1989-90), his 18 - Issue 4, December 2007 Honour became a Crown Prosecutor at the WA Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (1992-4). He joined the independent bar in 1994 with a practice in commercial and general civil litigation, public law (including constitutional law) and criminal law. He was both an equity and common lawyer, fused in one person. In practice he brought together both good conscience and sound knowledge of legal principle. His opinions were sought after, carefully considered and much respected. At Francis Burt Chambers his counsel was often sought by colleagues and solicitors on ethical issues. For many at the bar, his Honour’s appointment has meant the loss of the availability of a discerning ear to test a difficult case or a particular proposition. His Honour’s own expression of a preference for those parts of practice that require the formulation of a judgment rather than an argument make him temperamentally well suited for the bench. Experience suggests counsel can expect keen, incisive and direct questioning from his Honour. Many family members (including his Honour’s wife Jane and their children, parents Robyn and Michael, grandmother and siblings) were in attendance at the formal welcome reflecting his Honour’s affection for family. Friends and colleagues were also in attendance in significant numbers. There was a relaxed atmosphere of hospitable welcome. The ceremony in number 1 court also saw the Beech grin appropriately on display especially on the faces of children Tom, Annabel, Joey and Ella as well, of course, on the face of father Michael. Indeed, through the auspices of the Solicitor General, Robert Meadows QC, Michael’s claim to responsibility for his Honour’s talent as an outstanding opening batsman managed to find voice during the ceremony. Justice Andrew Beech contributing his time and skills in various voluntary capacities both within and outside the profession. He has acted on a pro bono or limited fee basis, without personal fanfare in many cases over the years of his practice as a barrister. He has been a part-time lecturer and visiting fellow at the University of Western Australia Law School since 1989. He was a part time commissioner in the Human Rights and Opportunity Commission in 1999-2000. He was the Editor of the Western Australia Reports from 1997-2002. He served as a director and then chairman on the board of the Daughters of Charity for many years. All at the bar wish his Honour every success in his career on the bench. In Australia, where sporting prowess is a sufficient, but not necessary, qualification for any high office, his Honour makes the grade. He is a keen, active and skilled cricketer, tennis and hockey player and is regularly seen swimming at Cottesloe and Smith’s Beaches. Weekends are filled with family life, particularly as coach and spectator at the sporting events of his children. His Honour has been generous in W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Appointment of the Honourable Justice David Newnes as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia On 25 June 2007 David Newnes was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. At the time of his appointment Justice Newnes was a Master of the Supreme Court. Justice Newnes had been appointed as a Master on 24 February 2003 and served in that position until his appointment as a Judge of the Court. Justice Newnes was born on 27 February 1951. He completed his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws degrees at the University of Western Australia in 1977 and commenced legal practice at the end of 1977 at Muir Williams Nicholson where he was articled to the Hon. Professor David Malcolm AC QC. Justice Newnes worked in that firm until June 1982 including under the supervision of the Hon. Robert Anderson QC and the current Solicitor General, Robert Meadows QC. In June 1982 Justice Newnes joined the firm that is now known as Mallesons Stephen Jacques and in 1985 he was made a partner of that firm. In January 1995 Justice Newnes joined Blake Dawson Waldron as a partner and was the head of the litigation group in Perth until his appointment to the Supreme Court as a Master in 2003. Prior to his appointment to the bench Justice Newnes had very extensive experience in commercial litigation and had a large and diverse practice in the Supreme and Federal Courts. In his career Justice Newnes had the conduct of many large commercial disputes as well as complex professional negligence matters, mining matters and administrative law matters. Justice Newnes has also had a great deal of experience in the law of defamation including cases involving television and W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n radio broadcasters as well as newspapers. One of the cases he was involved in, Australian Ocean Line Pty Ltd v West Australian Newspapers Ltd (1985) 58 ALR 549, is the case that prompted the Commonwealth Parliament to amend the Trade Practices Act to in effect preclude such claims being brought under the Trade Practices Act. In his time as a Master of the Court Justice Newnes bore much of the burden of dealing with interlocutory disputes in the Defamation List and he brought a great wealth of knowledge and experience to the management of those disputes and the pre trial conduct of defamation proceedings generally. During his career Justice Newnes has been a significant contributor to the profession. He has been at various times convenor of the Law Society committees for Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, Administrative Law and Media Law. In 1998 Justice Newnes was appointed as a consultant to the Law Reform Commission’s Access to Justice Inquiry and in the course of that role prepared for the consideration of the Law Reform Commission a draft paper on the case management in the Supreme Court and a draft paper on the form of originating process in the Supreme Court. Justice Newnes, prior to his appointment as a Master, was also extensively involved in a review of the Supreme Court Rules. Justice Newnes was a consultant to the Rules Committee of the Supreme Court in relation to the preparation of a proposal for the reform of the Rules of the Supreme Court. Justice David Newnes has efficiently carried a very substantial caseload and the quality of his judgements has increased the respect held for him by his profession and his colleagues on the Court” Justice Newnes’ appointment as a Judge was warmly welcomed by the profession. Those who appeared before Justice Newnes when he was a Master invariably experienced a hearing in which they were politely dealt with, their submissions were carefully listened to, the opposing arguments were fairly considered and the matter was dealt with with dispatch. The Western Australian Bar Association congratulates Justice Newnes on his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court and wishes him well in this next part of his career. On the occasion of his appointment as a Judge the Attorney-General said of Justice Newnes that “Since his appointment as a Master of the Supreme Court in 2003 he has demonstrated a great capacity and enthusiasm for judicial work. He B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w 19 - Issue 5, December 2007 Craig Colvin SC Appointment of the Justice Geoffrey Miller to the Court of Appeal On 7 June 2007 the Hon. Justice Geoffrey Miller was appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal. The appointment was warmly welcomed by the legal profession. His Honour had previously acted as a Judge of Appeal and has been a Judge of the Supreme Court since 3 August 1998. His Honour is renowned for his sharp intellect and ability to cut to the chase. His extensive and practical experience of the criminal law is of particular value to the Court of Appeal given that criminal appeals represent a substantial proportion of the work of the Court. Though due recognition should be accorded to the fact that His Honour has been described as a “true generalist” who, as an advocate, tackled and excelled in a diversity of cases in all jurisdictions. His Honour was educated at Perth Modern School, a school that has produced so many high achieving West Australians. A brilliant scholar and sportsman, he graduated with first class honours in law from the University of Western Australia in 1963. His Honour was admitted in 1965 and practised for many years as a sole practitioner before joining the Bar in 1980. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel the same year. As if not having achieved enough in that year he also served as President of the Law Society from 1980 to 1981. Widely admired as a leader of the Bar, at the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court it was noted that His Honour’s professional stature brought great credibility to the Bar and served as an example to all practitioners. He was recognised as having contributed to the collegiate spirit of the Bar by his readiness to give advice to younger members. A great contributor to the profession and the community, besides serving the Law Society His Honour was an office bearer of the Bar Association, served on the Legal Practice Board and was a founding member of the Legal Aid Commission. His Honour continues to have an interest in the professional development of those at that bar, as evidenced by the fact that he has taken the trouble to contribute to this journal. As a Supreme Court Judge His Honour for several years had responsibility for the management of the Supreme Court criminal list. His ability to focus the parties Justice Geoffrey Miller on the real issues and urge them to achieve greater efficiency without compromising the interests of justice was significant in ensuring the proper management of those cases. The Bar Association congratulates His Honour on his well deserved appointment to the Court of Appeal. Retirement of Justice Nicholson The following is an extract from the address by Ken Martin QC on behalf of the Association at the special sitting of the Federal Court in Perth, 3 August 2007, to farewell Justice Nicholson. Your Honour has been a conscientious and able judge for over two decades, not to mention a tireless contributor to legal affairs in Australia and internationally at many levels which have been mentioned. The West Australian Bar Association is particularly appreciative of your many contributions towards its activities including its continuing legal education program and its readers course. Your accomplishments since Law School at the University of Western Australia have been nothing less than prolific. Mention has already been made of your time in the 20 - Issue 4, December 2007 amalgam as Senior Partner of Freehill, Hollingdale & Page; your appointment as a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. You were one of the first draft picks by the then new Chief Justice, David Malcolm, when he took charge of the Supreme Court as Chief Justice in May 1988. You served as a member of the Supreme Court with great distinction until you were enticed back into the federal arena at the beginning of 1995. Over your whole professional life you have made very significant contributions extending well and truly beyond the borders of Western Australia to national and international frontiers. As has been mentioned, you were the inaugural Secretary General of the Law Council of Australia, a role that confirmed and paved the way no W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w doubt for the federal appointments which followed in 1986 and 1995. In the international sphere, you have made long term, and indeed, as has been mentioned, legendary contributions to the work of LAWASIA, and it was as Secretary of the LAWASIA judicial section that you and Chief Justice David Malcolm undertook the first draft together of the “Statement of Principles of Independence of the Judiciary” in the Asia Pacific region, which eventually became the celebrated Beijing “Statement of Chief Justices” in 1995. Your Honour has achieved international recognition, and the head of the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law has specifically asked that their regards, or the regards of that Institute be conveyed to you, and that you be noted as a greatly appreciated visitor to the Swiss Institute, observing that your commitment to the advancement of justice across the globe, and the interests of law analysed from comparative perspectives was invaluable. The directorate and staff of the Swiss Institute have expressly asked that their good wishes be conveyed to you at this time, and that your future visits are eagerly awaited. You have been a prolific author of articles, particularly within the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, where you continue to serve as a counsellor. A global article search on a law database throws up as many article strikes as one achieves by googling Harry Potter. You’ve contributed articles across a diverse range of fields, including topics such as selfrepresented litigants, Western Australia’s early colonial laws, issues of port security and in 1998 even, a paper prepared while you were a visiting fellow at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge entitled The Impact of the ECC Treaty on UK Courts and Judges. The learned Attorney General for Western Australia has referred to the incident where you were saved from the engineers at an early stage at law school, and having stolen my one humorous story, I’m driven to resort to my emergency story. Now, your Honour, as a judge, portrayed on frequent occasions in these very four walls two very significant traits. Firstly, you were a keen observer of human behaviour, and secondly, you are very well informed about what was going on about just about everything. Now, these are traits which are essential, of course, to discharge of judicial office, but they were traits in terms of insight and information that you displayed at an W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n extremely early age, indeed, going back to law school. Indeed, in your speech in 2003 at the 75th anniversary of the founding of the University of Western Australia law school, you related a story concerning your insights about the then first dean of the law school, the late Frank Beazley, back in 1956, demonstrating all your insight and accumulation of information. You said this of the activities of the Dean during your last years at law school: There’s little doubt then that your energetic contributions to the law, particularly through the Institute of Judicial Administration will continue to be gratefully received “Not only the students found the library attractive, in 1956 the Dean, then widowed, fell in love with the assistant librarian. At the time, several fourth year students had their eye firmly fixed on her, but they beat a hasty retreat. The Dean was married, but not long after this, his bride continued with a planned overseas holiday. As the year wore on, the Dean became testier and testier. Suddenly he announced that exams were to be brought forward by a week. This deprived most students of a vital week of swat time. The Blackstone Society was convened, motions of concern were passed, and delegations waited upon the Dean, to no avail. B a r A s s o c i a t i o n It was discovered that the reason for the curtailment of the vital swat time was that the Dean’s new wife was returning on an ocean liner, and he wished to have the exams out of the way before turning his attention to other matters. Calling in aid all his expertise in constitutional law, he arranged with customs for special permission to board the vessel at Gage Roads by climbing aboard with a customs officer. Alas, the night before the vessel arrived, the Dean bent over the bath to pick up some soap and fractured two ribs. Bound thereafter in plaster, he was therefore unable to carry out his intentions and the wronged student body felt thoroughly requited.” Your Honour, the Australian Bar Association and the West Australian Bar Association are very glad that you were able to survive law school and a close encounter with the barbaric engineers and that you could go and grace the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Supreme Court and the Federal Courts for over two decades. You’ve made, also as has been mentioned, significant contributions to the wider Australian community as chancellor of Edith Cowan University between 1997 and 2004, and as chair of the Malcolm Sergeant Cancer Foundation for Children Western Australian Division as it then was. It’s of course only section 72 of the constitution that sees your Honour retiring from the court a day shy of mandatory retiring age. Nevertheless, you do so full of intellect, energy and unbridled enthusiasm for the law as ever. There’s little doubt then that your energetic contributions to the law, particularly through the Institute of Judicial Administration will continue to be gratefully received. R e v i e w 21 - Issue 5, December 2007 John Prior Retirement of Judge Greaves The following is an extract from the address by John Prior at a special sitting of the Liquor Licensing Court to farewell Judge Greaves and to mark the abolition of the Court. The court’ s function and your Honour’ s role will cease today due to the amendments of the Liquor Licensing Act of 1588 which abolishes this court and establishes the Liquor Commission. Along with this significant amendment there will also be other substantial amendments to the law of liquor licensing in this state and indirectly hospitality and tourism practices. In fact, on Monday morning I plan to get up early in the morning to see if the lights are switched on in Dullsville. The operation of the Liquor Licensing Court under the Liquor Licensing Act 1938 which commenced on 1 February 1989 has largely shadowed your Honour’s judicial career which started in December 1988. Prior to your Honour’s appointment your Honour had been responsible with a small group of other well known barristers in Perth in establishing Wickham Chambers in 1968. That was the first alternative set of chambers to the single large chambers then existing in Perth. Your Honour’s legacy to this state will be 18 and a half years of decisions touching on all aspects of the Liquor Licensing Act 1988. As a sample of the body of your Honour’s work I refer to the decisions using the traditional citation method in this jurisdiction of referring to the actual licensed premises. Re Black Betty’s; re Subi Cleanskins; re, Ettamogah Pub; re The Left Bank Bar and Cafe.; re The Clink; re This Flying Scotsman; re Hudsons Gallery.; re The Whale and Ale; re The Nippon Inn; re Zeldas Nightclub; re The Duckstein Brewery; re The Stickey Wicket; re Club 151; re The Mustang Bar; re The Good, Bad and The Ugly; re The Crab and Anchor; re The Lone star Saloon; re The Printers Pie; re Ye Olde Serpentine Inn; re Elephant and Wheelbarrow; re Babylon Hotel; re Peter’s By the Sea; re The Lamb and Flag; re Howard Chambers; re Clickertys; re 22 - Issue 4, December 2007 Cocos; re Big Bombers Liquors; Liquorland Midland, Ellenbrook, Currambine, Craigie, Woodvale, Wangara, Woolworths Subiaco, Claremont, Rockingham and the list goes on. As a role model for natural justice and procedural fairness., I would submit that the commission could do none better than follow the example your Honour has set over the last 18 and a half years in this court. I personally have been fortunate to appear before your Honour originally as an instructing solicitor and later as a counsel in many cases during your Honour’s term of judicial service. This started with the various Steve’s Nedlands Park Hotel cases in 1988 and finished with, your Honour’s last contested case last month being the Taipan Room, Northbridge where I appeared as counsel for the applicant, Speaking on behalf of the counsel from the two associations, who I represent today, I can say your Honour has always been courteous and patient with counsel, open to all submissions and prompt with handing down your decisions. Those are qualities which are to be greatly admired in a specialist court of this nature which dealt daily with issues concerning people’s livelihood, local amenity, health and sometimes people’s sanity. In this respect, I refer to your Honour’s predecessor Judge Sharkey as he then was, in re McHenry reported, at 4 SR (WA) 31 referring to one Mrs Sheen who W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r then resided at number 40, The Avenue, Nedlands. In her own house Mrs Sheen complained of disturbance because her bedroom and lounge were at the front of the property. She complained of noise from after 10 o’clock which became worse and then from to 10.00 to l am. She attributed the noise to people going and coming from the hotel. The noise consists of people in the beer garden, ie crowd noise and also the music which is played. In addition, Mrs Sheen complained of the following: (a,) yahooing; (b) booing; (c) baaing; (d) barking; (e) women screaming in apparent distress; (f ) filthy and abusive language; (g) public urinating; (h) public defecating and fornicating; (i) unlawful and intrusive parking; (j) the breaking of glass; (k) car horns soundings, car doors slamming, car stereos blaring, people doing wheelies et cetera; (l) fighting and aggression; (m) vomiting. No, this was not a summation of the observations of witnesses seeing a group of AFL footballers leaving training, this was the type of evidence your Honour regularly heard in this jurisdiction. Whilst I mention that celebrated or notorious licensed premises, the Nedlands Park Hotel, although counsel tries hard to remain aloof from the cause one is advocating, I think I should now formally thank your Honour for being part of the best beer I have ever tasted following the handing down of your Honour’s reserve decision on 17 March 1989 granting a hotel licence to the then closed Nedlands Park Hotel. At the end of today the Licensing Court will no longer exist and your Honour’s service to the community as a judicial officer will have ended. As I have mentioned, all these contentious issues of liquor will then revert to an administrative tribunal, the West Australian Liquor Commission. As a role model for natural justice and procedural fairness., I would submit that the commission could do none better than follow the example your Honour has set over the last 18 and a half years in this court. A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Richard McCormack Case Notes: Reverse Engineering and the overlap of Copyright and Designs - Swarbrick Case by Richard McCormack1 The recent decision of the High Court of Australia in Burge & Ors v Swarbrick,2 concerning a claim of copyright protection as made by the designer over the JS 9000 racing yacht, dealt with some of the more difficult issues in relation to the perennially troublesome line to be drawn in respect of the copyright and design overlap. The overlap exists in relation to protection of copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth),3 in an artistic work,4 which work also meets the requirements for being a design, within the meaning of the Designs Act 1906 (Cth) or its successors, the Designs Act 2003 (Cth).5 The overlap can be seen through the operation of the legislative regime, as contained in sections 74-77 of the Copyright Act, which provides for an exception to the loss of copyright protection, where: (a) the relevant artistic work the subject of copyright has been reproduced by way of industrial application;6 but (b) the corresponding design is not registered under the Designs Act, in which case the copyright in the artistic work remains enforceable because it is a work of artistic craftsmanship. The Swarbrick case squarely raised the proper test for a work of artistic craftsmanship. This issue has not previously been the subject of consideration by the High Court. Compounding the issue of copyright protection in relation to mass produced articles is that the extension of protection to purely functional articles, was considerably assisted when the new system under the Copyright Amendment Act 1989 (Cth) came into operation.7 Notwithstanding this legislative change, the possibility of obtaining dual protection for a work, which is both an artistic work for copyright purposes, and a design within the meaning of the Designs Act, remains.8 The prospect of being able to reverseengineer any given article which has been industrially applied, such as the subject matter in the Swarbrick case, namely the W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n JS 9000 racing yacht, without infringing copyright in the underlying artistic work, has far reaching commercial implications. Background Facts In Swarbrick, the respondent, 9 a naval architect, designed and, through his private company, Swarbrick Yachts International Pty Ltd, manufactured the yacht, the JS 9000. The initial JS 9000 yacht to be built, sold and sailed, was named the Bateau Rouge.10 In excess of fifty JS 9000 yachts were built and sold throughout the world. Mr Swarbrick, as owner of copyright in the plans and drawings of the JS 9000, claimed copyright protection was available in the physical aspects of the yacht in 3dimensional form, including the hull and deck mouldings, notwithstanding: (a) mass production and sales of the yacht; and (b) the fact that although he was aware that he could have applied to register the design under the Designs Act and obtained a statutory monopoly, he did not do so. Copyright infringement proceedings were commenced out of the Federal Court. An Anton Piller order was obtained, the terms of which restrained the primary respondent, Boldgold Investments Pty Ltd.11 which had acquired a hull and deck moulding to manufacture a JS 9000 yacht for itself, for purposes of mass production and sale, from reproducing or authorising the reproduction of: (a) the Plug;12 and (b) the hull and deck mouldings of the JS 9000. Boldgold contended from the outset at the trial, as well as through the appeal to the Full Federal Court,13 that as: (a) the Plug and the hull and deck mouldings were corresponding designs within the meaning of section 74 of the Copyright Act; and (b) no designs were registered by Mr Swarbrick under the Designs Act, B a r A s s o c i a t i o n there was no copyright infringement, as a consequence of the statutory loss of copyright protections of the operation of section 77 of the Copyright Act. Mr Swarbrick contended that the copyright remained enforceable because of the JS 9000, as well as the hull and deck moulding, were each works of artistic craftsmanship. Reverse Engineering Put shortly, Boldgold intended to, and had proceeded a considerable way along the pathway of reverse engineering the JS 9000, by a process known as flop moulding. In this way, access was not required to the underlying copyright works in the form of the plans and drawings for the JS 9000, as its features were able to be reproduced in 3-dimensional form by a flop moulding from a genuine hull and deck moulding of the JS 9000. At first instance, Carr J found infringement of copyright, on the basis that there was no loss of copyright protection by reason of the JS 9000 being a work of artistic craftsmanship. Boldgold appealed. Although the Full Federal Court upheld the appeal on the limited basis that no copyright protection existed in the JS 9000, as a complete yacht, but otherwise the Court dismissed the appeal against the findings of Carr J in relation to infringement of copyright in the Plug and the JS 9000 hull and deck mouldings.14 A grant of special leave to appeal was obtained, with a principal ground of appeal being the proper test as to what constituted a work of artistic craftsmanship. work of artistic craftsmanship The background to the High Court’s unanimous allowing of the appeal, thereby overturning the decision of the Full Federal Court, and the decision at first instance, reversing all relevant orders, turned on the proper meaning and construction of the phrase work of artistic craftsmanship. The High Court held that the phrase is a composite one which needs to be construed as a whole,15 and, in particular, that the approach of Lord Simon of Glaisdale in R e v i e w 23 - Issue 5, December 2007 the Hensher case was accepted as being appropriate to be adopted in Australia. The High Court, relevantly, concluded by reference to the test enunciated by Lord Simon in Hensher,16 and in so doing made clear that the concepts of craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal are not to be dealt with separately, rather the approach must be consistent with the phrase work of artistic craftsmanship being construed as a composite one, and as a whole.17 As every case will involve matters of fact and degree, the approach of the High Court should be regarded as guiding consideration of the evidence considered: (a) as a whole; and (b) objectively, including having regard to matters of visual and aesthetic appeal, but careful to ensure that these aspects are regarded as no more than one of a range of considerations in the design of an article. The High Court’s guidance as to the correct approach in relation to construction of the phrase a work of artistic craftsmanship is particularly significant, given the five speeches in Hensher, each differed materially one from the other, such that it is very difficult indeed, if not practically impossible, to distill therefrom what can be regarded as the ratio decidendi concerning the construction issue.18 Evidence - Intention In determining that Mr Swarbrick’s evidence as to his intention in creating the design of the JS 9000 as a “work of particular beauty and timeless elegance”, considered in design terms, was admissible for the purposes of the Court testing whether the Plug was a “work of artistic craftsmanship”. However, the test to be applied is ultimately objective.19 The Court, relevantly, stated in relation to Mr Swarbrick’s evidence as to his “aspirations and intentions” when designing and constructing the Plug of the JS 9000, as follows:20 “His evidence was admissible. But the operation of the statute does not turn upon the presence or absence of evidence of that nature from the author of the work in question. The matter, like many other issues calling for care and discrimination, is one for objective determination by the Court, assisted by admissible 24 - Issue 4, December 2007 evidence and not unduly weighed down by the supposed terrors for judicial assessment of matters involving aesthetics.” The tension which always exists between the aesthetic appeal of an article depicted in an artistic work, and then made the subject of an article in 3-dimensional form which corresponds in design to the original artistic work, is but one factor to be taken into account. Whether the aesthetic appeal is ultimately concluded as being dominant, as a matter of application of copyright protections, or subordinated to functional and commercial aspects of design, is answered by applying the test of objective assessment to the evidence before the Court. At first instance, little weight was given to a substantial body of promotional material and business plan, as well as the evidence of a well known yacht designer, Warwick Hood, who designed the America’s Cup challenger, Gretel, in the 1970s. Before the High Court, this evidence was a significant factor in the appeal being allowed. The High Court, relevantly, concluded21 in relation to the range of considerations applied by Mr Swarbrick in the design of the Plug of the JS 9000, as follows: “Matters of visual and aesthetic appeal necessarily were subordinated to achievement of the purely functional aspects required for a successfully marketed “sports boat” and thus for the commercial objective in view.” Text - a work of artistic craftsmanship In dealing with what approach should be taken in testing whether a particular artistic work was or was not a work of artistic craftsmanship, the High Court also made clear that it was not appropriate for the Court to: attempt any exhaustive and fully predictive identification of what can and cannot amount to “a work of artistic craftsmanship” within the meaning of the Copyright Act as it stood after the 1989 Act.22 The High Court went on to assist in the application of the proper test by stating:23 “However, determining whether a work is “a work of artistic craftsmanship”, does not turn on W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r assessing the beauty or aesthetic appeal of work or on assessing any harmony between visual appeal and its utility. The determination turns on assessing the extent to which the particular work’s artistic expression, in its form, is unconstrained by functional consideration. To decide the appeal it is sufficient to indicate the following. The more substantial the requirements in a design brief to satisfy utilitarian considerations of the kind indicated with the design of the JS 9000, the less the scope for that encouragement of real or substantial artistic effort. It is that encouragement which underpins the favourable treatment of the 1989 Act of certain artistic works which are applied as industrial designs but without design registration. Questions of fact and degree inevitable arise.” In view of the emphasis in the High Court’s decision which elevated for purposes of Australian law, the approach, if not test, enunciated by Lord Simon in Hensher,24 the guidance given as to whether the work in question, considered as a matter of aim and impact,25 was a relevant indicator as to whether the work in question was that of an artist-craftsman. In Hensher, Lord Simon gave an example as to the works of a cobbler or dental mechanic, and also a wheelwright as not being works of artistic craftsmanship,26 whereas at the other extreme of the spectrum of work emanating from an artist-craftsman, would clearly be the maker of hand-painted tiles, which would be regarded as works of artistic craftsmanship. Lord Simon, relevantly, went on and stated as follows, and because of the emphasis given to this aspect by the High Court, and its general insight into the spectrum of work which may qualify as a work of artistic craftsmanship or not, considered as a question of fact and degree, is worth noting:27 “In between lie a host of crafts some of whose practitioners can claim artistic craftsmanship, some not - or whose practitioners sometimes exercise artistic craftsmanship, sometimes not. In the former class, for example, are glaziers. The ordinary glazier is a A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w craftsman, but he could not properly claim that his craftsmanship is artistic in the common acceptation. But the maker of stained glass windows could properly make such a claim; and, indeed, the revival of stained glass work was one of the high achievements of the Arts and Crafts movement. In the latter class is the blacksmith - a craftsman in all his business, and exercising artistic craftsmanship perhaps in making wrought-iron gates, but certainly not in shoeing a horse or repairing a ploughshare. In these intermediate - or rather, straddling - classes come, too, the woodworkers, ranging from carpenters to cabinet-makers: some of their work would be generally accepted as artistic craftsmanship, most not. Similarly, printers, bookbinders, cutlers, needleworkers, weavers - and many others. In this straddling class also fall, in my judgment, the makers of furniture. Some of their products would be, I think, almost universally accepted as “works of artistic craftsmanship”; but it would be a misuse of language to describe the bulk of their products as such.” Manifestations of the Same Object It is important to distinguish between works in the form of, relevantly, the hull and deck mouldings, which were no more than manifestations of the Plug. That is to say, they were reproductions in a material form of the Plug within the meaning of section 31 of the Copyright Act. The Trial Judge and the Full Federal Court each were found by the High Court to have erred in failing to distinguish the legal classification of each of these works, by considering these to be separate works, in the sense of qualifying for copyright protection, rather than the correct approach, which was to regard the hull and deck mouldings as not being capable of being supported independently as works of artistic craftsmanship. Accordingly, because of there being no design registration taken out by Mr Swarbrick over the JS 9000, considered by reference to its features of shape or configuration, but not the method or principle of construction, Boldgold was entitled to copy and, by necessary implication, reverse engineer the W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n JS 9000. Pty Ltd v Puma Australia Pty Ltd (1985) 4 IPR 120 (“Safe Sport case”); Works of Sculpture The difficulty with distinguishing between a work of artistic craftsmanship, within the sense of section 77(1), and the reference in paragraph (a) of the definition of artistic work in section 10(1) of the Copyright Act, which, relevantly, includes sculpture, has, effectively, been resolved by amendments to the Copyright Act, which occurred during the course of the litigation, with effect from 17 June 2004, by the 2003 Act. These amendments accommodated changes made by the 2003 Designs Act, and also with respect to the design-copyright overlap.28 Lest it be thought that the High Court was primarily concerned in the appeal with matters of evidence, it is to be noted that the primary issue to be decided in the appeal, concerning the proper construction and approach to definition of the phrase artistic craftsmanship, remain a live issue and, indeed, was the primary issue decided by the High Court because Recommendation 172 of the Australian Law Reform Commission in its Report No. 74, where it was sought to provide for a definition of artistic craftsmanship, was not implemented.29 (f ) complex multicoloured threedimensional fabric design, created as a result of a program designed for use on a computer iz ed knitting machine, as considered by Drummond J in Coogi Australia Pty Ltd v Hysport International Pty Ltd [1998] 86 FCR 154 (“Coogi case”); (g) sample garments: Muscat v Le (2003) 204 ALR 335 (“Muscat case”); (h) a rabbit headed corkscrew, as considered by Conti J of the Federal Court in Sheldon & Hammond Pty Ltd v Metrokane Inc (2004) 61 IPR 1 (“Sheldon case”); or (i) Thus, whether it be the matter of: (a) coloured rods for teaching mathematics, as considered by Pape J in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Cuisenaire v Reed (1963) VR 719 (“Cuisenaire case”); the components of a bobcat scoop, as considered by Greenwood J in Norm Engineering v Digga Australia (2007) 72 IPR 332 at [230], the critical issue to be answered is whether the artistic work under consideration is properly to be regarded as a work of artistic craftsmanship. If so, then by application of s.77(1)(a) of the Copyright Act, copyright protection remains available notwithstanding industrial application of the subject artistic work has occurred. Conclusion (c) the wooden model of a frisbee, which was the subject matter of the decision of the New Zealand Court of Appeal in Lincoln Industries Ltd v Wham-O Manufacturing Co (1984) 1 NZLR 641 (“Wham-O case”); The decision of the High Court in Swarbrick has dealt with the overlap of copyright and design in a fundamental manner which has resulted in the imprimatur of the law being unequivocally given to copying, 30 and thereby reverse engineering of any article which corresponds in design to a design reflected in the underlying artistic work, within the meaning of that phrase under section 10(1) of the Copyright Act, providing that, considered objectively, the test articulated by Lord Simon in Hensher, and adopted by the High Court, is duly had regard to. (d) a hood adapted for carrying a baby: Merlet v Mothercare plc (1984) 2 IPR 456 (“Merlet case”); 1 B Juris LLB (Hons) Barrister, Member of the Western Australian Bar Association - Albert Wolff Chambers (b) t h e U K H o u s e o f L o r d s considering a mock-up/prototype of a household chair, as occurred in George Hensher Ltd v Restawhile Upholstery (Lancs) Ltd (1976) AC 64 (“Hensher case”); (e) a sporting helmet, as considered by King J in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Safe Sport Australia B a r A s s o c i a t i o n 2 [2007] HCA 17; (2007) 72 IPR 235 (Swarbrick) 3 Copyright Act R e v i e w 25 - Issue 5, December 2007 4 S.10(10 for defiintion of artistic work, which, relevantly, as defined as meaning: (a) a … sculpture, drawing, engraving … whether the work is of artistic quality or not; (b) …; or (c) a work of artistic craftsmanship whether or not mentioned in paragraph (a) … 15 Ibid at [66], applying George Hensher Ltd v Restawhile Upholstery (Lancs) Ltd (1976) AC 64 (Hensher) Safe Sport Australia Pty Ltd v Puma Australia Pty Ltd (1985) 4 IPR 120 at 126 per King J (SCt Vic) 17 Swarbrick at [66] 8 The principal legislation is embodied in sections 74-74A of the Copyright Act, as amended, initially, by the 27 Ibid at 91-92 Kevlacat Pty Ltd v Trailcraft Marine Pty Ltd (1987) 11 IPR 77 at 89 per French J (Fed C of A) 7 1 October 1990 26 Ibid at 91 14 Burge & Ors v Swarbrick (2005) 68 IPR 114; (2005) FCAFC 257 6 Although the notion of industrial application is met when 50 or more articles are produced, it is possible for the test to be met by a lesser number of articles, as the test is inclusive and not exclusive: see, for example: 25 Ibid at 95 28 Refer the Explanatory Memorandum to the Bill which became the 2003 Designs Act, as set out in Swarbrick (supra) at [95], and also refer the Explanatory Memorandum for the Designs (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2002 (Cth),House of Representatives, at page 1, and also refer to the recommendations 170-181 by the Australian Law Reform Commission in its Report No. 74, titled Design 5 Designs Act Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, and during the course of the trial at first instance, was the subject of a view by Carr J: (2004) 61 IPR 543 Copyright Amendment (Re-Enactment) Act 1993, and subsequently by the Designs (Consequential Amendments) Act 2003 (Cth) 11 Boldgold 12 The Plug was a hand-crafted, full-scale model of the hull and deck of the JS 9000 yacht, and which was subsequently destroyed, as once the yacht itself had reached the stage of manufacture, was no longer required 13 Moore, North and Emmett JJ 16 supra at 94 18 Swarbrick (supra) at [56], and also refer Sheldon and Hammond Pty Ltd v Metrokane Inc (2004) 61 IPR 1 at 21-26 per Conti J (Fed C of A) 20 Ibid at [63] 21 Ibid at [73] 22 Ibid at [83] 23 Ibid at [83] 10 The Bateau Rouge is usually moored at the 24 supra at 94 26 - Issue 4, December 2007 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n Works of artistic craftsmanship produced in multiple quantities should continue to be protected by copyright. “Artistic craftsmanship” should be defined in the Copyright Act. The Copyright Act should make clear that a work can be both a work of “artistic craftsmanship” and an artistic work under s 10(1)(a) and (b). 30 Subject, of course, to the resulting article not being exploited in the course of trade in a manner which would be precluded under Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), or passing off - see generally the statement by Brennan J (as he then was) in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd v Puxu Pty Ltd (1981-1982) 149 CLR 191 at 221-222 19 Ibid at [63]-[65] 9 John Swarbrick 29 Ibid at [97], where Recommendation 172 is set out, namely: B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Greg McIntyre SC Book Review International Law, Museums and the Return of Cultural Objects Ana Filipa Vrdoljak. Cambridge University Press Australia/ New Zealand 2006. 341 pages This book is about the effects of colonialism from the early 19th century to the present in dispossessing colonised peoples of cultural objects and the part which International law has had to play in the restoration of the rights of the dispossessed. The publication is divided into three parts, each comprising three chapters. Part One commences in Chapter 1 with a discussion of how the notion of minority group rights developed in the 19th century. Just as an individual is defined by possessions, nations too were defining themselves as having a unique cultural identity constituted by undisputed possession of property. The 1815 Congress of Vienna first denounced the removal of cultural objects by the victor during belligerent occupation when a restitution process was negotiated of cultural objects pillaged from Rome by Revolutionary and Napoleonic forces and held in the Louvre, Bibliotheque Nationale another French institutions. The author discusses the controversy surrounding the removal to Britain by Lord Elgin of the Parthenon marbles, the debate between nationalism and internationalism in seeking to justify maintaining and exhibiting museum collections and tortuous process through the House of Commons of the Ancient Monuments Protection Act. Chapter 2 addresses the development of European International Law, its application to non-Europeans and the development of rules for the acquisition of non-European territories and their cultural objects, to be displayed in museums. Chapter 5 progresses to the 20th Century and speaks of the impact of United Nations and, in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural property in the Event of Armed Conflict and again addresses the impacts on Native American cultures in the mid-20th Century. Chapter 6 deals with the relationship between genocide and the removal and destruction of cultural objects of colonised peoples and indigenous communities. It sets out how the crime of genocide was developed in the international community and the integral part which deprivation of cultural property played in the definition of that crime. The author informs us that Raphael Lemkin, who first defined the crime of genocide, described the cultural aspect of genocide as the deprivation of ‘existing cultural and artistic values’ including the destruction of monuments the removal of cultural objects and materials from libraries, archives, museums and galleries. The chapter also discusses the development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the setting up of the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organisation and their impact upon the protection of the rights of minorities and the development of the rinciple of non-discrimination. Chapter 7 begins with a quote from the Director-General of UNESCO: Chapter 3 traces the international debates which led to the inclusion of guarantees of minority rights into International Law in the 19th Century, the restitution of cultural objects as part of the post-First World War peace treaties and the response of the British Empire to claims of its colonised peoples to return of cultural objects. “The return of a work of art or record to the country which created it enables a people to recover part of its memory and identity, and proves that the long dialogue between civilizations which shapes the history of the world is still continuing in an atmosphere of mutual respect between nations.” Chapter 4 discusses the role of the League of Nations in relation to colonised peoples and it impact on the return of cultural objects and relations between the United States and Native Americans in the 19th and early 20th Century. The chapter discusses the campaign of former colonised peoples, relying on their International Law right of self determination to seek the restitution of cultural objects. The important role of the 1983 Vienna Convention in stating W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n the necessary principles to be followed is emphasised. The limitation arising out of the ‘non-retroactivity’ principle in the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the working methods of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee are discussed. The chapter closes with a discussion of Australian policy in relation to museums and how it has portrayed Indigenous Australians as part of the Australian national identity. Chapter 8 contains an extensive discussion of the activities of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples (“WGIP”) and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee in the restitution process and the role of the UNESCO Convention in regulating importation and exportation of cultural objects. It concludes with a discussion of the renegotiation of relations between Indigenous Australians and museums. Chapter 9, which is about reconciliation between States and Indigenous peoples, contains further discussion of the work of the WGIP and the Principles and Guidelines developed by the WGIP ChairRapporteur on protection of Cultural and Intellectual Property of Indigenous Peoples, which augment the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The chapter also discusses the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (“UNDROIT”) Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported cultural Objects, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the voluntary principles and guidelines adopted by Australian museums in facing Indigenous ownership of cultural heritage. The chapter makes mention of the Australian native title cases of Mabo and Yorta Yorta and the Australian Human Rights and Equal R e v i e w 27 - Issue 5, December 2007 Opportunity Stolen Generations report. The 9th chapter begins with the following poignant quotes: “History teaches us that the way to genocide is to take a culture and destroy its credibility so it can no longer reflect itself 1. [T]he nation as a whole must remain diminished unless and until there is an acknowledgment of, and retreat from, those past injustice 2.” The author approaches the subject matter with an intensity and thoroughness which leaves one reassured that it is unlikely that there will ever be a more detailed analysis of the subject matter which it addresses. One cannot fail to be impressed with the extensive footnoting of the extraordinary quantity of material to which the author has resorted to trace the historical international debates on this topic and the comprehensive referencing to the relevant instruments of International Law and to the laws of Britain, the United States, Australia, Papua New Guinea and various laws of European and Middle Eastern nations. The book sets out in considerable detail the consideration of this issue in the fora and reports of the United Nations. For anyone with an interest in this particular topic, or in how International Law is developed generally, this book provides a very interesting insight into that process and the part which International Law has played in protecting the cultural property of colonised minorities. 1. R. Merritt, cited by Henrietta Fourmile-Marrie in a Submission on behalf of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islaneder Social Justice Commissioner to a Standing Committee of the Australian Parliament. 2 Deane and Gaudron JJ in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1 at 109. Greg McIntyre SC Book Review Administrative Law in Australia Ana Filipa Vrdoljak. Cambridge University Press W B Lane & Simon Young. Lawbook Co. 2007. 498 pages In a Foreword to this book Sir Anthony Mason accurately describes it as presenting “an integrated and comprehensive coverage of Australian administrative law”, a “systematic and detailed treatment of the various aspects of administrative law” and “a valuable addition to the literature on Australian administrative law” which “will be of considerable assistance to all those researching and working in this field”. The authors in their Preface provide ample justification for this work when they point to the “magnitude of change affecting administrative law in recent times” and the many fundamental principles of administrative law which have been reshaped over the last 30 years in balancing the interests of government and the individual. The first phase of change came with Commonwealth legislation establishing merits review by a statutory tribunal (the AAT), the Ombudsman and Freedom of Information. The second was in the form of a judicial re-evaluation of fundamental principles, particularly those relating to natural justice and jurisdictional error, arising out legislative attempts to curb judicial review of administrative decisions in the field of immigration law. The introductory chapter of the book describes the historical emergence of Australian administrative law from its English heritage and its integration into a federation. It provides a very practical check-list of the questions which need 28 - Issue 4, December 2007 to be considered in identifying which of the various options for redress may be the appropriate one, including the ultimate issue of what outcome is sought. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the philosophical issues which circle around in the maelstrom of administrative law, from Dicey’s distrust of the rise of the welfare state and his view that discretion is the antithesis of law, to the juxtaposition between administrative law and political and economic theories and international human rights law; and the impact of the corporatisation of government. Chapter 2 examines judicial review, as affected by the principles of the rule of law and the separation of powers. It provides a detailed discussion of the prerogative writs and equitable remedies. The statutory review processes introduced by the Administrative Decisions ( Judicial Review) Act are thoroughly considered, taking into account the latest interpretations of the courts, particularly the High Court. It addresses the issues of natural justice, jurisdictional error, changes to the Wednesbury unreasonableness test and the impact of legislation on the test for standing. Chapter 3 focuses on merits review. It deals with the federal statutory regime, with particularly detailed reference to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and provides a good deal of cross-referencing to the State equivalents. W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r Chapter 4 examines the essential concept of the public’s right to free access to information. It examines how FOI regimes operate in the various Australian jurisdictions and considers recent suggestions for reform in this area. Chapter 5 explores the history of the Ombudsman and points out, among other things, that Western Australia was the first Australian jurisdiction to adopt this institution. Again, there is a detailed discussion of the federal Ombudsman’s operations, with cross-referencing to State and Territory equivalents, and the phenomenon of the adoption of the ombudsman concept by specific industries is discussed. The authors have amply fulfilled their aim of providing an integrated and scholarly examination of contemporary Australian Administrative law. It is a text which I have already found useful in day-to day practice and I highly recommend it. A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Peter Johnston Book Review Sir Ronald Wilson: A Matter of Conscience Antonio Buti, UWA Press, September 2007 Sir Ronald Wilson was a complex character whose life should be assessed not just at a few isolated points of time but across a wide spectrum. His life spanned from the 1920’s to the beginning of 21st century. He also has to be appreciated on many different levels: the personal, the professional, the judicial and the communal. Finally, it is necessary to see him from the local (Western Australian), the national and international perspective. To attempt a balanced appreciation in the case of Ron Wilson is a daunting prospect. Some newspaper and radio commentators on Dr Buti’s biography have tended to ignore Ron Wilson’s very rich and expansive history. Rather their focus has been on a narrow range of his activities as a prosecutor in a number of high profile homicide cases at a volatile period in WA’s history, the 1960’s. Unlike those who have concentrated on only this small fragment of the Wilson mosaic, UWA academic Dr Tony Buti has produced a well-balanced treatment of a man who, by any measure was, respectively, a great Western Australian, Australian and international figure. Measured in the West Australian context, Wilson’s story is of the amazing rise from a deprived country background as ‘a Geraldton boy’ who lost both parents at a young age. Having started work at the lowest level in the public service as a messenger at the Geraldton local court he rose to the highest non-judicial legal office in the State, that of Solicitor General. It is like the company recruit who starts as a tally clerk and ends up managing director. It is tempting to guess at the psychological basis of his character to explain later events, That is, however, an elusive and unrewarding project. Dr Buti properly does not attempt to do so. However, it is reasonable to infer that as one who had his share of set-backs, starting in the Depression, through his War service, and in the first years of establishing his legal career, Ron Wilson must have had enormous dedication, single-mindedness and drive to succeed. This in turn arguably fashioned him in his early days as a rather conservative person with strong convictions of the correctness of his positions. With time, however, it W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n is evident his perceptions changed with experience. His vision became enlarged and his attitudes more subtle. Some have compared him in this regard with the metamorphosis of Robert Kennedy who also gradually became convinced of the imperatives of justice and equality for all. It is in the later chapters of the book that Tony Buti is able to show the final, more complete and assured Ron Wilson that merits recognition as a great national figure. Of course, intelligence, great gifts of character, a strong Christian faith and determination prompted him take the opportunities that presented themselves along the way. Undoubtedly one of the most significant chances that he grasped was the opportunity, upon returning from war service as a fighter pilot in Britain, to undertake a law degree at UWA under a government repatriation scheme. This he achieved with first class honours and professionally he did not look back. His ascent through the Crown Law Department was rapid. He firstly came to note as a determined prosecutor but by 1960 was taking most of the major civil and constitutional cases for the State government. In that role, as Dr Buti records, he was involved in the 1960’s in a series of notable jousts with the leading counsel of the time in the private profession, Francis (‘Red’) Burt.1 Other notable cases include those of Darryl Beamish and John Button. At the time there was much controversy caused about both convictions for willful murder and manslaughter respectively. This arose mainly because the serial killer, Eric Cooke, who terrorized Perth at the time, also confessed to both killings. Peter Brett of Melbourne University, who had taught at UWA in the 1950’s, was a prominent critic of the proceedings.2 Eventually, nearly four decades later, the WA Court of Appeal reversed both convictions.3 It is somewhat difficult to judge these matters in retrospect. They have to be appreciated against the prevailing practices of their time. Dr Buti has been scrupulous in attempting to address the criticism that Wilson was overzealous in pursuing both B a r A s s o c i a t i o n convictions. In the balance, he has arguably succeeded in making a fair assessment of this contentious part of Wilson’s career. With his appointment as Solicitor General Wilson’s potent advocacy took on a national dimension. He forged a reputation in the High Court as one of the foremost advocates for State rights. Whilst his subsequent elevation to the High Court itself was the culmination of his success as an advocate, it is ironic that he later regretted the move. His jurisprudential contribution on the High Court is, as Dr Buti shows, the subject of debate. Outside criminal law, few of his individual judgments now stand as enduring landmarks. Interestingly, in the Sydney launch of this book Sir Anthony Mason referred to one example that has endured. This was Wilson’s lead judgment in Western Australia v Wilsmore.4 Rather like the plaintiff in the recent High Court case of Roach v Electoral Commissioner5 Peter Wilsmore protested that his right to vote was constitutionally protected. In the course of a judgment that rejected that proposition, Sir Ronald gave a thorough and informed exposition of the Western Australian Constitution. State constitutional matters tend to be the neglected, poorer cousins in constitutional litigation. But this was not so for Sir Ronald. Arguably there is a case for continuing to have at least one ex-State Solicitor General or Chief Justice on the High Court to provide this necessary insight in public law cases. R e v i e w 29 - Issue 5, December 2007 If not for his individual judgments, Wilson is respected for the judicial company he kept while on the High Court. In Constitutional Law his standing derives from his association with other prominent jurists, Gibbs CJ, Aickin and Dawson JJ, as virtually the last bastion of the States’ position in the federal union. This led him to espouse a narrow view of the Commonwealth’s external affairs power.6 In Mabo v Queensland (No 1)7 the contradictory strands of his concerns was called into play. Faced with a clash of the State’s right to order its own domestic affairs and the claims of recognising native title he elected, in the minority, for the former. Fidelity to the Constitution required, as he saw it, that result. His support for the States as important players in the federal arrangement is still relevant today. Decisions like the Workchoice case8 last year have virtually reduced the States to agents of the Commonwealth Government. One may well understand State Attorney Generals these days praying: “Oh for another Wilson!” Wilson’s national standing probably came to its apogee with his term as President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in the 1990’s. Although he is mainly remembered for his part in Bringing Them Home, sometimes called the Stolen Generations Report, it is easy to overlook the enormous contribution he made to advancing human rights in Australia through his speeches, interviews and papers. Yet he also found time to serve as a member on the Western Australian Royal Commission, chaired by Justice Geoffrey Kennedy, into the affair that became known as “WA Inc”. The Royal Commission’s report not only was an important analysis of failings in the political and commercial aspects of the State Government. It also provides a significant critique of the weaknesses of the administrative and legal framework within which governmental operations were conducted. Internationally, from the 1960’s on he achieved enormous stature as a leading figure in the Christian ecumenical movement. As Buti also shows, he built a reputation as an outstanding counsel before the Privy Council.9 Beyond these essentially legal aspects of his life, the book also covers many other facets. These include his role as a man of faith, individually, through his involvement in the Presbyterian and Uniting Churches and associated bodies, and in organizations like the Australian Student Christian Movement and the World Council of Churches. In legal education, many older Perth practitioners, including this writer, remember his role as a teacher of criminal law and evidence in the UWA Law School. In higher education he played an important role in establishing the State’s second law school at Murdoch University. As Chancellor of that institution he consolidated its position in difficult times. In all these matters Dr Buti has managed to portray just how broad and deep Ron Wilson’s interests were. Nor does he neglect the aspect of Ron Wilson as a human being, family man and as friend, mentor and advisor to many across the social and international community, especially the disadvantaged.. The biography also engages Wilson’s personal philosophies and attitudes. Foremost of these was his simplicity of living (summed up in the maxim “Live simply that others may simply live”), his unpretentious, modest nature (“Call me Ron”), his generosity of time and money to those in need, and his not coveting the symbols of the rich and powerful, such as expensive cars and clothes. The book could well have an alternative title, “Khaki shorts, economy airfares and second hand cars.” To understand these references one needs to read the book. While short of stature, Wilson stands as a man of monumental achievements. Trying to capture all these facets in a single biography is itself a gigantic task. Dr Tony Buti is to be congratulated for his application and scholarship in writing this outstanding biography. 1. One of these classic clashes, Tonkin v Brand [1962] WAR 2, is recounted in Chapter 8 of the book State Constitutional Landmarks, (edited by George Winterton, Federation Press, 2006). 2. P Brett, The Beamish Case, University of Melbourne Press, 1966. 3. Button v R (2002) 25 WAR 382; Beamish v R [2005] WASCA 62. 4. (1982) 149 CLR 79. 5. [2007] HCA 43 6. Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen (1982) 153 CLR 168; Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 158 CLR 1. 7. (1988) 166 CLR 186. 8. New South Wales v The Commonwealth [2006] HCA 52; (2006) 81 ALJR 34; 231 ALR 1. 9. See for example, Oteri v The Queen [1967] WLR 1272. For all your printing requirements –– Business Stationery –– Presentation Covers –– Digital Prepress –– Technical Publications –– Colour Printing –– Legal Documents & Reports Free Delivery 19 Main Street, Osborne Park, WA 6017 Mobile: 0419 421 087 Facsimile: 9242 4738 Email: [email protected] 30 - Issue 4, December 2007 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Malcolm Lee QC “Retirement or Redeployment ?” In April 2006 I retired from the Federal Court at the age of 65 after 18 years service. Since then the first question put to me by acquaintances meeting me thereafter has been “Do you miss it ? “. It was, of course, a corollary to the decision to retire that the advantages and disadvantages of the decision be considered. Therefore, to this point the answer to the enquiry has been always no. I have maintained some contact with the law, however, by accepting appointment as the Inaugural Judge in Residence at Murdoch Law School where I maintain a visiting role and advise Moot Court students on advocacy skills. But that is not to say that leaving the Federal Court was a decision easily made. To the contrary it was a privilege to hold the office and retirement meant cutting ties with many fine people. I was fortunate that my appointment was to the Federal Court where I was able to observe at close quarters the skills of some of the best judicial officers in the country. Furthermore, the Court was always a very harmonious institution which made it a comfortable place in which to do a difficult job. Appeals from the decisions of judges of the Court are to a Full Court. The Court has not established an appeal division of appellate judges. All decisions on appeal are made are made by peers of the judge appealed from. That of course does not mean that decisions on appeal are more likely to be correct but they seem to be more acceptable to judges whose decisions are overturned. In addition the national jurisdiction of the court provides the opportunity to sit anywhere in Australia and to be assisted by submissions from the best counsel in the country including of course, those who practise in this State. The scope and diversity of the court’s jurisdiction, which although confined to that conferred by parliament, brings before the court significant issues in developing areas of law and a corresponding intellectual challenge. “Our property, “Tarnagulla Farm” is situated in the beautiful undulating country that surrounds Balingup. It is 40 ha in area and contains remnants of the jarrah and marri forests of the Darling scarp. The soil is typical for the area- lateritic loamy clay with ironstone and granite outcrops.” W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n Malcolm Lee QC So the decision to retire from the Court was not without difficulty. However a number of reasons made it clear that it was appropriate to do so a few years before termination of my period would otherwise take effect in any event. Foremost amongst those was the obligation, while still fit enough to do so, to make a proper contribution to the olive and flower growing enterprise that had been undertaken principally by my wife Sue with the intention that it keep us active and interested in the ‘third age’ of our lives. I have had a number of melanomas , one of which was at level four, (an outcome of the inappropriate combination of celtic skin and years of cricket) and I had to be realistic about the prospect of continuing to enjoy good health in the years ahead. Having applied myself to this venture I have been struck by the amount of work Sue was required to do in maintaining olives, flowers and cattle while I was in the Court. Our property, “Tarnagulla Farm” is situated in the beautiful undulating country that surrounds Balingup. It is 40 ha in area and contains remnants of the jarrah and marri forests of the Darling scarp. The soil is typical for the area- lateritic loamy clay with ironstone and granite outcrops. It retains moisture well. The historical average rainfall exceeds 900 mm but there would be a noticeable decrease in that average if one were to look at only the last 35 years. Nonetheless we enjoy a good rainfall although the winter rains are not as intense as earlier years. R e v i e w 31 - Issue 5, December 2007 We planted approximately 750 olive trees between July 1996 and November 2000 and they are now a reasonably mature grove. The first trees planted were principally Kalamata. The latter plantings were of the Tuscan oil varieties – Pendolino, Frantoio, Leccino. By current standards it is not a large grove but it is more than enough for two people to manage using their own labour for most of the activities of grove maintenance. This season Sue and I harvested almost ten tonnes of olives which produced more than 1500 litres of top quality extra virgin olive oil. It took us several weeks to complete that harvest. Compared with traditional harvest methods (beating olives with sticks onto mats on the ground), our system would appear very efficient. But there is no doubt that to survive in the years ahead small producers such as ourselves will have to be able to reduce costs by having access to more efficient harvesting and pressing systems. That will include contract harvesters with substantial tree shaking machinery and investment in much larger regional olive pressing factories. Tree shaking machinery could harvest a grove such as ours in about a day. However at this stage there is lack of commercial olive processors able to meet the demand for pressing that would result from the daily production of olives in such quantities. As with grapes the quality of the end product depends on prompt pressing after harvesting. Therefore, there will have to be coordination between the supply of harvesting and pressing facilities. Recently this year’s oil was awarded a silver medal at the Perth Royal Show We har vest our olives with minimal bruising using pneumatic rakes that shake the branchlets and ‘drop’ the olives into a mobile umbrella-shaped net clamped around the tree. The net collects the olives into small crates. Lightweight longlength hoses run from a compresser to the pneumatic rakes reducing the need to shift equipment from tree to tree. However harvesting represents many hours of effort for self employed producers. The harvested olives are transferred to large crates and transported to a commercial press. The closest presses to our property involve either 32 - Issue 4, December 2007 a 50 and 90 minute trip. Each pressing takes approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. The oil produced is brought back and held in dark, cool conditions for several months and the sediment allowed to settle. The packaging process of bottling and labelling then begins. Olive oil is not a product improved by maturation in the bottle and freshness is an important element in the oil’s quality. An important part of the husbandry of an olive grove is an annual pruning programme. An olive is by nature is a shrub and it requires regular pruning to encourage it to follow a tree form. Furthermore it is biennial bearing by inclination and regular pruning is required to encourage fruit production in the “off ” years. In addition it is important to reduce the density of the vegetation in the centre of the trees to allow access of sunlight and assist fruit propagation as well as reducing the risk of disease and of pest infestation such as scale that may affect the health of the trees. It has been our practice to obtain the assistance of a pruning consultant. Pruning takes place not long after harvesting and involves a further several weeks work in pruning, collecting and mulching the cuttings, and distributing the mulch. To maintain the health and vitality of the trees we follow organic methods (we are in the course of applying for organic certification) distributing nutriments and microbial supplements through the irrigation system and by foliar sprays. Between the rows of trees we established cover crops of clover to fix nitrogen in the soil accessible to the roots of the olive trees. Further time is spent by us in contributing to the raising of public awareness of the qualities and benefits of fresh Australian olive oil by conducting olive oil tasting and sampling sessions at, for example, the Perth Royal Show. Then there is the task of marketing the product and delivering orders – a year round activity. Fortunately all of the foregoing effort spent in the olive grove has been worthwhile. The trees thrive in the Balingup conditions. The Kalamata are said to be second to none as examples of that variety. Every year since the production of our olive oil commenced in 2000, the oil has been awarded a gold, silver or bronze medal in olive oil competitions, including awards for Best Oil in Show at the Perth Royal Show in 2002 and the York Olive Oil Show in 2006. W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r Recently this year’s oil was awarded a silver medal at the Perth Royal Show. In addition to the above, and to running a small herd of cattle, we are also engaged in producing wildflowers. We have a plantation of approximately 1000 banksias (baxterai and coccinea) and 100 waratahs producing high quality blooms supplied to wholesalers. Visitors to a recent Australian trade exhibition in Beijing, China would have seen some of Tarnagulla Farm banksia coccinea (‘scarlet banksia’) amongst a display of Australian wildflowers exported for the purpose. The combined blooming seasons of the three varieties would span almost three months during which time we are occupied in picking, packing and delivering. Husbandry of these plantations by irrigation and foliar sprays of appropriate fertilisers is important as is carrying out precise pruning to establish adequate stem lengths and to ensure bloom quality. It can be seen that there is little unallocated time in this retirement and certainly no time available to meditate upon an earlier occupation. Further information on our property and our products can be obtained by visiting our website. www.tarnagullafarm.com A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w spring 2ada.qxd 11/26/07 4:51 PM Page 1 7PSTQSVOHEVSDI5FDIOJLXXXBVEJDFOUSFQFSUIDPNBV CELEBRATE SPRING with LexisNexis AND WIN! 5IFOFX"VEJ4$PVQ± %SJWJOHSFEFmOFE We’ve decided to cancel summer and extend spring… YOU HAVEN’T MISSED OUT! Spend $2,500* or more to win some fantastic prizes! And you’ll receive a LexisNexis Gift Card up to the value of $500 FREE! ORDER TODAY! Visit www.lexisnexis.com.au/spring or call Customer Relations on 1800 772 772 *Visit website for full terms and conditions %SJWFBNPSFFYIJMBSBUJOHMJOFoBOEFYQFSJFODFUIFQPXFSGVMDPNCJOBUJPOPGTQPSUTQFSGPSNBODF BOEUIFDMBTTJDBMMZFMFHBOUDPOUPVSTPGBUSVFDPVQ±'SPNBEWBODFETUFFSJOHBOETVTQFOTJPO TZTUFNTUPRVBUUSPÚBMMXIFFMESJWFUFDIOPMPHZFWFSZJODIPGUIF Bar Council Craig Colvin SC President Grant Donaldson SC Vice President: Ron Birmingham QC Michael Berry Felicity Davis John Hockley Joe McGrath Dominic Mulligan Peter Quinlan Judy Seif Joshua Thomson "VEJ4IBTCFFOEFTJHOFEUPFOIBODFZPVSESJWJOHFYQFSJFODF Editorial Committee "EEUPUIJTBSBDFXJOOJOHMJUSF7'4*ÚFOHJOFBOEJUTFWFSZUIJOHZPVFYQFDUGSPNB Peter MacMillan - Editor Greg McIntyre SC Felicity Davis Peter Johnston John Hockley Linda Black MFBEFSJOBVUPNPUJWFUFDIOPMPHZ5IFOFX"VEJ45IFDPVQ±SFEFmOFE 5PSFBXBLFOZPVSQBTTJPOGPSESJWJOHo7JTJU"VEJ$FOUSF1FSUI)BSCPSOF4USFFU0TCPSOF1BSL PSDBMMXXXBVEJDFOUSFQFSUIDPNBV %- Please send all contributions for the next WA Bar Association Review to the Editor, Dr Peter MacMillan by 30 April 2008. The Western Australian Bar Association (Inc) Level 23, Allendale Square 77 St George’s Terrace PERTH WA 6000 GPO Box C122 PERTH WA 6832 Telephone: +61 8 9220 0532 Facsimile: +61 8 9325 2041 Website: www.wabar.asn.au 0WFSTFBTNPEFMTIPXO Issue 5, December 2007 W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n B a r A s s o c i a t i o n R e v i e w Issue 5, December 2007 Issue 5 December 2007 Contents page 2 The New District Court of Western Australia 2 Human Rights Laws for Western Australia 4 The future of the West Australian Bar - 45 Years on 5 Coping with the pressures of litigation 10 Interview with Ian Viner QC 12 Bar Readers Course 2007 16 Bar and Bench Dinner 17 Judicial Appointments 18-20 Judicial Retirements 20-22 Case Notes 23 Book Reviews Retirement or Deployment - Malcolm Lee QC 27, 28, 29 31 The Future of The West Australian Bar – 45 Years on “The functional model of the English Bar has stood the test of time over centuries and for good reason.” page 2 The New District Court of Western Australia Building “Every effort is being made to facilitate the use of the latest technology in court, by the judges and staff, by the court administration and by the legal profession when working in courtrooms and associated areas.”