‘If not you, then who?’: Judicial commissioner calls on victims to speak up
By Naomi Neilson|05 May 2021
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner said that although South Australia identified many distressing examples of sexual harassment and physical assault in its legal profession and judiciary, she has never received any complaints of this kind and has called for victims to start coming forward so the issue can be addressed.
Content warning: This article relates to sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Judicial Conduct Commissioner the Honourable Ann Vanstone QC has responded to the South Australian sexual harassment report by acknowledging that complaints against judicial officers are complicated, but perpetrators cannot be held accountable until the victims come forward and “find the courage to make a report”.
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Consultation begins on Royal Commission reforms
South Australians are being encouraged to have their say on changes to the state’s Royal Commission laws.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said the move would ensure South Australia had a modern, robust scheme to manage important, investigations and inquiries into the future.
“Royal Commissions are a vital part of our democracy – they help us identify serious, systemic issues as well as the steps we can take to fix them,” Attorney-General Chapman said.
“However, it’s clear we need more flexibility in how they operate.
“These proposed reforms act on the recommendations of former Supreme Court Justice and current Independent Commissioner Against Corruption the Honourable Ann Vanstone in her review of the Royal Commissions Act 1917 – delivering a system that is more flexible and can carry out more comprehensive investigations into matters of public interest.”