@Scott th Ratbag; re your comment which included "... if we are to develop a better system of justice we need to get shot of professional party politicians."
That sentiment certainly appeals to me! However, I suspect we need something closer to a 'MediBank' scheme and boy do we need to revolutionise our courts - live coverage via streaming over the ABC / SBS for example ... it's done in the USA, so what's our problem?
Unfortunately, roughly 70% of our federal pollies have legal backgrounds - basically they've shiny rear ends, little real world experience and even less insight into the day-to-day lives of everyday Aussies.
Back in the early colonial days of British invasion our judiciary and policing was intoxicated on rum. Now its much harder stuff including heroin and cocaine delivered via fibreglass submarines, private - corporate jets and attached to cargo ship hulls whereby it's collected by ocean-going local boats which are never checked by Border Force.
When I was a boy Australians couldn't believe the level of hard drug abuse in the USA. Now look at what wealthy and protected Australians are doing today! I wonder why pollies won't agree to drug-testing regimes such as those imposed on athletes, tennis players and footballers.
