Glass half full or half empty
The Australian Headline: Ashby conspiracy claims backfire
The Age Headline: Ashby facing prospect of criminal charges, court hears.
The Australian quotes Justice Rares;
….Justice Steven Rares in the Federal Court this morning said that the allegations of a criminal conspiracy from Mr Slipper and senior ministers meant that Mr Ashby could no longer be forced to make a submission against the allegations in the civil case because he may incriminate himself. “You have raised the stakes, now in raising the stakes you cannot just pull back a bit . . . You don’t know how somebody might use that information in a criminal investigation,” Justice Rares told Mr Slipper’s lawyer David Chin. “He does not have to give his name if he is involved in and suspected of a crime . . . If we do not uphold those rights in our society we live in a police state.”The Age does quote Justice Rare but only just. Buried deep within the article that concentrates on quoting ALP senior minister’s seemingly interfering with due process (Albanese and Roxon) they finally mention the relevant point;
Justice Steven Rares said Mr Ashby could not be forced to incriminate himself.Gina attacking, shares spiralling down and next year a likely conservative government…you have to feel sorry for The Age
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A case before the court should be in camera not subject to political interference.
If Government has a separate conspiracy brief then it should have been lodged with police and then processed.
The Justice is looking at a civil proceeding, workplace bullying and sexual harrassment. The evidence is the evidence, ie, records. The diary would be part of a whistleblower accusation as the applicant (Ashby) has made accusations against the speaker of travel rorts and is a separate matter but part of the relationship and it’s abuses.
The conspiracy accusations are criminal, how the attorney general can comment in such a way, is just plain stupid. If they have a smoking gun then they should have made a brief.
The Justice is just saying get the fuck out of my court you politicals, I’m looking at a workplace issue. A sensible and proper approach.
The problem is governing by 24 hour media cycles means everything is a media event and clearly some things are not.
alleged abuses