Victorian Supreme Court judge uses retirement speech to call for constitutional recognition
- 7 months ago
#justicejohndixon #supremecourt #voicetoparliament #voice
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Victoria is seeking four new judges to fill vacancies on the bench. In the final moments his 40-year legal career, outgoing Supreme Court judge John Dixon called for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and took a veiled swipe at some those who opposed it. Two weeks before the Voice referendum, Justice Dixon made his views clear at his farewell ceremony at the Supreme Court in Melbourne. He said indigenous people in Australia should have a right to "constitutional recognition, truth and treaties". "I think it's a shame that there is conflict and doubt about whether this can be achieved," he said on Wednesday evening. "We must work together to resolve any uncertainty or disagreement on the details, as our brothers across the ditch have done," he said, referring to New Zealand, which has secured recognition for indigenous Māori people. “It actually has its roots in our racist past, where a collective shame and the empty vessels that make the most noise perpetuate and encourage racist attitudes. “I want to believe that in the next few weeks Australia will find the empathy, grace and justice that should define our national character.” While the No campaign was ahead, support for the Yes vote has waned in recent months, according to polls. Judge Dixon was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria 13 years ago after 27 years of practice in criminal and commercial law. His tenure was filled with memorable cases; The judge was fondly remembered by legal figures for references to Bart Simpson, his one-eyed support of AFL team Collingwood and extensive collection of modern art. Of Judge Dixon's 40-year legal career, 13 years were on the bench of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Attorney General Rowena Orr said Judge Dixon was a "giant of this court" and played a key role in presiding over complex class action cases, including the $700 million settlement to victims of the 2009 Black Saturday disaster. He took the judicial baseball bat to lawyers in a case involving investors who lost their savings when a major financial lender collapsed and were subsequently grossly overcharged by the lawyers who represented them. Judge Dixon described behavior of these lawyers as "appalling" and said saga was "one of darkest chapters in state's legal history". High-profile media cases On Wednesday, laughter erupted in the public gallery when Judge Dixon revealed that another judge had referred to her as the court's "media whore." He said he had "no idea who Rebel Wilson was" as he presided over the movie star's libel lawsuit against publishing company Bauer Media. He went on to pay Wilson a record $4.7 million in damages, but much of that payout was reduced on appeal. Judge Dixon awarded Rebel Wilson $4.7 million in damages in a lawsuit against Bauer Media. Judge Dixon fined Yahoo7 $300,000 in 2017 and placed one of its journalists on good behavior bail for pub
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Victoria is seeking four new judges to fill vacancies on the bench. In the final moments his 40-year legal career, outgoing Supreme Court judge John Dixon called for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and took a veiled swipe at some those who opposed it. Two weeks before the Voice referendum, Justice Dixon made his views clear at his farewell ceremony at the Supreme Court in Melbourne. He said indigenous people in Australia should have a right to "constitutional recognition, truth and treaties". "I think it's a shame that there is conflict and doubt about whether this can be achieved," he said on Wednesday evening. "We must work together to resolve any uncertainty or disagreement on the details, as our brothers across the ditch have done," he said, referring to New Zealand, which has secured recognition for indigenous Māori people. “It actually has its roots in our racist past, where a collective shame and the empty vessels that make the most noise perpetuate and encourage racist attitudes. “I want to believe that in the next few weeks Australia will find the empathy, grace and justice that should define our national character.” While the No campaign was ahead, support for the Yes vote has waned in recent months, according to polls. Judge Dixon was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria 13 years ago after 27 years of practice in criminal and commercial law. His tenure was filled with memorable cases; The judge was fondly remembered by legal figures for references to Bart Simpson, his one-eyed support of AFL team Collingwood and extensive collection of modern art. Of Judge Dixon's 40-year legal career, 13 years were on the bench of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Attorney General Rowena Orr said Judge Dixon was a "giant of this court" and played a key role in presiding over complex class action cases, including the $700 million settlement to victims of the 2009 Black Saturday disaster. He took the judicial baseball bat to lawyers in a case involving investors who lost their savings when a major financial lender collapsed and were subsequently grossly overcharged by the lawyers who represented them. Judge Dixon described behavior of these lawyers as "appalling" and said saga was "one of darkest chapters in state's legal history". High-profile media cases On Wednesday, laughter erupted in the public gallery when Judge Dixon revealed that another judge had referred to her as the court's "media whore." He said he had "no idea who Rebel Wilson was" as he presided over the movie star's libel lawsuit against publishing company Bauer Media. He went on to pay Wilson a record $4.7 million in damages, but much of that payout was reduced on appeal. Judge Dixon awarded Rebel Wilson $4.7 million in damages in a lawsuit against Bauer Media. Judge Dixon fined Yahoo7 $300,000 in 2017 and placed one of its journalists on good behavior bail for pub