The Bar Association

08/03/2007

This morning the New South Wales Bar released its Criminal Justice Policy for the attention of all parties in the present election campaign. This non-partisan policy has been developed by the New South Wales Bar in order to provide greater balance to the law and order policies which have been published by both major parties in this election campaign. Whilst the policy does not take issue with increasing front line police numbers, it emphasises that better funding of the prosecution and defence in our criminal justice system, better investment in court infrastructure and better focus on rehabilitation efforts for prisoners are of equal public importance. The policy also contains practical suggestions for reform of criminal procedure to make our criminal justice system both fairer and more efficient. I invite members to review the policy and today’s press release in relation to it.

I wish to thank all those who have been involved in developing this policy which was approved by your Bar Council at its January meeting. The policy ideas now being advanced are distilled from the Criminal Law Conference which was held on 1 September 2006. I wish to especially thank Stephen Odgers SC, the chair of the Criminal Law Committee and all of those who were involved in the organisation of that conference in September 2006. I particularly also wish to thank Bar Association staff members, Alastair McConnachie, Chris Winslow and Cindy Penrose, who have been closely involved in finalising and checking aspects of the policy and preparing its launch today.

A copy of the policy may be obtained from the Bar Association web site: www.nswbar.asn.au

M J Slattery QC

**President

8 March 2007**