GPO Box 173
Sydney NSW 2001
Australia
t: +612 8249 3221
e:tahlia.gordon@icjaust.org.au
www.icj-aust.org.au
20 May 2015
ICJ GENEVA
PRESS RELEASE
President
Prof. Sir Nigel Rodley, United Kingdom
“Increasing mandatory sentencing to a larger number of offences
will eventually erode the independence of the judicial system in the
setting of penalties on behalf of the community” said John Dowd AO
QC, President of the International Commission of Jurists, Australia.
“Maximum penalties for crimes should be set by the Parliament.
Under the Australian system it is for an independent judiciary to set
penalties for individual offences, taking into account the principles
of sentencing as established by the courts”, said Mr Dowd.
Secretary-General
Wilder Tayler
Australian Commissioner
The Hon Justice Evatt AC
The Hon Judge O’Meally AM RFD
ICJ AUSTRALIA
NATIONAL SECTION
President
The Hon John Dowd AO QC
National Vice-President
The Hon Justice Bromberg
“If a penalty set by a court is manifestly inadequate, then the
Director of Public Prosecutions should appeal that sentence and
have it reviewed by a superior court”, said Mr Dowd.
Federal Court
Chairperson
Steve Mark
Secretary-General
Tahlia Gordon
“Sentencing is a sophisticated and complex process, and must take
into account all appropriate factors, not just the more dramatic
facts normally released by the press” said Mr Dowd.
STATE BRANCH PRESIDENTS
Australian Capital Territory
The Hon Jeffrey Miles AO
New South Wales
At the meeting of the council of ICJ Australia this week the council
resolved to condemn the increase in the use of mandatory
minimum sentencing which erodes the independence of the
judiciary in applying the laws set to fix penalty for crime.
The Hon Judge O’Meally AM RFD
Northern Territory
Sally Gearin
William Forester Chambers, NT
Queensland
The Hon Justice Atkinson AO
Supreme Court of Queensland
South Australia
For comment refer:
The Hon John Dowd AO QC
Phone: (02) 8249 3221
Email : john.dowd@scu.edu.au
Mr Steve Mark
Phone: (02) 8041 0607
Email : steve@creativeconsequences.com.au
The Hon Justice Bleby
Supreme Court of SA
Tasmania
The Hon Justice Alan Blow OAM
Supreme Court of Tasmania
Victoria
The Hon Justice Bromberg
Federal Court
Western Australia
Adjunct Professor Greg McIntyre SC
The International Commission of Jurists, founded in Berlin in 1952, is an international non-governmental organisation with
consultative status to the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the Organisation of African Unity.
Its headquarters are in Geneva, with autonomous national sections and affiliates around the world.
The Australian Section was founded in 1958 by the then Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, Sir Owen Dixon, OM, GCMG