Carmody rift about personality: Springborg

Queensland Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says Chief Justice Tim Carmody has the skills to do his job, but is involved in a personality clash.

Queensland's opposition leader says Tim Carmody is qualified for his role as chief justice and his ever-deepening rift with the rest of the judiciary comes down to a personality clash.

Lawrence Springborg on Tuesday refused to reflect on whether his Liberal National Party made the wrong decision to appoint Justice Carmody to the role when it was in government.

"I think there is little doubt that Justice Carmody possesses extraordinary skills and he's presented that over a long period of time," Mr Springborg said.

"The other issues, I think within the court, go beyond that to matters of personality and circumstance and that's a matter for the courts ... to sort out."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also called for the judiciary to sort out its own problems saying she wasn't considering parliamentary intervention to remove Justice Carmody from his post.

"I am not considering that at this stage ... and I believe the courts need to get on with their business and administer justice in this state," she said.

The last time those powers were used were in 1989 when Supreme Court Justice Angelo Vasta was dismissed for several reasons, including giving false evidence at a defamation hearing.

Justice Carmody has been routinely criticised by retired judges, but the rift between himself and the rest of the judiciary came to a head last week when it was revealed Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo would no longer work alongside him.

Justice Carmody presided over a defamation appeal in court on Tuesday and showed no sign the ongoing saga was getting to him, overseeing the matter with a business-as-usual-like approach.

He also refused to comment on the rift when approached by reporters on Tuesday morning.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world