Christian Porter’s announcement of his departure from politics has made little difference to the Coalition’s ongoing attempt to jail Bernard Collaery and cover up the crimes of the Howard government.
This morning at 9.15, lawyers for Attorney-General Michaelia Cash attempted to effectively ignore her defeat at the hands of the ACT Supreme Court in October and introduce evidence against Collaery that he and his lawyers would not be able to see and refute.
In October, judges Murrell, Burns and Wigney overruled trial judge David Mossop’s decision to grant former AG Porter’s application to use judge-only evidence against Collaery under the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004. The judges rejected Porter’s argument that there was a threat to national security and there was greater risk “of damage to public confidence in the administration of justice” by allowing it.
Cash sought this morning to introduce what she claims is different judge-only evidence against Collaery, hoping that Mossop will ignore his reversal by the superior court and allow it.
Remarkably — or given the constant level of inappropriate interference that has characterised the role of the Commonwealth in this trial perhaps not so remarkably — Cash sought to do this without any hearing, demanding that the introduction of her secret evidence be considered without Collaery’s legal team being able to contest it in the courtroom, but merely on the papers.
Because of the delays caused by Porter’s and Cash’s constant and incessant attempts to cover up the prosecution and spare John Howard and Alexander Downer from embarrassment, Collaery faces his fourth year with the trial hanging over him, after being advised in 2018 he would be charged.
Porter will soon be gone, but the appalling stain he has left on justice in Australia will remain for years.
I am sick to my heart and apoplectic with rage at this snivelling, craven excuse for a government. The talent pool of the front bench is insufficient to sustain three amoebas.
Hey, go easy on the three amoebas!
Thanks BK and thanks Crikey for continuing to keep us informed of the actions of this government, taken by successive A-Gs, towards the conduct of secret trials. I appreciate your dedication to this matter.
Does this government just not understand anything??
Every time they pull a stunt, try for the “special secret” or “special squirrel anything” all it does is make it more obvious to all observers that this whole “Woodside, Chevron, Ashton, Downer and Howard” theft from Timor Leste stinks with same fetid smell of a “Fat Berg” in the London sewers when they overflow.
How is this re-surfacing of human excreta going to make what they have done acceptable to the general population or The Hague or to our international allies??
If this government succeeds in jailing Bernard Colleary, he will be viewed as a political prisoner, if he dies he will be considered to have been harassed to death and if he is found not guilty, all bets are off and no Downer will want to bear the name or return to Australia.
An old friend of mine used to sagely say “You can only polish a turd so far, because inherently it is still a turd.” As is this case called, Christian Porter’s Folly as we know that George Brandis wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole..We all know Porter had no judgement at all. May be it is a WA Liberal Folly, as Michaela Cash is persisting and eventually leading to their extinction..
A piece of advice to this federal government which has shown no respect for integrity, decency, convention or honesty, now would be the time to drop this vexatious action, pay all costs out of our money and back away before our (Australia’s) reputation is sullied beyond redemption.
Bernard Colliery is a national hero for bringing justice to a swaddling nation and exposing unlawful practises by the Australian government. His persecution is shameful and an international embarrassment.
In time, this current and immediate past LNP Parliamentary era covering both incarceration of Refugees and, the horrendous injustice bestowed upon Bernard Colleary and his un-named client . . . will be an Australian record never to be expunged or forgotten.
Both events to represent an historical stain of shame upon Australian Flag and; as evidence that our Courts and our Parliament can and did fail Australian Democracy