‘In a statement released last month signalling his intention to resign, Justice Carmody said he would stand down only if there was a round-table discussion to address the “serious cultural and structural problems within the judiciary”, which he claimed had been festering long before his appointment.
In response to the statement, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said it was “not up to judges to make policy from the bench.”
‘”There is a thing called the separation of powers,” she said. “The government makes the policy and determines the legislation that governs everything to do with the state, including the legal system and our judiciary. It is up to the government of the day to determine how the legal system functions in Queensland. No offers have been given to the Chief Justice. To do so would be an inducement. It is up to the Chief Justice to determine his own future and to pick a time of his choosing to come and see the Attorney-General about explaining what he will do in the future.” (Kim Stephens, Brisbane Times, 29.6.15)