ACT:ACT plans to stop people avoiding juries

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2011
ACT:ACT plans to stop people avoiding juries

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - The ACT government is proposing to change the law because it
says too many people are choosing to avoid appearing before a jury.

The ACT's Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the territory has the highest rate of
judge-alone trials in Australia at 56 per cent.

He said the next closest jurisdiction is South Australia where just 15 per cent of
people elect to appear before a judge only.

"This level of election of judge-alone trials was never intended when the election
process was introduced...in 1993," Mr Corbell said.

"At that time the changes were intended to provide the judge-alone trials in matters
where pre-trial publicity could prejudice a fair trial or those involving complex and
lengthy legal issues."

The proposed changes will require trials of offences such as murder, manslaughter,
culpable driving occasioning death and sexual offences to be heard before a jury.

The bill is to be debated in the ACT Legislative Assembly.

AAP ms/mm

KEYWORD: JURIES

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