Queensland Attorney General Heavily Criticised for Disclosing Comment made in Confidence
Friday 28 March 2014 @ 9.33 a.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure | Legal Research
Queensland’s Attorney General, Mr Jarrod Bleijie, has had his integrity questioned by the State’s former solicitor general, Mr Walter Sofronoff QC. In a letter to the Courier-Mail, Mr Sofronoff said Mr Bleijie had “prejudiced” his position by going public with private talks he had held with Court of Appeal president Justice Margaret McMurdo.
The matter came to be after Justice McMurdo questioned whether there was an unconscious bias within the State Government over appointing women to judicial positions after 16 of 17 vacant posts were handed to men. The claim by the Justice caused government retaliation from Premier Campbell Newman, and the Attorney General. Mr Bleijie accused the Justice of suggesting her husband for a vacant position in her court during a meeting between the pair. The Justice has denied the claims.
Mr Sofronoff has expressed his opinion that Mr Bleijie should resign and emphasises as reasons his untrustworthiness. The former solicitor general described the attorney general’s comments as having “a hint of a nasty schoolboy’s snicker.” Furthermore, he described the conduct as being in breach of Mr Bleijie’s duty as Attorney General to keep confidential the content of discussions which were held in confidence.
Mr Bleijie refuses to back down from his position and defends it as not inappropriate because he had to “set the records straight.” Furthermore, he argues that the Justice should have seen his counter attack coming after she publicly criticised him and the government. Premier Newman stands by the Attorney General commenting that Mr Bleijie had every right to defend the government.
Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Mr Newman must step in and sack Mr Bleijie if he does not voluntarily step down. She described the comments as ‘extraordinary.’
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