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Philip Selth

The Conviction of the Innocent: How the law can let us down by Chester Porter

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October 2007, no. 295
Philip Selth reviews 'The Conviction of the Innocent: How the law can let us down' by Chester Porter

Chester Porter QC retired as a barrister in June 2000. Several weeks previous, the Bar Council appointed Porter a life member of the New South Wales Bar Association ‘for his exceptional service to the Bar Association and the profession of law’. The Council’s decision was unanimous (I know this because I wrote the minutes of that meeting). There was, and is, no dispute that Porter was one of Australia’s foremost advocates. Porter retired from the Bar, but not from passionately advocating justice for those caught up in our criminal justice system, including those members of society many of the community would be happy to have rot behind bars.

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A Win and A Prayer edited by Peter Browne and Julian Thomas & Run Johnny, Run by Mungo MacCallum

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February 2005, no. 268
Philip Selth reviews ‘A Win And A Prayer: Scenes From The 2004 Australian Election’ edited by Peter Browne and Julian Thomas and ‘Run, Johnny, Run’ by Mungo MacCallum

On 9 October 2004, 13,098,461 electors were enrolled to vote for the federal parliament. The Australian Electoral Commission’s website records 11,715,132 electors having voted for the House of Representatives on a two-party preferred result. So much for voting in a federal election having been compulsory since 1911. And not a few will have left the polling booth wondering, ‘Why bother?’

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