Stephen Gageler urges national commitment to First Nations justice
The High Court chief justice opened the Australian Legal Convention saying the issue is “nothing short of critical” and arguing the Voice loss must not silence reform.
High Court Chief Justice Stephen Gageler opened the Australian Legal Convention today with a plea for First Nations justice, saying the defeated Voice referendum in 2023 “cannot be taken to have denied that national aspiration”.
In his State of the Judicature address in Courtroom 1 of the High Court, Gageler said the broader experience of Indigenous people with the courts since settlement in 1788 “challenges contemporary notions of justice and human rights”.
He said the persistence of disadvantage meant the issue was “nothing short of critical”.
Gageler also lamented the prevalence of artificial intelligence in court submissions, saying this was entering an “unsustainable phase”.
