The former High Court judge appointed to investigate Victoria Police officers in the Nicola Gobbo case says prosecutors are refusing to charge anyone and his job is “pointless”.
Victoria Police will still be allowed to use lawyers to inform on their clients after the Andrews government struck a deal with the Greens,in a move criticised by legal groups and the state opposition.
Some tell stories to save the system. Others tell stories to save themselves.
The Greens,Legalise Cannabis and Animal Justice Party have emerged as key negotiators with the Victorian government over legislation in the upper house.
The Andrews Government’s police informer laws are on life support,with the federal journalists’ union joining a chorus of condemnation from the legal fraternity.
The Andrews government’s controversial Lawyer X bill hangs in the balance,with the Greens refusing to pass the proposed laws in their current form,just an hour before they were due to be debated.
Legal experts are not convinced the government’s changes to its controversial proposed informant laws go far enough to protect the lawyer-client relationship.
In leaked documents,the barrister-turned-informer makes highly damaging allegations against current and former police officers.
The former head of the royal commission into the Lawyer X scandal has raised concerns with the government about its proposed informant laws ahead of the draft legislation being debated in parliament this week.
Under proposed new laws,Victoria Police would have the discretion to use lawyers,journalists and priests as registered informants.
A year into his job as special investigator of the Lawyer X scandal,Justice Geoffrey Nettle says most of his time has been spent locked in legal dispute with a “bevy of law enforcement agencies.”