Listen to the interview here.
Our CEO Craig Caldicott OAM had the pleasure of joining David Bevan on ABC Adelaide Mornings alongside former Supreme Court Judge, Hon Michael David KC, Chair of the State Parole Board, Frances Nelson KC, and Lindy Powell KC to discuss courtroom changes ahead of the radio presenter’s retirement.
The panel of criminal law specialists together totalled over 200 years of experience in the field of law while David neared the end of his 40 years in media, much of which was spent court reporting and over half of which was spent on-air.
The group discussed the purpose of the criminal justice system in Australia and the key difference between dealing with and fixing a problem.
Similarly, that while a judge may hold a magnitude of power, they cannot directly minimise crime in the community or compensate for the evil in the world.
On “the role of the victim” the panel compared Australia’s prison system to that of Holland and Canada.
Both countries, through a restorative justice system and processes of rehabilitation, have had a significant decrease in their number of prisoners.
Australia on the other hand does not do restorative justice—an area the panel suggested there would “certainly” be room for.
The panel discussed if there would be a need for harsher punishments to criminals, but concluded that there would be fewer prisoners if punishment and consequence was a true and valuable deterrent of crime.
They talked about the role of drug abuse as one of the largest growing factors of criminal law, and how South Australia’s “suppression state” reputation has been skewed by the Ironside suppression orders.
David Bevan retires from media
“[David] was the only bloke that could track me down,” Craig said when he was asked what stood out from his career in the criminal law.
Craig was honoured to be a part of the interview in the final week of David’s career as a respectable journalist.
David’s courtside presence was always felt by Craig, with the two encountering each other often throughout their careers and notably during the first war crimes trial.
The interview was a symbolic dynamic between court and media and the “invasive” nature of both professions that commonly thrive on trust with clients and the community.
The Craig Caldicott Lawyers team extend their best wishes to David on his well-deserved retirement.
