5 Cases Podcast - Episode 30 with The Honourable Andrew Bell AC, Chief Justice of New South Wales

One of the interesting judicial values that you've talked about is the store that you place in legal excellence and intellectual honesty, hard work, decency, um, integrity and civility-

Yeah

...

in the practice of the law.

Um, they're ob- obviously very important aspects to you, and you've said that it takes strength to make difficult decisions.

It takes strength to deal with the subject matter of many cases, particularly in the criminal sphere, and it takes strength to deal with the sheer volume of work before the courts.

Mm.

Yep.

Do you, uh, think that the volume of work before the courts is increasing?

Um, look, uh- Part of my views about that have been formed through my role on the Judicial Commission.

So in that role, I have a sort of conspectus of all the courts in New South Wales-

Mm

... and all the judicial officers, and learnt from that in dealing with sort of compliance and also educational issues that the, the huge volume, uh, particularly in the local court, uh, that's an aspect of that jurisdiction which is both remarkable in terms of the pressure it puts on, uh, local court judges-

Mm

... uh, uh, but it also shows, uh, to their credit how much work they get through and have to do-

Mm.

Mm

... and under the time pressures they do.

And then when you move to the district court where so much of it is, uh, sexual assault, domestic violence, uh, n-not only...

W-whilst the number of cases is, uh, obviously fewer, uh, than the local court because of the nature of the jurisdiction, the subject matter of the cases and the sort of huge number of sort of sexual assault, domestic violence cases-

Mm

... uh, does have, must inevi- inevitably must have an impact on the judges hearing-

Mm.

Yes

... uh, day in, uh, and day out.