Inspiring or undermining confidence? Amendments to the right to judge alone trials in the ACT

The article focuses on the legislative amendments to the right to judge alone trials in Australian Capital Territory called the Criminal Proceedings Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. It mentions that the bill removes the right to trial by judge alone for serious offenses in the area like homicide. It says that the amendments are considered not compatible with the right to a fair trial under the Human Rights Act 2004 (HRA). It states that Chief Justice Higgins and others raise their concern about the legislation's incompatibility with human rights and its possible implications including prejudice, publicity, and infringement of the ability of the accused to be heard by an independent and impartial court.