The court system in Australia is of little use to most Australians who might wish to resolve a commercial or civil dispute. While the courts provide a check on executive government and can, as was the case with the Mabo decision, deliver landmark rights to vulnerable groups, their cost makes first class flights to Europe seem cheap by comparison. Rather than being an independent umpire that citizens can use to fairly settle disputes our taxpayer-funded courts are becoming a battleground for those with very deep pockets.
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