Thank you. I am happy to take questions.
I will try and take each of the questions as they come
How would you have responded to the recent Dibble controversy? Would you have taken the same actions that the most recent AG took?
Suprisingly several years ago I argued in favour of the ability of regions to issue their own 'promissory notes' when the matter arose in the South. I argued that essentially they were in effect little different from loyalty cards and gift tokens but accepted the decision that went against us. (Atlasia v Southeast I 2010).
What is interesting is that the Southeast's law very carefully tip-toes around the decision made by the Supreme Court. For example. the 'Dibble' is not issued by the government; it is issued by private companies. They are merely exchanged. In this instance, the Southeast could argue that the Dibble does not constitute a currency and is no different from a gift certificate. The Southeast however were not given the opportunity to argue their case.
I think that the actions of the AG were excessive. Any charges against any person or body should have been brought to the Supreme Court in accordance with the spirit of the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act.
