Many Canberra legal practitioners will not be aware of the intention to
completely demolish the interior of the old court rooms in the existing
Supreme Court building.
The building itself is being retained with heritage status, and with the shell of
courtrooms 1 and 2 refurbished, but the stately old timber adorning the
courtrooms is to be removed, and the timber cut up for furniture.
It is rather tragic that none are to be retained in their original form – not even
Courtroom One, which has seen probably thousands of new practitioners take
their oaths and affirmations for admission to the legal profession.
That room could be, and should be, kept in its existing form as a physical
reminder of the history of the rule of law and justice in the ACT. The darkness
of its wooden panelling and its “60s” design would provide a stark contrast to
the daylight that is to flood our new Court rooms.
Chris Donohue
Legal Practitioner (admitted in Courtroom One)
