Honourable Angelo Vasta (Reversal of Removal) Bill 2017

Overview

This bill aimed to reverse the Queensland Parliament's 1989 removal of Justice Angelo Vasta from the Supreme Court. It would have declared that removal invalid and treated him as having retired instead. The bill lapsed and did not become law.

Who it affects

The bill is largely symbolic and primarily concerns Justice Vasta and his family, along with Parliament and the judiciary. It does not change the rights or entitlements of ordinary Queenslanders.

Key changes

• Declares the 1989 parliamentary decision to remove Justice Vasta from the Supreme Court invalid and taken never to have happened
• Treats Justice Vasta as having retired from the Supreme Court under the Supreme Court of Queensland Act 1991
• Records Parliament's view that the 1989 Commission of Inquiry's findings did not warrant his removal
• Notes that several key 'sham transaction' findings against the judge were later overturned by the Australian Taxation Office and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
• Does not reinstate Justice Vasta to the bench — he was past the statutory retiring age when the bill was introduced