To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled.

We the undersigned citizens of Australia respectfully submit that:

Australia's Westminster system of government relies on the `separation of powers'. Part of that separation is the convention that judges do not become involved in political issues of the day, in order to preserve the impartiality of the courts. Under this convention, judges seeking a political voice would resign their commission and stand for parliament.

Several Australian judges have broken this important convention in recent times. In one case there was a public perception that the judge was campaigning for change in legislation where he would personally benefit from such a change. Such conduct warrants severe censure.

Your petitioners therefore pray that your Honourable House will:

Censure those judges who, by their public involvement in political issues, compromise the neutrality of the courts.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.