Industrial judge and labour reformer

William Kenneth (Bill) Fisher, AO, QC, was president of the Industrial Commission of NSW from 1981 until 1998. As the commission's second longest-serving president, he was a leading figure in the transformation of the industrial relations system during the era of the Accord and the initial decade of enterprise bargaining.

Victims scarred for life by violent rampage

VICTORIA'S Director of Public Prosecutions has suggested a maximum prison term of up to 26 years for a young man whose week-long "rampage" of armed robberies and serious assaults left a "trail of destruction" across parts of Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

From Campus Sandpit To Canberra's Bearpit

In the late 1970s Julia Gillard, the daughter of Welsh immigrants, arrived at the University of Adelaide, already highly politically committed, active and savvy. She advanced rapidly in the sandpit of student politics, becoming president of the local student body before moving to Melbourne and leadership of the national student union.

The X Factor

Nick Xenophon made himself a folk hero in South Australia, but now he steps up to the big league. Phillip Hudson and Phillip Coorey report.

Letters

Compo reform and the heat on Della

Injury Claim Crackdown Could Falter

A State Government crackdown on advertising by companies that "harvest" personal injury claims could be ineffective because the office charged with policing it has no power over non-lawyers.

Motoraccidents Act Concerns

I AM an experienced personal injury lawyer concerned about the proposed changes to the Motor Accidents Act. I am perplexed as to why the costs of this scheme are continuing to blow out when, from an anecdotal point of view, I have to advise the majority of people across my desk that they do not h

Don't You Just Hate Moral Crusaders? No?

A Civil Action (115 mins) M *** Based on a controversial true story, Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) is the hotshot personal injury lawyer whose devotion to his small firm's clients is pretty much determined by the size of the potential payout. The case of a small town with a high disability and

Story Lost In Travolta Performance Piece

WHEN eight small-town Massachusetts families who have lost children to poisoned drinking water ask him to file a wrongful death suit against polluting industries, personal injury lawyer John Travolta can barely hide his delight. You can almost see the dollar signs twinkling in his eyes. Travol

Worried Patients Seek Legal Advice

A Melbourne law firm specialising in personal injury claims has had a marked increase in calls from patients with hospital-acquired infections and concerns that their treatment took place in a dirty environment. Ms Audrey Jamieson, a medical-negligence specialist and associate at the legal firm M

More Benefits Should Flow To Insured Drivers

from James B. Gurry, Gurry & Associates. Efforts to highlight the continuing inadequacies with the Transport Accident Act and its implementation are to be commended, although it is sad that there are people who cannot understand that there are some lawyers involved in the personal injury juri