January 29, 2014

The South Burnett’s new magistrate was sworn in today by Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody in a ceremony in Brisbane.

Gympie solicitor Simon Young will take up his initial appointment as a magistrate at Caboolture for a short period before filling the South Burnett position which includes courts at Kingaroy, Murgon, Cherbourg, Nanango and Toogoolawah.

Present at today’s ceremony at the Brisbane Magistrates Court were Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and Chief Justice Paul de Jersey.

Mr Carmody, who was appointed to the Chief Magistrate’s role in September last year, created headlines at today’s swearing in ceremony by warning judges not to “meddle” in the administration of the State Government’s new legislation.

The Courier-Mail newspaper reported Mr Carmody told the packed courtroom it was not the role of judges to “deliberately frustrate or defeat policy goals for what they might personally regard as unfair”.

“Judges must not meddle in the administration of enacted laws by the executive and departments of state,” he said.