By Amy Remeikis
A meeting with Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney has failed to change corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald's views on the Queensland government.
Mr Fitzgerald has warned that the "damage to the courts and the independence of the judiciary will be irreversible" after Tim Carmody's appointment as Chief Justice.
Tony Fitzgerald has been critical of the LNP in Qld.Credit: Greg White
Mr Fitzgerald met with Mr Seeney on Monday, following an invitation from the deputy premier last week.
The man who led the inquiry that blew the lid on the corruption that flourished under the Bjelke-Petersen government had publicly expressed his concerns with the current government, ranging from its changes to the corruption watchdog to the alteration to electoral and political donation laws, its fights with the judiciary to the selection of Judge Carmody.
Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney.Credit: Glenn Hunt
The government's selection of Judge Carmody divided a legal community already smarting over disputes regarding separation of powers and broken confidences between members of the judiciary and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie.
Former Solicitor-General Walter Sofronoff raised concerns regarding what he perceived to be Judge Carmody's close ties to the government and lack of experience before the appointment was announced.
Peter Davis resigned as president of the Bar Association over the appointment and Justice John Muir of the Court of Appeal used a speech to the North Queensland Bar Association to call for Judge Carmody to refuse the appointment.
But the government stood firm and Judge Carmody was sworn in as Paul de Jersey's replacement in a private ceremony in chambers on Tuesday morning, with no media and no appearance from Premier Campbell Newman or Mr Bleijie.
In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Mr Fitzgerald said his meeting with Mr Seeney had not changed his mind about the current Queensland government.
"I'm pleased that I was able to discuss matters directly with the Deputy Premier yesterday, however, my views remain completely unchanged," he said.
"If political egos do not prevent it from doing so, the government has time to correct many of its worst mistakes.
"Unfortunately, if its totally unsuitable choice is sworn in as Chief Justice, the damage to the courts and the independence of the judiciary will be irreversible."
Mr Newman said the government "valued and respected" Mr Fitzgerald's views, but he was wrong about Judge Carmody.
Mr Seeney said he had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr Fitzgerald.
"We had a friendly and frank discussion about a range of topics, and it’s obvious we share a commitment to good government in Queensland,'' Mr Seeney said.
"As the conversation was private, I won’t be making further comment on the details.
"Suffice to say, I came away with much better understanding of Mr Fitzgerald’s views and shared some of my own which demonstrate our government’s commitment to openness and accountability.''
- with Tony Moore