“Public Office, Public Trust” Lecture. University of Melbourne Law School 2012.
The Hon Tim Smith, QC
This paper, delivered to the University of Melbourne Law School “Integrity in Government” Search Conference on 4 December 2012, is an introduction to the idea of “public trust” as a central feature of Parliamentary accountability.
It is based in the precept articulated by Justice Paul Finn, that “.. Much the most fundamental of fiduciary relations in our society is that which exists between the community … And the state and its agencies that serve the community”.