This ARC Linkage project investigates how juries and judicial officers resp

Australian federalism needs urgent repair. Over 107 years it has become a costly and inefficient means of governance. This project will produce a framework against which proposals for the reform of our federal system can be judged.

The primary aim of this applied research project is to investigate the capacity of deaf people who use sign language to participate in the administration of justice by serving as jurors. Research of this kind has never previously been conducted in Australia or internationally.

Judicial cases rely on oral evidence. Witness credibility is assessed based on the content of the testimony and the demeanour of the speaker. When witnesses do not speak English, their credibility is evaluated through an interpreter.