John David Phillips
Phillips' retirement speech generated debate in Victoria on judicial independence. In the Australian experience, government is separated into three branches, the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Each branch is independent of the others, and is recognised in the Australian Constitution at the federal level. Phillips on his retirement was critical of the intrusion of the executive into the work of the courts, being the judicial branch. For example, the Supreme Court was referred to as "Business Unit 19" by the Victorian Government. Phillips did not suggest that the Victorian Government would attempt to influence directly a decision of the court. However, there appeared to be "What is evolving ...a perception of the court as some sort of unit of functionary within the Department of Justice”.
Supreme Court of Justice (Austria)
The Austrian judiciary is divided into general courts () and courts of public law ().
The courts of public law supervise the other two branches of government. One of its limbs, the administrative court system, reviews the legality of administrative acts. Its other limb, the Constitutional Court, adjudicates on liability claims against the Republic, its provinces, and its municipalities,
demarcation conflicts between courts or between courts and bureaucrats,
complaints regarding the constitutionality of statutes or the legality of ordinances,
election complaints,
and complaints regarding the conduct of elected officials and political appointees in office.
The general courts handle all remaining civil cases and all criminal trials as well as non-adversary proceedings such as inheritance cases or legal guardianship matters.