Attend.

The Federal Court of Australia live streams some trials attracting public interest.

At the beginning of each sitting day, the presiding Justice makes the following statement:

‘Just a reminder to people who are WATCHING of an Order I made … that members of the public who ATTEND the hearing via the Youtube platform available on the online Court List do so on the condition that they …’ etc.

The Federal Court recognises that in 2023, the interest of justice requires the public to ATTEND a court and witness its proceedings via electronic means. The Court does not see itself and thus Justice limited by the size of the courtroom or the number of seats within it. That’s just geography.

The same can be argued for attendance at school in 2023. The best interests of students should not be constrained by where they live, or the ability of their school to attract good teachers, or the size of their classroom or playground or oval or gym.

Students should be able to attend school by means other than sitting at their desks.

It’s just geography.