Chamberlain V Queen Essay

Few cases have generated as much public interest and controversy in Australian history as the Chamberlain v Queen. The case revolves around the disappearance of a 9 week old Azaria on a family camping trip near Uluru. The parents maintained that a dingo took the infant with witnesses supporting this version of the story. The prosecution claimed this was a ‘fanciful lie’ and claimed Azaria was murdered by her mother Lindy. This essay reflects upon the ‘trial’ as a process taken place within a community, where the accused is being tried by both the legal system and the public simultaneously. The trial that takes place within a community is reflective of the community standards. The values of justice and fair trial are of important for the community

The paper is divided into three time frames providing a better framework by which one can understand the conversations that take place in different periods of the trial. Firstly, I will be exploring the Australian society of the 1980’s whereby retelling the story of Australian identity and exploring the themes of family, attitudes to bush, religion and legal system of Australia. This will set the context of the time and the cultural beliefs that were prevalent in making this trial one of the more infamous public trials. Secondly, the event of the crime and trial proceedings will be of primary focus which lasts from 1980 to 1986. This period will be examined through the scope of legal framework and that of the society and media. This trial will be examined using two sets of contrasting written records, the trial of the law using court documents and trial commentaries. The other is the trial by the media in extension the community, exploring different viewpoints on media’s portrayal of the case over the years. Finally, the time after 1986, upon new evidence, Lindy was pardoned and released with the legal system rectifying their error by exonerating Lindy of the