"It is notorious among the legal profession that I am incapable of sending or receiving emails. The consequence is that I read emails only after they have been printed out for me."
Those are the words of trade union royal commissioner Dyson Heydon, who highlighted on Monday his unwillingness to use email when he ruled that he would continue as the head of the royal commission despite being accused of bias for agreeing to appear at a Liberal Party fund-raiser.
Declaring email "a form of communication oppressively compelling a speedy response", Heydon said he had no computer and that all email correspondence was sent and received by his personal assistant.
This swiftly prompted political activist group Electronic Frontiers Australia to issue a statement saying that all high-ranking public officials "must have at least basic computer and electronic communication skills".
"It is no longer acceptable for high-ranking public officials to not possess at least the most basic computer and electronic communication skills as are required for the most junior entry-level positions," the EFA said.
"Legal professionals particularly are required to undertake a minimum level of professional development throughout their careers. It is therefore very difficult to understand how any legal professional could attain a high public office without having gained even basic computer literacy and a grasp of simple electronic communication platforms such as email."
A number of users also mocked Heydon on social media, describing him as being a Luddite.
But Peter Black, a law lecturer at Queensland University of Technology, said it was common for senior members of the judiciary to not use email.
Should public officials know how to use email and a computer? Leave a comment
For a self admitted Luddite, Heydon sure has a lot to say on his website. #turc— Cilla Whet (@Epigrammist)
August 31, 2015
Dyson Heydon sent me a @BuzzFeedOz listicle the other day... Top ten reasons to abandon email. #turc pic.twitter.com/KuNqDbTIQP— Nathan Bazley (@NathanBazley)
August 31, 2015
The 1st email was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. What has #DysonHeydon been doing for the last 44 years #turc pic.twitter.com/ToI6i29rrx— Gareth Williams (@notGareth)
August 31, 2015
Let's all chip in a few dollars and buy #DysonHeydon a copy of this book. Good government is just an email away. pic.twitter.com/dUKltMJfI2— Ewster At Large (@ewster)
August 31, 2015
The fact that Dyson Heydon does not know how to use email disturbs me much more than his attendance at a Liberal fundraiser.— Renai LeMay (@renailemay)
August 31, 2015
I just sent #DysonHeydon an email. Actually I emailed it to myself, printed it out and then posted it. Cos that's how he rolls #auspol— Andrew Hogan (@HoganNerd)
August 31, 2015
