About the Federal Court
Judges of the Court
At 30 June 2020, there were 53 judges of the Court. They are listed below in order of seniority with details about any other commissions or appointments held on courts or tribunals. Of the 53 judges, there were three whose work as members of other courts or tribunals occupied all, or most, of their time.
Judge | Location | Other Commissions/Appointments |
|---|---|---|
Chief Justice The Hon James Leslie Bain ALLSOP AO | Sydney | |
The Hon Susan Coralie KENNY | Melbourne | Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon Andrew Peter GREENWOOD | Brisbane | Administrative Appeals Tribunal Copyright Tribunal Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon Steven David RARES | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory – Additional Judge Supreme Court of Norfolk Island – Judge |
The Hon Berna Joan COLLIER | Brisbane | National and Supreme Courts of Administrative Appeals Tribunal Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Anthony James BESANKO | Adelaide | Supreme Court of Norfolk Island Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon John Eric MIDDLETON | Melbourne | Australian Competition Tribunal Administrative Appeals Tribunal Australian Law Reform Commission |
The Hon John Alexander LOGAN RFD | Brisbane | Administrative Appeals Tribunal Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal National and Supreme Courts of |
The Hon Geoffrey Alan FLICK | Sydney | |
The Hon Neil Walter McKERRACHER | Perth | Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon John Edward REEVES | Brisbane | Supreme Court of the Northern Territory |
The Hon Nye PERRAM | Sydney | Copyright Tribunal |
The Hon Jayne Margaret JAGOT | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Administrative Appeals Tribunal Copyright Tribunal |
The Hon Lindsay Graeme FOSTER | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon John Victor NICHOLAS | Sydney | |
The Hon David Markey YATES | Sydney | Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon Mordecai BROMBERG | Melbourne | |
The Hon Anna Judith KATZMANN | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Bernard Michael MURPHY | Melbourne | |
The Hon Iain James Kerr ROSS AO | Melbourne | Fair Work Australia Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon John Edward GRIFFITHS | Sydney | |
The Hon Duncan James Colquhoun KERR Chev LH | Hobart | |
The Hon Kathleen FARRELL | Sydney | Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon Jennifer DAVIES | Melbourne | Administrative Appeals Tribunal Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon Debra Sue MORTIMER | Melbourne | |
The Hon Darryl Cameron RANGIAH | Brisbane | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Richard Conway WHITE | Adelaide | Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon Michael Andrew WIGNEY | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court of Norfolk Island |
The Hon Melissa Anne PERRY | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon Jacqueline Sarah GLEESON | Sydney | |
The Hon Jonathan Barry Rashleigh BEACH | Melbourne | |
The Hon Brigitte Sandra MARKOVIC | Sydney | |
The Hon Mark Kranz MOSHINSKY | Melbourne | |
The Hon Robert James BROMWICH | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Natalie CHARLESWORTH | Adelaide | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Stephen Carey George BURLEY | Sydney | |
The Hon David John O’CALLAGHAN | Melbourne | |
The Hon Michael Bryan Joshua LEE | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Roger Marc DERRINGTON | Brisbane | |
The Hon David Graham THOMAS | Brisbane | Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon Sarah Catherine DERRINGTON | Brisbane | Australian Law Reform Commission |
The Hon Simon Harry Peter STEWARD | Melbourne | Administrative Appeals Tribunal – Deputy President |
The Hon Katrina Frances BANKS-SMITH | Perth | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Craig Grierson COLVIN | Perth | Administrative Appeals Tribunal |
The Hon Thomas Michael THAWLEY | Sydney | Administrative Appeals Tribunal Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Michael Francis WHEELAHAN | Melbourne | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Paul Elias ANASTASSIOU | Melbourne | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Angus Morkel STEWART | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Michael Hugh O’BRYAN | Melbourne | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Australian Competition Tribunal |
The Hon Darren John JACKSON | Perth | |
The Hon John Leslie SNADEN | Melbourne | |
The Hon Stewart Maxwell ANDERSON | Melbourne | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Hon Wendy Jane ABRAHAM | Sydney | Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory |
The Chief Justice was absent on the following dates during the year. Acting Chief Justice arrangements during these periods were as follows:
- 25 June to 15 July 2019 – Justice Rares
- 10 to 12 September 2019 – Justice Kenny
- 21 to 22 October 2019 – Justice Kenny
Most of the judges of the Court devote some time to other courts and tribunals on which they hold commissions or appointments. Judges of the Court also spend a lot of time on activities related to legal education and the justice system. More information about these activities is set out in Part 3 (Report on Court performance) and Appendix 8 (Judges’ activities).
Appointments and retirements during 2019-20
During the year, one judge retired from the Court:
- The Honourable Alan Robertson retired upon reaching the compulsory retirement age for federal judges on 8 May 2020.
Other appointments during the year are as follows:
- Justice Banks-Smith was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 22 August 2019.
- Justice Lee was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Thawley was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Wheelahan was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Anastassiou was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Stewart was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice O’Bryan was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019, and appointed as a Deputy President of the Australian Competition Tribunal on 13 December 2019.
- Justice Anderson was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Abraham was appointed as an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court on 23 October 2019.
- Justice Middleton was re-appointed as a part-time Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission on 28 November 2019.
- Justice White was re-appointed as a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 29 May 2020.
- Justice Perram was re-appointed as a Deputy President of the Copyright Tribunal of Australia on 8 June 2020.
Executive
Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar
The CEO and Principal Registrar is appointed by the Governor-General on the nomination of the Chief Justice and has the same powers as the Head of a statutory agency of the Australian Public Service in respect of the officers and staff of the Court employed under the Public Service Act 1999 (s 18ZE of the Federal Court of Australia Act).
Mr Warwick Soden retired as CEO and Principal Registrar on 30 April 2020.
Ms Sia Lagos was appointed the CEO and Principal Registrar on 15 May 2020.
Officers of the Court
Officers of the Court are appointed by the CEO and Principal Registrar under s 18N of the Federal Court of Australia Act and are:
- a District Registrar for each District Registry
- Registrars and Deputy District Registrars as necessary
- a Sheriff and Deputy Sheriffs as necessary, and
- Marshals under the Admiralty Act 1988 as necessary.
The registrars must take an oath, or make an affirmation, of office before undertaking their duties (s 18Y of the Federal Court of Australia Act). Registrars perform statutory functions pursuant to the Federal Court of Australia Act, Federal Court Rules 2011, Federal Court (Bankruptcy) Rules 2016, Federal Court (Corporations) Rules 2000, Federal Court (Criminal Proceedings) Rules 2016, and the Admiralty Act and Admiralty Rules 1988. These include issuing process, taxing costs and settling appeal indexes. They also exercise various powers delegated by judges under the Federal Court of Australia Act, Bankruptcy Act 1966, Corporations Act 2001 and Native Title Act 1993. A number of staff in each registry also perform functions and exercise delegated powers under the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999. More information can be found in Appendix 4: Registrars of the Court, 30 June 2020.
Staff of the Court
The officers and staff of the Court (other than the Registrar and some Deputy Sheriffs and Marshals) are appointed or employed under the Public Service Act 1999.
At 30 June 2020, the Federal Court entity engaged 1,091 employees under the Public Service Act 1999. This figure includes 758 ongoing and 333 non-ongoing employees. More details on court staff can be found in Part 4: Management and accountability and Appendix 9: Staffing profile.
Visit
https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/federal-court-australia/reporting-year/2019-20-42