July Appointments throughout Australia
Friday 1 July 2016 @ 12.07 p.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure | Legal Research
The Tasmanian and Victorian Supreme Courts will see the appointment of new judges this week. Furthermore, Western Australia will see the appointment of their first female Industrial Relations Chief Commissioner.
Tasmanian Supreme Court Appointment
The Attorney General of Tasmania, Vanessa Goodwin, has announced the appointment of Chief Magistrate Michael Brett to the Supreme Court of Tasmania. Mr Brett will be replacing the outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Porter as of 11 July 2016.
Mr Brett has been a magistrate of Tasmania for the last six years and has been serving as the Chief Magistrate as of September 2015. Mr Brett has had a long and accomplished legal career and sat on the board of the Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania as well as being an active leader for the State’s bar association prior to coming to the bench.
Matthew Verny, president of the Tasmanian Law Society was delighted by the news and said:
“Mr Brett has been a fine magistrate and Chief Magistrate and I have no doubt he will be an excellent judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania. He is both widely liked and respected. On behalf of the legal profession, I offer my warm congratulations to him.”
Victorian Supreme Court Appointment
Meanwhile in Victoria, Attorney General Michael Pakula has announced the appointment of County Court Judge Maree Kennedy as a judge of the Supreme Court. Ms Kennedy has had a long career in law since joining the Victorian bar in 1990. She was appointed as a Senior Counsel in 2002 where she appeared before various courts in commercial and public law matters.
In 2007, she was appointed as a County Court judge and helped to establish the commercial list, which became a division of the court in its own right in 2014. During her time, she was responsible for a number of reforms including the appointment of two judicial registrars and a commercial list coordinator. Mr Pakula praised Ms Kennedy’s leadership qualities and assures that she will bring a wealth of experience to her new role. He added:
“The reforms she has helped introduce are a testament to her dedication and talent, particularly in commercial law, and are attributes that will make her an excellent judge of the Supreme Court.”
Western Australia’s Industrial Relations Chief Commissioner
In Western Australia, the Liberal National Government has seen the appointment of Pamela Scott as the new Chief Commissioner for the Industrial Relations Commission. Commerce Minister Michael Mischin praised her extensive legal experience and said:
“Commissioner Scott is eminently qualified for the position of chief commissioner, having served as a commissioner since 1994, and as acting senior commissioner since 2009…She has extensive experience in resolving employment disputes and has a detailed knowledge of the running of the commission.”
In the past, she has chaired, and served on, many complex commission matters and is highly regarded within the labour relations community for performing her duties in a fair and impartial manner.
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