QLD, ACT and NT New Appointments
Tuesday 12 April 2016 @ 1.16 p.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure | Legal Research
Queensland has appointed new Competition Authority members; Australian Capital Territory has signalled its intention to introduce a fifth permanent sitting judge on the Supreme Court; and Northern Territory has appointed a new Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Queensland Competition Authority
Treasurer Curtis Pitt has announced new members of the board of the state’s independent economic regulator, the Queensland Competition Authority. Mr Pitt said Dr Flavio Menezes had been appointed as the QCA’s Deputy Chairperson and Ms Madeline Brennan QC had been appointed as a Board Member.
Mr Pitt said both had been appointed for a three-year term and would join QCA Chair, Professor Roy Green, who was appointed in June 2015 for a three-year term:
“The appointment of these new board members will ensure the QCA continues to effectively promote competition as the basis for enhancing efficiency and growth in the Queensland economy."
Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court
In the Canberra Times, along with a report on the construction of the new Supreme Court premises in the ACT, it has been announced that the government "would fund a fifth permanent judge" on the Supreme Court.
Mr Corbell said a shortlist of candidates had been created, but gave no indication of when a decision would be made:
"The government will make an appointment so that the fifth resident judge can commence sitting at the beginning of the next financial year."
Northern Territory Supreme Court
The Northern Territory Attorney-General John Elferink announced the appointment of Solicitor-General Michael Grant QC as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory on 8 April 2016. Mr Grant will replace the retiring Chief Justice Trevor Riley, commencing in the position on 5 July 2016.
Mr Grant is the current Solicitor-General for the Northern Territory and was appointed to the position in September 2007. As Solicitor-General, Mr Grant is the Northern Territory’s principal advocate and legal advisor. In that role, he has represented the Territory in a range of significant cases, including in the High Court.
Mr Elferink said that Mr Grant is an outstanding home-grown lawyer with a national reputation:
"His presence on the bench will consolidate the already well established reputation of the Supreme Court in the Northern Territory."
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