July 2017 - New Appointments and Changes for NSW, CTH, NT, QLD and ACT

Monday 3 July 2017 @ 1.23 p.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure | Legal Research

With the start of the new Financial Year, there have been changes to NSW Courts and new appointments for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, NT Local Court, QLD Supreme Court and ACT Supreme Court.

NSW Court Changes

In a Media Release from 7 June 2017, funding for new courtrooms was announced for two new trial courts at the Downing Centre in Sydney’s CBD, and for a new State Parole Authority hearing room at the Sydney West Trial Courts in Parramatta, which will make an existing courtroom available for trials there.

Construction of the new justice facilities is due for completion in November 2017.

Additionally, in a Media Release from 26 June 2017, NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman announced courtrooms in Sydney and regional NSW will be fitted with high definition Audio-Visual Link (AVL) technology to deliver faster and safer justice. Mr Speakman said:

"AVL saves NSW taxpayers millions of dollars by eliminating the high cost of transporting accused persons across the state for bail applications, sentence hearings and other short court appearances...Most importantly, it allows children and other vulnerable victims to give 'in camera' evidence from a private safe room, reducing the stress and trauma of taking part in the criminal and civil justice system...It also enables expert witnesses, who cannot travel, to provide evidence from regional, interstate or overseas locations."

AVL is currently available at more than 200 justice locations including 76 courts.  Almost 70 per cent of court appearances in NSW happen via video link with more than 80,000 AVL court appearances and professional interviews occurring in the 2015/16 financial year.  AVL upgrades have already been completed at ten District Courts at the Downing Centre, seven courtrooms at Parramatta Local Court and six courtrooms at Parramatta Children's Court, as well as a number of suburban and regional locations, including Sutherland and Liverpool.

Further upgrades will be undertaken at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney, plus, Blacktown, Windsor, and Mudgee courthouses.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal Appointments

In a media release from the Attorney-General of 28 June 2017, the Hon Justice David Thomas has been appointed as President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). Justice Thomas has also been appointed as a judge of the Federal Court.

Additionally, a number of other seven-year appointments were made including:

Deputy Presidents

  • Mr Stephen Boyle
  • Mr Francis O'Loughlin
  • Mr Brian Rayment QC

Senior members

  • 13 new appointments.

Members

  • 47 new appointments.

All new Appointments for the AAT began their term on 1 July 2017, except for two Members who begin their appointments on 5 September 2017.

NT Local Court Appointments

In a Media Release from 29 June 2017, Attorney-General Natasha Fyles has appointed Northern Territory Judge Elizabeth Morris as the new Deputy Chief Judge of the NT Local Court. Ms Fyles said:

“Territorians can expect a strong focus on children and families under the leadership of Deputy Chief Judge Morris...Ms Morris was awarded the Northern Territory’s Children’s lawyer of the year in 1999 and maintains positions on boards such as the NT Legal Aid Commission and National Domestic Violence Bench Reference Committee."

The Attorney-General also announced the appointment of Greg Macdonald as a Judge of the NT Local Court.

QLD Supreme Court Appointments

A Lawyers' Weekly Article from 26 June 2017 reports that Queensland Attorney-General and Justice Minister Yvette D'Ath has announced two appointments in the Supreme Court.

Queensland Supreme Court judge Ann Lyons will be made the next senior judge administrator for the state, replacing outgoing judge Justice John Byrne who will retire from judicial office in August. 

Justice Lyons has served as a judge of the Queensland Supreme Court since 2006. She graduated with a law degree from the University of Queensland in 1977, and holds a Master of Laws from Queensland University of Technology (1997). Ms D'Ath said:

“Justice Lyons will be responsible for managing the trial division of the Supreme Court."

The Attorney-General has also announced that Helen Bowskill QC will be appointed to Supreme Court bench in the trial division in July 2017:

“Judge Helen Bowskill QC will take up her post on 10 July, and I will move quickly to fill the vacancy this creates in the District Court.”

ACT Supreme Court Appointment

In a Media Release from 9 June 2017, it was announced by the Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay that Ms Verity McWilliam has been appointed the new Associate Judge of the ACT Supreme Court.

Ms McWilliam has practiced at the NSW Bar since 2006 and has a diverse range of civil litigation experience, having appeared in a wide range of courts and tribunals in the NSW and Federal jurisdictions. Mr Ramsay said:

“I am certain the ACT community will be well served by Ms McWilliam as the new Associate Judge.”

Ms McWilliam’s appointment started on 26 June 2017.

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Sources:

NSW Media Release - 7 June 2017

NSW Media Release - 26 June 2017

NT Media Release - 29 June 2017

CTH Media Release - 28 June 2017

Lawyers' Weekly Article - 26 June 2017

ACT Media Release - 9 June 2017

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