Supreme Court reappointments
Acting Judge Audrey Balla, Acting Judge Peter Berman, Acting Judge Robert Crowe (pictured), Acting Judge David Robinson, and Acting Judge Richard Refshauge have been reappointed as acting Justices of the ACT Supreme Court.
The Attorney General may appoint acting judges to the ACT Supreme Court for up to 12 months.
They have the same powers and jurisdiction as the five judges of the Court.
Paula Russell and Thomas Jones have been appointed special magistrates to the ACT Magistrates Court.
Ms. Russell has served as an NSW Magistrate, including as a Deputy State Coroner in NSW, and has extensive experience as a Specialized Children’s Magistrate.
She has been appointed until June 30, 2023.
Mr. Jones (pictured) was admitted to practice in 2001, has been a barrister since 2006, and is a registered arbitrator in NSW, Queensland, and Victoria.
He has been appointed until September 30, 2024.
Special Magistrates Margaret Hunter and Anthony Hopkins have extended their appointments to February 15, 2023, and September 30, 2024, respectively.
Arabena to Indigenous Treaty
Kerry Arabena has been appointed to facilitate preliminary talks about what a treaty would mean for the traditional owners of the ACT.
Professor Arabena (pictured) is a descendant of the Meriam people of the Torres Strait. She has previously served as Chair of Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne, Executive Director of First 1000 Days Australia, Chief Executive Officer of the Lowitja Institute, and Director of Indigenous Health Research at Monash University.
Geoffrey Kennett and Belinda Baker have been named justices of the ACT Supreme Court.
Mr. Kennett currently chairs the Administrative Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia and serves on the Constitutional Law Committee.
Ms. Baker (pictured) is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr. Kennett will begin his appointment on March 21, replacing Judge John Burns, who retired in August, while Ms. Baker will begin her appointment in December to replace outgoing Judge Michael Elkaim.
Ken Archer has been named the ACT’s first dedicated Coroner, whose role aims to improve the experience of bereaved families and friends involved in coronary cases.
Mr. Archer is a past president of the ACT Bar Association, an elected member of the ACT Bar Council, and a member of the Federal Executive of the Australian Bar Association.
Campbell becomes magistrate
Special ACT Magistrate, Jane Campbell, is permanently appointed Magistrate of the ACT Magistrates Court.
Ms. Campbell, admitted to practice in 1990, was previously Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Criminal Practice at Legal Aid ACT.
Magistrate James Stewart moves from a part-time position to a full-time job.
Dr. Arnagretta Hunter, Aparna Lal, Thomas Longden, and Mia Swainson have been appointed to the ACT Climate Change Council.
Dr. Hunter (pictured) is a cardiologist, physician, and a Human Futures Fellow for the Australian National University (ANU) College of Health & Medicine.
Dr. Longden is an environmental economist and fellow at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy.
Dr. Lal is an associate professor at the ANU Research School of Population Health in the College of Health & Medicine.
Ms. Swainson is Chair of the Canberra Environment Center and Chair of Zero Waste Revolution.
The new Council members will work alongside current members Mark Howden, Paul Bannister, Cris Brack, Sophia Hamblin Wang, and Ben Ponton.
The Cyber Hub board called.
Michael Frater has been named interim chairman of the inaugural Canberra Cyber Hub Board, along with Michelle Melbourne and Neil Hart, appointed interim directors.
The interim chairperson and interim directors must establish the Canberra Cyber Hub as a limited liability company and operate the business until the first annual general meeting.
Dr. Frater (pictured) is the former Rector of UNSW Canberra, where he led the development of interdisciplinary research in cybersecurity and aerospace.
Ms. Melbourne is an experienced technology industry leader and mentor to emerging companies.
Air Vice-Marshal Hart is a senior defense leader with experience in cybersecurity.
Mavity’s new ACTF&R Chief
Matthew Mavity has been named Chief Officer of ACT Fire & Rescue (ACTF&R).
Mr. Mavity (pictured) has 25 years of experience with ACTF&R as a firefighter and has progressed to specialized fire management positions within the ACT Emergency Service Agency.
He is the first ACT firefighter named Chief Officer in 13 years.
Mr. Mavity has held the role for the past eight months and has been appointed for a five-year term.
McCallum Chief Justice
Judge Lucy McCallum (pictured) has been named Chief Justice of the ACT Supreme Court.
Judge McCallum served on the NSW Supreme Court in 2008 and the NSW Court of Appeal in January 2019 as a prosecutor in Canberra from 1988 to 1990.
Justice McCallum starts in March as the sixth Chief Justice of the ACT Supreme Court, replacing outgoing Chief Justice Helen Murrell, the ACT’s first female Chief Justice.
