New Legal Appointments around Australia

In July and August of 2015, there have been a number of legal appointments around Australia. This article highlights five such appointments and goes into the background behind the new positions.

New Zealand Commerce Commission Commissioner - 22 July 2015

The New Zealand Government announced on 22 July 2015 that it hadappointed ACCC Commissioner Dr Jill Walker as a member of the New Zealand Commerce Commission (NZCC) for a five year term. Dr Walker’s term at the NZCC will commence on 1 December 2015. She will continue to serve as an ACCC Commissioner until early April 2016.

Dr Walker was appointed as a Commissioner of the ACCC in August 2009 for a five year term. In August 2014 she was appointed for a further two years until August 2016. She is the Chair of the ACCC’s Mergers Review Committee and Adjudication Committee and is a member of the Enforcement Committee. Dr Walker is also an Associate Member of the New Zealand Commerce Commission and a member of the Bureau of the OECD’s Competition Committee.

ALRC Appointment - 23 July 2015

Emeritus Professor Anura Surindra (Suri) Ratnapala was appointed as a part-time member of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) on 23 July 2015. Emeritus Professor Ratnapala will assist the ALRC Review of Commonwealth Laws for Consistency with Traditional Rights, Freedoms and Privileges - known as the Freedoms Inquiry - which concludes in December 2015. He has been appointed until the conclusion of the Inquiry.

Federal Court Appointment - 11 August 2015

Brigitte Sandra Markovic was appointed as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, based in the Sydney registry on 11 August 2015.

Ms Markovic graduated from the University of New South Wales with the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws in 1987. She has been a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and High Court of Australia since 1988 and the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory since 1997. Ms Markovic’s career has been with the leading commercial law firm Clayton Utz, where she began as a solicitor in 1988. In 1997, at age 32, she became a partner of the firm and was the national managing partner for litigation and dispute resolution for four years.

Ms Markovic’s areas of practice include administrative law, corporations law, directors’ and officers’ duties, professional negligence, commission of inquiry, securities enforcement and insolvency. Ms Markovic will be sworn in at the Federal Court in Sydney on 24 August 2015.

Australian Privacy Commissioner Reappointment - 21 August 2015

On 21 August 2015, Timothy Pilgrim PSM was reappointed as the Australian Privacy Commissioner. 

Mr Pilgrim was appointed acting Australian Information Commissioner for a three month period in July 2015 while the Government considers options for the future of the Information Commissioner position. Before his current acting position, Mr Pilgrim served as Privacy Commissioner from July 2010 to July 2015, and was Deputy Privacy Commissioner from 1998 to 2010. During that time, he was involved in several major amendments to the Privacy Act 1988, including the extension of the Act to private sector organisations in 2001 and widespread amendments to the Act in 2014.

The appointment will be for a period of twelve months commencing on 19 October 2015.

NT President of NCAT - 23 August 2015

Mr Richard Bruxner has been appointed president of the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and at the rank of Stipendiary Magistrate on 23 August 2015.

Mr Bruxner was last year appointed the inaugural president of the tribunal for a period of 12 months. During that time he has undertaken a critical leadership role in developing and establishing all aspects of the Tribunal.

The Tribunal (known as NTCAT) is a ‘single, easy to find, easy to use, non-judicial body for a fair and independent resolution of disputes relating to administrative decisions’ and a ‘common platform for dispute resolution’. NTCAT consists of the President, Deputy President and Ordinary Members. The President, Senior Member and staff of NTCAT have implemented a comprehensive implementation program to ensure NTCAT is prepared to manage the volume of jurisdictions that will be gradually phased in over the next two years.

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ACCC Media Release 22 July 2015

Federal Parliament Attorney-General Media Release - 23 July 2015

Federal Parliament Attorney-General Media Release - 11 August 2015

Federal Parliament Attorney-General Media Release - 23 August 2015

Northern Territory Government Media Release - 22 August 2015