Federal Court of Australia

The Federal Court of Australia is the Australian court in which most civil disputes and some summary criminal matters governed by federal law are decided. It is on the same position in the Australian court hierarchy as the Supreme Courts in each of the states and the only court above it is the High Court of Australia. On the federal level, it shares the same position as the Family Court of Australia but it is above the Federal Magistrates Court. The court was established in 1976 by the Federal Court of Australia Act.

Original jurisdiction

The original jurisdiction of the court is composed mostly of cases under the Trade Practices Act, administrative appeals under Commonwealth legislation (like taxation and social security) as well as native title, intellectual property, industrial relations, corporations cases and bankruptcy. Points of law from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and other tribunals are also within the original jurisdiction of the Court.

Appellate jurisdiction

The Federal Court of Australia also has appellate jurisdiction from the Federal Magistrates Court on all matters, with the exception of family law, where the Family Court of Australia has appellate jurisdiction. The Court also exercises general appellate jurisdiction in criminal and civil matters on appeal from the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island .

Current Judges of the Federal Court

As of 2004 (appointment date in brackets):

Judges based in Sydney

• Bryan Beaumont (May 30, 1983)
• Murray Wilcox (May 11, 1984)
• Graham Hill (February 1, 1989)
• Philip Whitlam (January 1, 1993)
• Michael Moore (28 March, 1994)
• Catherine Branson (16 May, 1994)
• Edmund Lindgren (26 July, 1994)
• Brian Tamberlin (30 August, 1994)
• Ronald Sackville (19 September, 1994)
• Rodney Madgwick (3 October, 1995)
• Arthur Emmett (3 February, 1997)
• Peter Hely (2 October, 1998)
• Roger Gyles (11 June, 1999)
• Richard Conti (15 August, 2000)
• Margaret Stone (9 October, 2000)
• James Allsop (7 May, 2001)
• Garry Downes (2 April, 2002)
• Peter Jacobson (17 June, 2002)
• Annabelle Bennett (5 May, 2003)

Judges based in Melbourne

• Chief Justice Michael Black (January 1, 1991)
• Peter Gray (17 May, 1984)
• Michael Ryan (29 September, 1986)
• Peter Heerey (17 December, 1990)
• Ross Sundberg (10 July, 1995)
• Shane Marshall (17 July, 1995)
• Anthony North (3 October, 1995)
• Ronald Merkel (5 February, 1996)
• Alan Goldberg (3 February, 1997)
• Raymond Finkelstein (21 July, 1997)
• Geoffery Giudice (17 September, 1997)
• Mark Weinberg (15 July, 1998)
• Susan Kenny (16 October, 1998)
• Susan Crennan (3 February, 2004)

Judges based in Brisbane

• Jeffrey Spender (17 May, 1984)
• Richard Cooper (30 March, 1992)
• Susan Kiefel (17 October, 1994)
• John Dowsett (14 September, 1998)

Judges based in Perth

• Robert French (25 November, 1986)
• Malcolm Lee (15 February, 1988)
• Robert Nicholson (1 January, 1995)

Judges based in Adelaide

• Paul Finn , (3 July, 1995)
• John Mansfield , (2 September, 1996)
• Bradley Selway , (18 November, 2002)
• Bruce Lander , (14 July, 2003)

Judge based in Canberra

• Terrence Higgins , (1 July, 1990)

External links

• Federal Court of Australia
• Full text of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976