annual report 2008–09 - national judicial college of ......2009. over 200 judges and judicial...

Annual Report 2008–09

National Judicial College of Australia

PO Box 8102 ANU ACT 2601 Tel: (02) 6125 6655 Fax: (02) 6125 6651

www.njca.com.au

ii NATIONAL JUDICIAL COLLEGE OF AUSTRALIA

1 October 2009

To: The Council of Chief Justices of Australia and New Zealand The Standing Committee of Attorneys General

I am pleased to send to you, in accordance with clause 17 of the Constitution of the National Judicial College of Australia, a report by the Council of the College on the operations of the College during the financial year 2008-2009.

This is the College’s seventh annual report.

Yours sincerely

The Honourable Wayne Martin Chief Justice of Western Australia Chair of the NJCA Council

iiiANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009

Contents

Foreword by the Chair of the NJCA Council 1College Professional Development Programs 2008/2009 2 Phoenix Magistrates Program 2 National Judicial Orientation Program 3 Judgment Writing Programs 3 Judgment Writing Program in Papua New Guinea 4 Conference on the Australian Justice System in 2020 4 Judicial Seminar in Darwin 5

Conference on “Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science?” 5 360 degree feedback program 6 Phoenix Judges Program 6 Human Trafficking Seminar 6 Facilitation of court conference sessions 7 Indigenous cultural awareness programs 7 Social and cultural awareness programs 7 Plans for professional development programs 2009/2010 82009 Conference of the International Organisation for the Training of the Judiciary 8Strategic Review 9Judgment Writing Anthology 9Commonwealth Sentencing Database 9NJCA website 9College Administration 2008 /2009 10 NJCA Council 10 Consultative Committee 11 Regional Convenors 12The College and the Australian National University 12College funding 12College Secretariat 12Communication with the College 13Attachments A Council, Regional Convenors, the Consultative Committee 14B Members of Policy Committees 18C Members of Program Planning Committees 20D College Secretariat 23

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Foreword by the Chair of the NJCA CouncilDuring the year the Council of the College initiated a review of the College’s operations to assess and improve the provision and quality of its services and to facilitate the expansion of its educational and international roles. The Council is fortunate that Mr George Thomson of the Canadian National Judicial Institute agreed to conduct the review on its behalf.

The Review Report presents a way forward for the College in the future which is workable but presents challenges. It made recommendations which will have a significant impact on the way the College designs and delivers its future programs. In the coming year the College will be consulting widely on implementation of the Report. The College is organising a meeting with other judicial education bodies in October 2009 to consider the Review recommendations on co-operation by judicial educators in Australia and New Zealand.

Extensive planning has continued for the hosting by the College of the next conference of the International Organisation for Training of the Judiciary. It will be held in Sydney in late October 2009. Over 200 judges and judicial educators from around the world are expected to attend. The conference will provide an important opportunity for the interchange of information and experience.

Developments during the year ended

30 June 2009 are detailed later in this report. These include the publication of an anthology, entitled “Judicial Decisions – crafting clear reasons”, of views of judicial officers on the preparation of written judgments.

The educational programs which have been offered by the College are outlined in this report. It would not be possible for the College to offer that range of programs, or to maintain the quality which ensures the continuing support of the judiciary for those programs, without the enormous effort made by the large number of judicial officers who support and contribute to the work of the College. Their contribution takes many forms - through service as a member of a program planning committee, as a presenter, as a Regional Convenor or a member of the Council. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and thanks to all who have contributed in this way.

The Honourable Wayne Martin Chief Justice of Western Australia Chair of the NJCA Council

1 October 2009

ANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009

2 NATIONAL JUDICIAL COLLEGE OF AUSTRALIA

College Professional Development Programs 2008/2009The College continues to present judicial professional development programs around Australia and to develop new programs.

Most College programs use structured discussion of practical problems and other forms of active learning (for example self-teaching in small discussion groups based on well-planned practical problems). This focus on discussion rather than lectures means that most College programs are for groups of no more than 25 to 30 participants. The use of structured, interactive learning techniques involves presenters and College staff in considerably more work than would be involved in organising a series of lectures. However the Council of the College remains convinced that presenting a small number of high quality programs of long term educational value remains the best use of the College’s resources.

The College has also presented suitable topics to larger groups in the traditional conference style. It has also organised some large conferences. However, the main emphasis is on small groups of judicial officers.

Judges and magistrates from all courts in Australia are eligible to attend College programs.

Some programs are limited to particular categories of the judiciary (for example orientation programs are limited to recent appointees).

The Council of the College, and individual planning committees for programs, routinely review and revise College programs in the light of feedback from participants. The College seeks written feedback from participants in its programs. The responses continue to indicate that participants have been very satisfied with the programs. The College develops new programs on the basis of proposals made by judicial officers when evaluating programs they attend, by program planning committees, by government agencies and by the NJCA Consultative Committee. The NJCA Programs Advisory Committee advises on and develops new programs and reviews existing programs.

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Phoenix Magistrates Program

The Phoenix Magistrates Program was presented in August 2008 in Broadbeach, Queensland. This was the sixth year the program has been presented. Twenty magistrates attended from around Australia and Singapore. A majority of participants are new appointees, but some experienced magistrates also attend to transfer the benefit of their experience to recently appointed judicial officers. A substantial part of the program is based on group discussion led by members of the group and some outside experts. The program covers a diverse range of topics including judicial conduct and ethics, decision making and giving judgment, children as witnesses, court craft, sentencing, cultural awareness and diversity, physical and mental health. The program was enthusiastically received by the participants.

National Judicial Orientation Program

In 2008-2009 two National Judicial Orientation programs were held. The first in Broadbeach, Queensland in August 2008 and the second at Aitken Hill, Victoria in March 2009. The Program is a joint offering by the College, the Judicial Commission of New South Wales and the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration. The program covers topics such as judicial conduct and ethics, assessing the credibility of witnesses, psychological and physical health, judgment writing, court craft, interpreters, contempt, litigants in person,

sentencing and case management.

The August 2008 program was attended by 24 judges from state courts, federal courts and Singapore courts. The March 2009 program was attended by 21 judges from state and federal courts.

The main educational objective for the National Judicial Orientation Program is to assist newly appointed judicial officers with the transition to judicial office, with a particular focus on skills required of a trial judge. Based on the participants’ evaluation comments and observations by members of the Steering Committee, the programs presented in 2008/2009 were successful in meeting these objectives.

Judgment Writing Programs

In September 2008 the College presented a three day judgment writing program in Glenelg, South Australia. The objective of the program is to enable participants to improve their judgment writing skills through analysis, discussion and rewriting of their judgments in small groups. The groups are assisted by professional writers and senior judges. Group work is interspersed with lectures from the writers and judicial officers on particular aspects of judgment writing. Sixteen judicial officers from federal and state courts attended. Feedback from participants indicates the program was very successful.



In September 2008 the College also presented a two day judgment writing program for Tasmanian judges, magistrates and tribunal members. There were twenty participants who rated the program as very good to excellent.

Judgment writing program in Papua New Guinea

The College organised a judgment writing program for magistrates in Papua New Guinea in November 2008. There were 26 participants - 23 from the PNG Magistrates’ Service and three from the Magistrates’ Court of the Solomon Islands. The program was led by Justice Bernard Warnick (Family Court of Australia) and Judge Alan Wilson (District Court Queensland). The program was funded by the Magisterial Services Of Papua New Guinea and the Ausaid PNG Law and Justice Sector Program.

Conference on the Australian Justice System in 2020

The College presented a conference in Sydney in October 2008 on the theme of the Australian Justice System in 2020. It was attended by 67 participants from the judiciary (NSW, SA, WA, QLD, VIC and Federal), government Departments, the private legal profession, court administrators and academics. The main themes of the conference were:

- the impact of future demographic and social changes on the legal system;

The comments by the participants indicated that the Conference was successful in bringing together people from a number of disciplines and providing sessions which prompted critical consideration of the forces shaping the future of the justice system. Papers from the conference are available on the College website www.njca.com.au

Mr John Hatzistergos (Attorney-General for NSW) speaking at the Conference on the

Australian Justice System in 2020.

- the effect on the legal system of likely developments in technology; - the impact that advances in understanding of the human brain are likely to have on the development of the law; - managing the cost and commplexity of long trials; - the impact of the increasing interrelationship of State and Commonwealth law; - the implications of these changes for court resources, for the skills required of judicial officers and for the legal profession.

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Judicial seminar in Darwin

The College presented a judicial seminar in Darwin in September 2008. The seminar was attended by 28 judicial officers from the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia and federal courts. Justice Bernard Warnick of the Family Court of Australia (Queensland) and Judge Tom Wodak of the County Court (Victoria) presented a session on oral decisions. Justice Monika Schmidt (Industrial Relations Commission NSW) presented a session on controlling the courtroom. Based on the comments by participants, the seminar was successful in meeting the needs of the judiciary for an opportunity to explore these subjects.

Conference on Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science ?

The College joined the Australian National University College of Law and the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences in organising a national conference on “Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science?” in Canberra in February 2009. The objective was to provide a forum for discussion involving the judiciary, legal practitioners, government agencies, academics and persons with relevant expertise

The twenty speakers included Chief Justice Robert French (High Court of Australia), Judge Andrew Wistrich (United States District Court California), Mr George Thomson (National Judicial Institute of Canada) and Professor James Raymond (International Institute for Legal Writing and Reasoning New York).

The conference attracted 203 participants, mainly from the judiciary but also from academia, government agencies, legal practitioners and other disciplines. Speakers addressed topics which included unconscious judicial bias, the judicial decision making process (including neurobiological analysis), judicial values, technology and judicial decision making. Papers from the conference are available on the College website www.njca.com.au


Chief Justice Wayne Martin (NJCA Chair), Chief Justice Robert French

(keynote speaker) and Professor Michael Coper (Dean, ANU College of Law) at the 2009 Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science ?

Conference.

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360 Degree Feedback Program

From March to May 2009 the College organised a 360 degree feedback program for five judicial officers. The aim of the program was to provide judicial officers with the opportunity to improve their communication and other skills through a professionally conducted feedback program. The program comprised two elements, a 360 degree feedback survey and a communication skills workshop.

The first element of the program was facilitated by a psychologist, Ms Maryanne Mooney of Full Circle Feedback. Each participant nominated a group of raters – people who are in a position to have observed the participant’s communication and other skills in a work context. The raters completed a survey anonymously and the survey results formed the basis for a confidential report to the participant by the facilitator, followed by a meeting with her in which she gave a debriefing which explained the meaning of the results, highlighting the strengths identified in the surveys and noting any areas for improvement.

The second element of the program was a one-day communications skills workshop conducted by Maura Fay workshops in Melbourne in May 2009. The workshop gave the participants the opportunity to practise new techniques to enhance their skills in communication in the courtroom.

The participants rated the workshop element highly and found considerable

value in the feedback survey results.

Phoenix Judges Program

The Phoenix Judges Program was presented by the College for the fourth time in March 2009 in Canberra. The objective of the program was to provide a refresher program for experienced judges, exposing them to new ideas and new approaches.

The program covered a range of issues including psychological indications of deception, expert evidence, contempt, sentencing, judicial behaviour in court, cultural diversity, colleagues assisting an ‘impaired professional’ affected by personal problems, the psychology of judicial decision making and oral decisions.

There were 16 participants from State and Federal courts. The program was again successful in achieving its objectives. Participants particularly appreciated the opportunity to meet and interact with judges from other jurisdictions.

Human Trafficking Seminar

The College organised a twilight seminar on People Trafficking in Sydney in June 2009. It was prompted by a recommendation by the National Roundtable on People Trafficking that the judiciary be provided with resources on trafficking issues. Fifty four people attended the seminar including 19 members of the judiciary. The speakers were Judge Michael McInerney (County Court VIC), Judge Ken Taylor (District Court NSW), Dr Anne Gallagher and Ms Wendy

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Abraham QC.

Facilitation of court conference sessions

During the year the College continued its efforts to assist courts with their own professional development events. The College assisted in the presentation to the West Australian judiciary in November 2008 of a session led by Justice John McKechnie (Supreme Court WA) on managing cultural diversity in court and a session led by Justice Philip Cummins (Supreme Court VIC) on dealing with difficult issues arising in a trial (“The Trial from Hell”).

The College provided support to the South Australian Judicial Education Committee in organising judicial education events for the judiciary in South Australia. In September 2008 Mr Andrew Haesler (Deputy Senior Public Defender NSW) led a twilight seminar on DNA evidence. In October 2008 Justice John Byrne (Supreme Court QLD) led a seminar on contempt in the face of the court. In May 2009 Justice Margaret White (Supreme Court QLD) led a seminar on dealing with difficult issues arising in a trial (“The Trial from Hell”).

Indigenous cultural awareness programs

During 2008/2009 the NJCA National Indigenous Justice Committee allocated $179,660 in Commonwealth government funding for indigenous cultural awareness programs for the judiciary. The funding met the costs of programs conducted by

State indigenous justice committees: an Aboriginal English in the courts seminar (Perth, November 2008), a Cultural Awareness Conference (Adelaide, November 2008), a Wadjuk Nyungar Bus Tour (Perth, February 2009), an aboriginal cultural awareness program (Creswick, March 2009), an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and the Law Workshop (Brisbane, May 2009) and an Exchanging Ideas Conference (Wollongong, May 2009).

Social and cultural awareness programs

The College’s residential programs continue to include sessions raising social and cultural awareness issues for the judiciary. Examples include sessions on cultural difficulties that many litigants confront in accessing the justice system and sessions on the psychology of judicial decision making.

The College’s Gender Justice Committee continues to work on a review of the content of existing College programs and materials to identify opportunities to raise gender issues, to ensure the use of gender appropriate language and to ensure that materials used in programs are inclusive and do not inadvertently reinforce assumptions and stereotypes.

ANNUAL REPORT 2008 –09


Plans for professional development programs 2009/2010The College is well advanced in its planning for professional development programs in 2009/2010.

The Phoenix Magistrates Program will be held in August 2009 at Broadbeach Queensland. The National Judicial Orientation Program will be presented twice, in Adelaide in November 2009 and in Broadbeach Queensland in April 2010.

Another three day Judgment Writing Program will be offered by the College in Freemantle in October 2009. Judges and magistrates from federal, state and territory courts are expected to attend. The College is also organising judgment writing programs for the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court in September 2009.

A judicial seminar will be presented in Darwin in September 2009 focusing on unconscious judicial prejudice, the psychology of judicial decision making and judicial behaviour in court.

Building on the success of conferences on sentencing in 2006 and 2008, the College is working with the ANU College of Law to organise a national conference on sentencing in Canberra in February 2010. The conference will explore the encroachment of legislation on the sentencing discretion of the judiciary,

suspended sentences, aboriginal customary law, sentencing in magistrates’ courts, preventative detention, sentencing discounts and appeals against sentencing decisions.

The College is also organising a 360 degree feedback program, a program on jury management, a program on giving oral decisions and professional development modules for inclusion in court conferences.

Through its National Committee on Indigenous Justice, the College will work with court education committees and other judicial education bodies to develop programs to assist judges and magistrates to better understand indigenous cultural practices and to appropriately apply the law in indigenous communities.

2009 Conference of the International Organisation for the Training of the JudiciaryThe College is hosting the next Conference of the International Organization for the Training of the Judiciary in Sydney in October 2009.

The Organisation comprises judicial education bodies from over 60 countries. Its objectives are to encourage international cooperation in the training of judges and magistrates, to exchange information and to enable each country to learn from the experience of the other member countries. The Conference is a “supermarket” for judicial education which allows

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participants to hear about and adopt the latest developments in judicial education from around the world. Past conferences have been of high quality, both in content and presentation by judicial education specialists from around the world.

Strategic ReviewDuring the year the Council of the College initiated a review of the College’s operations to assess and improve the provision and quality of its services and to facilitate the expansion of its educational and international roles. Mr George Thomson of the Canadian National Judicial Institute visited Australia in February 2009 to conduct the review. He delivered his report in May 2009. The Council of the College is considering implementation of the review recommendations.

Judgment Writing AnthologyDuring the year the College distributed to all judicial officers in Australia an anthology, entitled “Judicial Decisions – crafting clear reasons”, of views on the preparation of decisions, written and oral. The contributions to the publication were collected from judicial

officers around Australia.

Commonwealth Sentencing DatabaseThe Commonwealth Sentencing Database is a joint project between the College, the Judicial Commission of New South Wales

and the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. It is funded by a grant from the Commonwealth Government.

The Database provides users with online access to statistical information in the form of graphs and tables on the range and frequency of penalties imposed by courts for Commonwealth criminal offences. The Australian National University College of Law has developed a component of the Database which provides concise commentary on sentencing principles for Commonwealth criminal offences.

NJCA website www.njca.com.au

The College website provides details about the College, its publications and contact details for inquiries. It also provides a calendar, based on information provided by Courts and other bodies around Australia, giving the dates and other information about all judicial professional development events around Australia.

Work is continuing on development of additional features of the College website including webpages to facilitate the College’s distance education programs, links to the Commonwealth Sentencing Database, an electronic library of unpublished articles on judicial professional development topics and train the trainer materials for presenters in College programs.



NJCA Council members May 2009: Back: Chief Justice Wayne Martin, Judge Thomas Wodak, Mr Robert Ellicott, Chief Magistrate Steven Heath,Front: Justice Susan Kenny, Justice Linda Dessau, Ms Renee Leon, Judge Margaret SidisAbsent: Justice Debra Mullins, Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill, Ms Kathy Leigh

In accordance with the College’s Constitution the Council monitors the College’s financial position, approves proposals in relation to programs and projects and makes decisions on all policy and major operational issues. The Council met on four occasions during the year.

College Administration 2008/2009

NJCA CouncilThe College’s Council is comprised of four judicial members, a member nominated by the Commonwealth Attorney General, and a member nominated by participating State and Territory Attorneys General. Members of the Council and their alternates are listed in Attachment A.

11ANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009

Consultative CommitteeThe College’s Constitution provides for a Consultative Committee to: (a) advise the Council as to how the College should meet the professional development needs of judicial officers; (b) advise the Council as to the perceived quality and value of the College’s programmes previously conducted; and (c) facilitate good communications between the College and judicial officers.

The members of the Committee are listed in Attachment A.

The seventh meeting of the Committee (including Council members, Council alternates and regional

convenors) was held in the Canberra in February 2009. Ms Jenny Green and Mr George Thomson facilitated a workshop in which Committee members contributed their views and proposals to the Strategic Review of the College. Ms Helen Burrows and Justice Susan Kenny of the Federal Court facilitated a discussion of how the College might undertake a wider role in overseas judicial education. The Committee also discussed programs held in 2008 and

programs proposed for 2009.

NJCA Consultative Committee meeting February 2009: Back: Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill, Mr Denis Eggington, Mr George Thomson, Mr John Mc Ginness, Mr Ian Gilbert, Ms Jenny Green, Mr Robert Ellicott, Magistrate Michael Barnes, Justice Trevor Riley, Magistrate Michael Hill, Ms Peta Spender, Mr Ken Martin, Mr Greg Reinhardt, Judge Margaret Sidis, Chief Magistrate Steven Heath, Judge Geoff Muecke.Middle: Ms Anne OConnell, Judge Christine Trenorden, Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic, Justice Linda Dessau, Judge Tom Wodak, Judge Julie Wager, Ms Renee Leon, Front: Justice Susan Kenny, Ms Kathy Leigh, Magistrate Hugh Dillon, Chief Justice Wayne Martin, Magistrate Daphne Kok, Magistrate Beth Campbell.


Regional ConvenorsRegional Convenors (listed in Attachment A) contributed significantly to the work of the College during the year by participation in program planning committees for events taking place in their States, advertising College programs to the judiciary and advising on College plans, policies and projects. Regional Convenors met by teleconference on four occasions during the year.

The College and the Australian National UniversityThe College is hosted by the Australian National University College of Law. Professor Peta Spender represented the ANU College of Law at the February 2009 meeting of the NJCA Consultative Committee. In February 2009 the NJCA joined the ANU College of Law in organising a successful national conference

“Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science ?”. Both organisations will build on this success by offering a national conference in Canberra in February 2010 on sentencing.

College funding

The College’s operating costs are met by annual contributions totaling $449,761 in 2008/2009 from the Commonwealth Government and the Governments of New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

Because government funding does not cover the cost of delivering programs, the College charges registration fees for the attendance by judicial officers at some of its programs. The fee varies according to the length of a program, the venue and the number of presenters involved. In 2008 /2009 the costs of programs (including venue and equipment hire, presenter travel and catering) exceeded fees received by the College by $37,918.

The College’s accounts are prepared by its accountants KPMG Australia and are audited annually by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. In accordance with the Corporations Act, the College’s annual financial statements are filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

College SecretariatThe College has a small secretariat comprising four permanent staff located in offices at the Australian National University in Canberra. The secretariat is primarily involved in the day to day planning, delivery and co-ordination of College programs and projects. It also services College meetings (of the Council, Regional Convenors, Consultative Committee and other College Committees), maintains the College’s financial and other systems and deals with correspondence and liaison with courts, government agencies and members of the public.


Communication with the CollegeInquiries can be directed to:

The Director National Judicial College of Australia PO Box 8102 ANU A.C.T. 2601

Telephone: (02) 6125 6655 Facsimile: (02) 6125 6651 Email: [email protected] Website: www.njca.com.au


Attachments

A NJCA Council members, Council alternates, Regional Convenors, Consultative committee members as at 30 June 2009

The Council The Council members as at 30 June 2009 were:

* Judge Thomas Wodak’s term as a Council member expired in April 2009 on his retirement

from the County Court of Victoria.

Chief Justice Wayne Martin

Supreme Court of Western Australia

Nominee of the Chief Justices of the State or Territory Supreme Courts and chair appointed by the Chief Justice of the High Court

Justice Linda Dessau Family Court of Australia

Nominee of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court and the Family Court

Nominee of the Chief Judges of the District or County Courts*

Chief Magistrate Steven Heath Magistrates Court of Western Australia

Nominee of the Chief Magistrates of the Federal Magistrates’ Court and Magistrates’ or Local Courts

Mr Robert Ellicott QC Nominee of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth

Ms Renee Leon Chief Executive, ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety

Nominee of the Attorneys General of the participating States and Territories

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Council AlternatesThe alternate members of the Council as at 30 June 2009 were:

Justice Debra Mullins Supreme Court Queensland

Justice Susan Kenny Federal Court of Australia

Judge Margaret Sidis District Court of New South Wales

Chief Magistrate Ronald Cahill OAM Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory

Ms Kathy Leigh Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department

Vacant

ANNUAL REPORT 2008 –09

Nominee of the Chief Justices of the State or Territory Supreme Courts

Nominee of the Chief Justices of the Federal and Family Court

Nominee of the Chief Judges of the District or County Courts

Nominee of the Chief Magistrates of the Federal Magistrates’ Court and Magistrates’ or Local Courts

Nominee of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth

Nominee of the Attorneys General of the participating States and Territories


Regional ConvenorsThe following were NJCA regional convenors as at 30 June 2009:

Australian Capital Territory Magistrate Beth Campbell

Magistrates Court of the ACT

New South Wales Magistrate Hugh Dillon

Local Court New South Wales

Northern Territory Justice Trevor Riley

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory

Queensland Magistrate Michael Barnes

Magistrates Court of Queensland

South Australia Judge Christine Trenorden

Environment Resources & Development Court of South Australia

Tasmania Magistrate Michael Hill

Magistrates’ Court Tasmania

Victoria Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic Magistrates Court of Victoria

Western Australia Judge Julie Wager

District Court of Western Australia


The Consultative CommitteeAs at 30 June 2009 the members of the Consultative Committee were the eight regional convenors and the following additional members:

Magistrate Daphne Kok Local Court of NSW

Professor Gregory Reinhardt

Mr Michael Colbran QC

Nominee of the Australian Association of Magistrates

Nominee of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration

Nominee of the Law Council of Australia

Professor Murray Raff University of Canberra

Professor Michael Coper Australian National University

Ms Janet Meagher AM Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association NSW

Mr Ian Gilbert Australian Bankers’ Association

Mr Dennis Eggington Aboriginal Legal Service WA

Judge Geoffrey Muecke District Court South Australia

Nominee of the Council of Law Deans

Nominee of the NJCA’s host institution

Nominees of the Attorneys General of the Commonwealth and participating States and Territories

Nominee of the Judicial Conference of Australia


Programs Advisory Committee

B Members of Policy CommitteesThe members of policy committees for the College during 2008/2009 were:

Supreme Court Queensland

Local Court NSW

Supreme Court South Australia

Federal Court of Australia

Court of Appeal Victoria County Court Victoria

Justice Debra Mullins

Magistrate Hugh Dillon

Chief Justice John Doyle AC (chair) Justice John Dowsett

Justice Murray Kellam AO

Judge Tom Wodak

Indigenous Justice Committee

Justice Roslyn Atkinson

Magistrate Kate Auty

Judge Sarah Bradley Magistrate Wendy Cull

Mr Dennis Eggington Chief Justice Robert French

Justice Stephen Kaye

Chief Justice Wayne Martin (chair)

Judge Stephen Norrish

Justice Trevor Riley

Justice Pierre Slicer

Justice John Sulan

Judge Mary-Ann Yeats

Ms Anne Wallace

Supreme Court Queensland

Magistrates’ Court Western Australia

District Court Queensland

Magistrates’ Court Queensland

Aboriginal Legal Service WA High Court of Australia

Supreme Court Victoria

Supreme Court Western Australia

District Court NSW

Supreme Court Northern Territory

Supreme Court Tasmania


District Court Western Australia

University of Canberra


Justice John Basten

Justice Linda Dessau Magistrate Michelle Pontifex Magistrate Ron Kilner

Justice Robyn Layton

Professor Kathy Mack

Justice Marcia Neave AO (chair)

Dr Mark Nolan

Gender Justice Committee

Court of Appeal NSW

Family Court of Australia Magistrates Court Western Australia Magistrates Court Queensland


Flinders University South Australia

Court of Appeal Victoria

Australian National University


C Members of Program Planning CommitteesThe members of planning committees for College Programs during 2008 /2009 were

National Judicial Orientation Program Steering CommitteeJustice Terry Buddin

Justice John Byrne

Justice Linda Dessau

Justice John Dowsett

Justice David Lloyd (chair)

Judge Geoff Muecke

Justice Paul Stein AM

Judge Thomas Wodak

Mr John McGinness

Ms Anne O’Connell

Professor Greg Reinhardt

Mr Ernest Schmatt PSM

Ms Ruth Windeler

Supreme Court of NSW

Supreme Court of Queensland

Family Court of Australia

Federal Court of Australia

Land & Environment Court of NSW

District Court of South Australia

Supreme Court of NSW

County Court of Victoria



Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration

Judicial Commission of NSW

Judicial Commission of NSW


“Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science ?” Conference Planning CommitteeProfessor Simon Bronitt Ms Christine Debono Ms Miriam Gani Dr Mark Nolan Justice Richard.Refshauge Mr Jim Robertson Mr Hugh Selby Mr Gregor Urbas Mr John Mc Ginness Ms Anne O’Connell

ANU College of LawANU College of LawANU College of Law ANU College of Law Supreme Court ACT Australian Academy of Forensic SciencesANU College of LawANU College of LawNational Judicial College of AustraliaNational Judicial College of Australia

Phoenix Magistrates Program Planning Committee

Chief Magistrate Steven Heath (chair)

Chief Magistrate Marshall Irwin#

Chief Magistrate Brendan Butler*

Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Bolton

# until September 2008

* from September 2008

Magistrates Court Western Australia

Magistrates Court Queensland

Magistrates Court Queensland

Magistrates Court of South Australia

Phoenix Judges Program Planning CommitteeJustice Philip Cummins

Chief Justice John Doyle AC

Justice Murray Kellam AO (chair)

Deputy Chief Justice John Faulks

Judge Wendy Wilmoth




Family Court of Australia

County Court Victoria


“Australian Justice System in 2020” Conference Planning CommitteeMagistrate Hugh Dillon Judge John Nicholson Justice Stephen Rothman Mr John Mc Ginness Ms Anne O’Connell

Local Court NSWDistrict Court NSWSupreme Court NSWNational Judicial College of AustraliaNational Judicial College of Australia


The College SecretariatThe administrative staff of the College as at 30 June 2009 were:

Mr John Mc Ginness

Ms Anne O’Connell

Ms Jane Avent

Ms Shojie Alicer

Mr Nathan Hall

Director

Deputy Director

Conference Co-ordinator

Executive Assistant

Casual Administrative Assistant

annual report 2008–09 - national judicial college of ......2009. over 200 judges and judicial...

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