List of judges of the Federal Court of Australia


Judges who have served on the Federal Court of Australia as of 2019, are appointed in accordance with section 72 of the Constitution, which has, since the Court's inception in 1976, been for a term expiring at age 70.
In addition to their judicial service, six judges of the Federal Court have also been elected to the Parliament of Australia: Nigel Bowen, Bob Ellicott, Merv Everett, Tony Whitlam, John Reeves and Duncan Kerr. All were elected prior to their appointment to the bench.
Additionally, two judges of the Federal Court have served in state Parliaments: Bernard Riley, formerly of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and Howard Olney, formerly of the Western Australian Legislative Council.

Judges including Chief Justices

PositionNameAppointment
commenced		Appointment
ended		TermCommentsNotes
Chief Judge in Equity of the Supreme Court
Barrister
Court of Appeal Judge in the Supreme Court
Appointed to the High Court
' Previously President of the Court of Appeal
previously served as Federal Court judge
Appointed to the High Court
Judge of the Supreme Court
Chief Judge of the Supreme Court
Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Judge of the Supreme Court
1 April 197726 July 1982Appointed to the High Court
4 April 197731 December 1986Appointed to the High Court
7 November 197714 November 1985
6 March 197831 July 1989
11 March 197830 July 2000
17 May 197831 August 1998
30 October 197811 June 1999
9 December 197923 May 1997
11 March 19801 July 1990
11 February 19811 February 1993Judge of the Supreme Court
2 March 198124 February 1983
25 November 198130 June 1984
1 November 19825 June 1997
11 March 19838 January 1995
30 March 198323 September 1984Appointed to NSW Court of Appeal
then to High Court
30 May 198311 February 2005Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
11 May 19842 October 2006Chief Justice of Industrial Relations Court
Judge of the Supreme Court
Additional Judge of the Supree Court
17 May 198417 May 2013Judge of Industrial Relations Court
17 May 198419 July 2010Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
27 June 19844 October 1987
25 March 198516 December 1991
3 June 198510 October 2000
18 June 198530 September 2002
15 November 198526 May 1987
29 September 19862 June 2011Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
24 November 198620 April 1995Appointed to the High Court
25 November 19861 September 2008Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
Appointed to Chief Justice of the High Court
18 December 198616 April 2001
13 August 198724 April 1990
2 November 198726 November 1998
1 February 198831 May 2004
15 February 19881 May 2006Judge of Industrial Relations Court
21 May 198830 April 2003
1 December 198815 August 2003Judge of Industrial Relations Court
1 February 198924 August 2005
1 July 19905 March 2002
14 August 199017 December 1991
1 August 198928 January 2003
1 July 199012 September 2013
17 December 199016 February 2009
2 December 199112 April 2003
30 March 199214 March 2005
1 January 199328 April 1996Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Appointed to Court of Appeal
1 January 19931 May 2005
13 December 19931 August 2004
28 March 19941 August 2011Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
16 May 199413 October 2008
4 July 19946 April 2001
26 July 199412 February 2010
29 August 199430 March 2009Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
19 September 199425 August 2008
17 October 19943 September 2007Judge of the Supreme Court
Appointed to the High Court
1 January 19957 August 2007
3 July 19954 July 2012
10 July 19959 August 2010
17 July 199521 November 2015Judge of Industrial Relations Court
3 October 199510 September 2001
3 October 199521 April 2008Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
3 10 199511 9 2018Judge of Industrial Relations Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
5 February 199615 May 2006
2 September 199624 August 2016
3 February 19976 March 2013
3 February 19974 July 2010
21 July 19971 July 2011
17 September 199728 February 2012President of AIRC & then Fair Work Australia
15 July 199819 July 2008Judge of the Court of Appeal
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
14 September 199826 April 2018Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
previously a Judge of the Supreme Court.
30 September 199821 March 2002
2 October 19981 October 2005
'16 October 1998Presidential member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Previously a judge of the Court of Appeal
11 June 199922 August 2008Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
15 August 200015 August 2007
9 October 200022 March 2012Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
7 May 20012 June 2008As Justice. Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
Appointed President of the Court of Appeal
returned to court as Chief Justice
2 April 200215 May 2012Judge of the Supreme Court
17 June 200225 January 2015Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
18 November 200210 April 2005
5 May 200323 March 2016Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
14 July 200331 August 2013Judge of the Supreme Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
3 February 20041 November 2005Appointed to the High Court
14 April 20055 5 2018Presidential member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
5 May 200510 February 2016
24 May 20056 September 2010
'4 August 2005Presidential member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
30 November 200524 January 2007
'2 February 2006Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
'8 February 2006Judge of the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court
Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
13 March 200615 March 2014
'3 April 2006Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court
Prefiously a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia
23 June 200615 4 2017
24.07.200616 8 2018
'31 July 2006
8 September 200610 September 2016Judge of the Supreme Court
11 December 200623 March 2018Judge of the Supreme Court
20 April 20078 June 2015Appointed to the High Court
' 27 September 2007
'15 October 2007
'15 October 2007
'19 November 2007
' 8 August 2008
'3 September 2008
' 4 September 2008
9 2 200911 2 2019
'16 2 2009
'30 November 2009
'7 December 2009
1 February 20101 April 2014
' 1 February 2010
'
'
' President of Fair Work Commission
'
' President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Previously member of the House of Representatives and Attorney-General
'-
31 3 2018
'
'
'
'
'Judge of the Supreme Court
'
'
'
20 April 201529 January 2017Appointed to the High Court
'24 August 2015
'3 November 2015
'29 February 2016
'1 March 2016
'
'1 February 2017
'27 3 2017
'29 3 2017
'27 6 2017President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Previously a Judge of the Supreme Court
'10 1 2018President of the Australian Law Reform Commission
'1 2 2018
'12 2 2018Previously a Judge of Supreme Court
'13 2 2018
'14 2 2018
'3 10 2018
'1 2 2019
'25 2 2019
'26 2 2019
'20 3 2019
'29 4 2019
'6 5 2019
'7 5 2019

Location of current judges

;Sydney
;Melbourne
;Brisbane
;Perth
;Adelaide
;Hobart
See also