Federal Court of Australia

In Melbourne, the Federal Court is housed with other federal courts such as the High Court and the Federal Magistrates Court in the Federal Court Building on the corner of La Trobe Street and William Street

The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single Judges. The Court includes an appeal division referred to as the Full Court comprising three Judges, the only avenue of appeal from which lies to the High Court of Australia. In the Australian court hierarchy, the Federal Court occupies a position equivalent to the Supreme Courts of each of the states and territories. In relation to the other Courts in the federal stream, it is equal to the Family Court of Australia, and superior to the Federal Magistrates' Court. It was established in 1976 by the Federal Court of Australia Act.

The Chief Justice of the Federal Court is Patrick Keane.

Original jurisdiction

The Federal Court has no inherent jurisdiction. Its jurisdiction flows from statute. The Court's original jurisdiction include matters arising from Commonwealth legislation such as, for example, matters relating to taxation, trade practices, native title, intellectual property, industrial relations, corporations, and bankruptcy.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} The Court also exercises appellate jurisdiction in appeals from State Supreme Courts in some federal matters.^{[citation needed]}

Current Judges of the Federal Court

Judges based in Sydney

• Arthur Emmett (3 February 1997)
• Margaret Stone (9 October 2000)
• Garry Downes (2 April 2002) President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
• Peter Jacobson (17 June 2002)
• Annabelle Bennett (5 May 2003)
• Richard Edmonds (5 May 2005)
• Steven Rares (2 February 2006)
• Dennis Cowdroy (13 March 2006)
• Robert Buchanan (8 September 2006)
• Geoffrey Flick (15 October 2007)
• Nye Perram (8 August 2008)
• Jayne Jagot (3 September 2008)
• Lindsay Foster (4 September 2008)
• John Nicholas (16 November 2009)
• David Yates (30 November 2009)
• Anna Katzmann (1 February 2010)
• Alan Robertson (18 April 2011)

Judges based in Melbourne

• Peter Gray (17 May 1984)
• Shane Marshall (17 July 1995)
• Anthony North (3 October 1995)
• Geoffrey Giudice (17 September 1997) President, Australian Industrial Relations Commission
• Susan Kenny (16 October 1998)
• Christopher Jessup (23 June 2006)
• Richard Tracey (24 July 2006)
• John Middleton (7 August 2006)
• Michelle Gordon (20 April 2007)
• Mordecai Bromberg (7 December 2009)
• Julie Dodds-Streeton (1 February 2010)
• Bernard Murphy (13 June 2011)

Judges based in Brisbane

• Chief Justice Patrick Keane (22 March 2010)
• John Dowsett (14 September 1998)
• Andrew Greenwood (4 August 2005)
• Berna Collier (8 February 2006)
• John Logan (27 September 2007)
• John Reeves (15 October 2007; based in Darwin until March 2009)

Judges based in Perth

• Antony Siopis (14 April 2005)
• John Gilmour (11 December 2006)
• Neil McKerracher (15 October 2007)
• Michael Barker (9 February 2009)

Judges based in Adelaide

• Paul Finn (3 July 1995)
• John Mansfield (2 September 1996)
• Bruce Lander (14 July 2003)
• Anthony Besanko (3 April 2006)

Judge based in Canberra

• Terence Higgins (1 July 1990) (also Chief Justice, ACT Supreme Court)

See also

• List of Judges of the Federal Court of Australia

External links

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