Annual report [1997-98] - Family Court of Australia

The Family Court of Australia – annual report 1997-98
Judiciary
There were five judicial appointments and five judicial retirements during the year under
review. At 30 June 1998 the Court consisted of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice,
50 judges and eight judicial registrars, two of whom work on a part-time basis. The Family
Law (Judges) Regulations prescribe the maximum number of judges in addition to the
Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice as being 54.
During the year, Justices Peter Underhill of the Brisbane Registry, John Gun and Doreen
Bulbeck both of the Adelaide Registry, Peter Hase of the Melbourne Registry and Rodney
Purvis of the Parramatta Registry retired after many years of distinguished service with the
Court – a total of 88 years between them. Justice Anthony Graham from the Melbourne
Registry will retire in early July 1998.
Justice John Jerrard was appointed a judge of the Court on 2 March 1998 and sits in the
Brisbane Registry. Justice Jerrard was admitted to practise as a barrister in Queensland in
1970 and held various appointments with the Solicitor General’s office and also as a Crown
Prosecutor. His Honour was awarded a Master of Laws degree from London University
and held a commission as an acting judge of the District Court of Queensland in 1991. He
took silk in 1992 and was a member of the Criminal Law Division of the Litigation Reform
Commission. He was appointed President of the Queensland Community Corrections
Board during 1997. Justice Jerrard replaces Justice Peter Underhill who retired in January
1998.
Justice John Steele was appointed a judge of the Court in December 1997 and sits in the
Sydney Registry. His Honour was admitted to practise as a solicitor in New South Wales
in 1965, joined the Bar in 1975 and took silk in 1992. He had the distinction of being the
last Queen’s Counsel to be appointed in New South Wales. His Honour was the replacement
for Justice Butler who sat in Tasmania and retired in June 1997.
Justice Doreen Bulbeck, who retired in January 1998, was replaced by Justice Rodney Burr
who was appointed a judge of the Court on 2 April 1998. Justice Burr was admitted to practise
as a solicitor in South Australia in 1971. His Honour has held many appointments on
committees and associations including past-president (1987-88) of the Law Society of
South Australia, Member of the Board of Management of the Australian Institute of Family
Studies, various committees of the Law Society of South Australia and is also a former
chairman of the Law Council of Australia’s Family Law Section. Justice Burr achieved
international prominence by co-organising the first two International Congresses on
Family Law and the Rights of the Child, the first of which was held in Sydney in 1993 and
the second in San Francisco in 1997.
Justice John Barlow was appointed a judge of the Family Court of Western Australia in
February 1998 and a judge of the Family Court of Australia in July 1998. His Honour was
admitted to practise as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia
in 1968. His Honour practised mainly in the area of family law for the next 20 years until
he was appointed as a judge of the District Court of Western Australia in 1988. His Honour
has been actively involved in many committees and associations including membership of
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