From 1 July 2016, the Courts Administration Legislation Amendment Act 2016 designated the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court, together with the Federal Court of Australia, a single statutory agency for the purposes of the Public Service Act 1999.
Heads of jurisdiction continue to be responsible for managing the administrative affairs of their respective courts (excluding corporate services), with assistance from a CEO and Principal Registrar.
All staff are employed by the Federal Court entity under the Public Service Act 1999, regardless of which court or tribunal they work for or provide services to.
The total staffing number for the combined entity, as at 30 June 2021, was 1,157 employees. This includes 781 ongoing and 376 non-ongoing employees.
Staff providing direct support to the Federal Circuit Court (numbers of which are included in the total number above) include:
- 139 judicial support staff providing support to judges of the Federal Circuit Court
- 69 registrars providing direct support to the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court, and
- 106 family consultants providing direct support to the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court.
At 30 June 2021, there were 66 judicial positions in the Federal Circuit Court, including the Chief Judge. Judges’ numbers are not included in the overall entity staffing number.
For more information about staffing see Part 4 (Management and accountability) and Appendix 9 (Staffing profile) of the Federal Court of Australia’s 2020–21 annual report.
