The Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC MP today announced the appointments of nine Judges to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (the Court).
Mr Philip Corbett KC, Ms Amanda Coulthard, Ms Kate Cuthbertson SC, Mr Arran Gerrard, Mr Val Gostencnik, Ms Sheila Kaur-Bains, Mr Bernard McCabe, Mr Peter Papadopoulos, and Ms Rania Skaros have been appointed across the Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Parramatta and Adelaide Registries. They commence on 5 August 2024.
Funding for these appointments was announced as part of the Commonwealth Government’s 2023-24 MYEFO which provides the Court with additional resources to assist with efficiently resolving migration cases.
Chief Judge, the Honourable William Alstergren AO, said that the announcement of nine appointments to the Court is greatly welcomed.
“On behalf of the Court, I congratulate all of our new judges on their appointment to the Bench.
“The migration-related workload represents the second largest area of the Court’s work after family law. Due to unprecedented increases in filing volumes over a number of years, the Court’s pending migration caseload doubled, and as such, these judicial resources will help the Court to reduce the current pending caseload.
“In addition, the Court will be implementing a range of other initiatives that will provide better access to justice for migration applicants, a large proportion of whom are unrepresented and require interpreter assistance,” the Chief Judge said.
Biographical details:
Mr Philip Corbett KC
Mr Philip Corbett KC has been appointed to the Melbourne Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Mr Corbett was admitted to the Bar in 1993 and appointed as King’s Counsel in 2012. Mr Corbett has practised in commercial, construction and property law in all jurisdictions and has regularly appeared as counsel at royal commissions, public examinations, disciplinary proceedings, internal reviews and regulatory investigations. Mr Corbett is a Sessional Member of the National Sports Tribunal and completed his National Accredited Mediator training in 2023.
Ms Amanda Coulthard
Ms Amanda Coulthard has been appointed to the Brisbane Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Ms Coulthard holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland and a Masters of Law from Bond University. Ms Coulthard was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 1982, practising as Special Counsel in a national and boutique law firm specialising in workplace relations and employment law. In 2010, Ms Coulthard was called to the bar, where she practised across areas of workplace relations and employment law. Ms Coulthard has also held the position of Associate Professor at the Bond University Faculty of Law.
Ms Kate Cuthbertson SC
Ms Kate Cuthbertson SC has been appointed to the Melbourne Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Ms Cuthbertson was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne in 1993 and a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Tasmania in 1998. Ms Cuthbertson was admitted as a solicitor in 1999 where she worked with the Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania. Ms Cuthbertson was called to the bar in 2010 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2022, where she practised across areas of professional discipline, estate, commercial, administrative, environmental, personal injury and professional indemnity matters.
Mr Arran Gerrard
Mr Gerrard graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from Curtin University in 1993 and a Bachelor of Laws from Murdoch University in 1999. Mr Gerrard was admitted to practice in 2000. He has worked in the Australian Government Solicitor’s office since 2003, where he is currently a Senior Executive Lawyer.
Mr Val Gostencnik
Mr Val Gostencnik has been appointed to the Melbourne Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Mr Gostencnik is the Deputy President of the Fair Work Commission. Prior to this appointment in April 2013, Mr Gostencnik was the Practice Group Leader of the National Workplace Relations Practice Group at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Mr Gostencnik was awarded a Bachelor of Economics from La Trobe University in 1985, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Monash University in 1994 and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations from Victoria University of Technology in 1989.
Ms Sheila Kaur-Bains
Ms Sheila Kaur-Bains has been appointed to the Sydney Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Ms Kaur-Bains was awarded a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Warwick in 1988 and was admitted as a solicitor in 1991 where she worked at Clifford Chance in London and as a Senior Associate at Ashurst and King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney. Ms Kaur-Bains was called to the Bar in 1996, where she practised across a wide range of matters including taxation law, administrative law, bankruptcy law, consumer law, class actions, family law and migration matters.
Mr Bernard McCabe
Mr Bernard McCabe has been appointed to the Sydney Registry to fill a newly funded migration position. Mr McCabe is the Deputy President and Head of the Taxation & Commercial Division and the Small Business Taxation Division at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Prior to being appointed as Deputy President in 2016, Mr McCabe was first appointed as a part-time member of the Tribunal in 2001 and a full-time Senior Member in 2003. Mr McCabe was previously as Associate Professor of Law at Bond University.
Mr Peter Papadopoulos
Mr Peter Papadopoulos has been appointed to fill a newly funded migration position and will sit in the Sydney registry. Mr Papadopoulos was awarded a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne and was admitted as a solicitor in 1996. Between 1997 and 2000, Mr Papadopoulos worked as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons and Gadens Lawyers. Since 1997, Mr Papadopoulos has been a registered migration agent where he has run his own specialist migration law practices. In 2022, Mr Papadopoulos was appointed as a Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Ms Rania Skaros
Ms Skaros graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University in 1999. Ms Skaros was admitted to practice in 2001. She has been a member or senior member of the Migration and Refugee Review Tribunal and subsequently the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, from 2011 onwards.
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