Leading law experts convene in Melbourne for the 2nd Annual Commonwealth Law Conference
1 March 2024
Caption: Law Council President, Greg McIntyre SC opening the Commonwealth Law Conference.
The Federal Dispute Resolution Section of the Law Council hosted its 2nd Annual Commonwealth Law Conference in Melbourne last week. The event was a resounding success, with more than 140 guests attending the conference. The conference officially commenced with a welcome drinks event which attendees had the opportunity to network and discuss upcoming session topics.
Mr Greg McIntyre SC, Law Council President, opened the conference with a welcome address. President McIntyre’s address set the tone for the day, promising a program full of interesting, important, and timely topics led by legal experts.
In his speech, President McIntyre spoke about Australia’s court system and how there is still a need for additional funding.
“The community’s need for our courts, our demands on them, and our expectations of them has not diminished. It continues to grow every year. The community often underestimates the complexity and volume of matters which are before the courts.
Noting the pressures faced by our federal courts and tribunals, the Law Council made appropriate resourcing of these vital institutions a key recommendation in our recent Pre-Budget wish list, which we provided to the Commonwealth Government last month.
Courts and tribunals have undertaken to increase efficiency and achieve administrative savings, but these measures alone are not sufficient to address the current backlogs and high workloads that continue to affect them.
The Law Council remains of the view that the capacity of the federal courts to resolve matters both swiftly and fairly is being hindered by insufficient resourcing in the face of a broadening demand for their services.
Additional funding is necessary for the federal courts to efficiently process disputes and provide a fair outcome to participants.”
In addition, President McIntyre also highlighted the new Administrative Review Tribunal and the Law Council’s submission in response to the Administrative Review Tribunal Bill 2023 (Cth) and the Administrative Review Tribunal (Consequential and Transitional Provisions No. 1) Bill 2023 (Cth).
“Three bills related to establishment of the ART have been introduced to Parliament. Earlier this month, we made a submission regarding the first two bills.
While the ART will be similar in many ways to the AAT, the Bills have a lot of positive features which we think improve upon the current model, including:
- A transparent and merit-based appointment process;
- A simple membership structure with clear roles and responsibilities for each position;
- Powers for the ART President to manage the performance and conduct of members and to respond flexibly to changing caseloads; and
- A guidance and appeals panel, which will enable the escalation of systemic issues for second tier review and increase consistency in significant ART decisions. The Bills will also re-establish the Administrative Review Council, which will play an important function of monitoring the integrity of the administrative review system, inquiring into systemic issues and overseeing education and training for Commonwealth officials. This is something that the Law Council has repeatedly called for.”
Other key speakers from the conference included the Hon Chief Justice Debra Mortimer, Federal Court of Australia; the Hon Justice Catherine Button, Federal Court of Australia; the Hon Justice Emilios Kyrou AO, President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT); the Hon Paul Brereton AM RFD SC, Commissioner, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC); the Hon Justice John Dixon, Former Judge, Supreme Court of Victoria; and many more.
Last Updated on 20/06/2024