Ceremonial Sitting of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Court
Speech delivered by Juliana Warner, President of the Law Council of Australia, at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Sydney on 23 June 2025.
"May it please the Court.
Following from those who have come before me, I echo the acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Could I just say Mr Smith that your address was wonderful and deeply moving.
I also acknowledge Your Honour Chief Judge Alstergren AO; and The Attorney-General, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP – this is actually the first formal event I have had the pleasure of attending with the Attorney General since her appointment last month, so I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you in person. I would also like to acknowledge Australian Bar Association President, Roisin Annesley KC; NSW Bar Association Junior Vice President, Vanessa Whittaker SC; President of the Law Society of NSW, Jennifer Ball; all the other luminaries in court today; and dignitaries and colleagues.
First of all, let me commend those who led the establishment of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (Division 2) back in 1999 – or the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia as it was known – for having the foresight to ensure it commenced sitting in a nice round year – the year 2000 – so we can easily remember and note each passing year.
Today, in 2025, we come together to mark the 25th Anniversary of this venerable institution.
Until 2013, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia was known as the Federal Magistrates Court. The Federal Magistrates Court was created to deal with the increasing workload of the Federal Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia.
When the creation of the Magistrates Court was announced by then Attorney-General, the Hon Daryl Williams AM KC, its stated objective was to streamline procedures, reduce litigants’ costs and reduce the time taken to resolve disputes. It was expected that the new court would free up superior court judges and that the service would promote the use of alternative dispute resolution, which 25 years ago was still pretty trendy and a bit modern.
In his State of the Judicature speech is 2001, the Hon Murray Gleeson, then Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, called the establishment of the Federal Magistrates Court one of the most significant recent developments in our justice system.
He noted that in just the year or so since it commenced: “The court’s workload has expanded rapidly. In places where it sits regularly (capital cities and major regional centres) it receives between a quarter and a third of all family law applications, and most of the work of federal courts in bankruptcy and unlawful discrimination. ... It may be expected that the jurisdiction of the court will continue to expand.”
Well, it certainly has.
Today – as it has been essentially since its inception – the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) is the largest federal court in Australia and has broad federal jurisdiction in areas including family law, migration, fair work, bankruptcy, intellectual property, consumer law, human rights and administrative law. As so wisely predicted by Chief Justice Gleeson the caseload of this Court has continued evolve."
Read the full speech in the PDF link below.
Last Updated on 13/08/2025
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