2021-11-23
Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury today announced Justice Lucy McCallum will become the next Chief Justice of the ACT Supreme Court.
Attorney-General Rattenbury said the eminent jurist comes to the ACT after an extensive legal career, having been appointed as a judge of the NSW Supreme Court in 2008 and the NSW Court of Appeal in January 2019.
“This appointment follows an extensive search which drew a high-calibre field,” Attorney-General Rattenbury said. “Her legal career spans more than 30 years and has cemented her standing in the Australian legal profession. I welcome her appointment.”
Justice McCallum started her legal career in NSW in 1986 after graduating from North Sydney Girls’ High School and going on to the University of NSW to complete her law degree. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Justice McCallum had a connection to Canberra having worked here as a prosecutor from 1988 to 1990.
Justice McCallum is expected to start her new role as the sixth Chief Justice of the ACT Supreme Court in March 2022.
“I am very excited to be returning to the ACT to take on this role,” Justice McCallum said. “I’m looking forward to working with Canberra’s judges and magistrates and the broader legal community to build on the achievements of Chief Justice Murrell and cement the Territory’s reputation as a place of excellent jurisprudence.”
Attorney-General Rattenbury also thanked the outgoing Chief Justice Helen Murrell, who was the ACT’s first female Chief Justice.
“Chief Justice Murrell has steered the ACT Supreme Court for the last eight years and all Canberrans owe her a debt of gratitude for her outstanding contributions to the ACT’s system of justice,” he said.
Chief Justice Murrell announced her retirement earlier this year and will finish her term in March 2022.