High Court and Federal Judicial Officers Get A Pay Rise...

The Remuneration Tribunal has awarded a 3 per cent pay rise to High Court and Federal Court judicial officers. However, it is expected that more rises might be on the way.

The salaries for judges are pretty good, but with increasing workloads and demands a 3 per cent pay rise might not be enough, particularly if the government is trying to attract high calibre people to the bench. For many judges coming out of private or public practice of the law quiet often means a considerable salary sacrifice, making the move a labour of love as much as anything else.

So, the 3 per cent rise takes the base salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court to a respectable AUD 446,580 annually. The Chief Justices of the Federal and Family Courts see their base salaries rise to AUD 378,170 annually.

This pay rise should also see the salaries of Supreme Court judges rise in each of the states. Supreme Court judges earn a salary pegged at 85 per cent of that earned by a High Court justice.

I do not have a problem with judges getting a pay rise as most of them more than earn it.

The Age of Magistrates -- Does It Matter?

How young is too young? Or perhaps the question should really be how much experience is enough in order to be appointed a magistrate in NSW. This is a question that seems to have struck a chord in NSW with the recent appointment of Ellen Skinner as a magistrate at the age of 33.

Personal opinion, age is but a number. If the committee that selected her and recommended her for appointment believe that she has the skills and qualifications necessary to do the task, then so be it. It does not matter that she is 33 as it would not matter if she was 43, 53, or 63.

The appointment has drawn the ire of the NSW opposition who claim that the process is not transparent and the criteria for appointment are unclear. So, this appointment seemingly represents a case of providing someone the inside running to a career on the bench. This is nothing short of a little bit of grandstanding. By all accounts, Skinner is an accomplished lawyer and a worthy appointment.

The appointment makes Skinner the youngest ever person appointed to the bench as a magistrate in NSW.

Good luck to her and may she have a long and successful career on the bench.