Attorney General John Quigley has appointed barrister Lisa Campbell-Tovey and Supreme Court Registrar Natalie Whitby as judges of the District Court of Western Australia.
Ms Tovey has been a legal practitioner for almost 30 years. She joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a prosecutor in 1996 before becoming a barrister at John Toohey Chambers in 2003.
Ms Tovey was a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, has held positions on the Osteopaths Registration Board of WA and is a member of the Legal Aid Review Committee.
She has lectured at Notre Dame University and College of Law in evidence and administrative law.
Ms Whitby has been a Registrar of the Supreme Court for 11 years and has acted as a Master and Principal Registrar for that Court. She holds a commission as an acting Magistrate, exercised in serious criminal matters.
She was admitted to practice in 1996 and became a Senior Associate at Freehills until 2010. Ms Whitby has taught civil procedure and commercial law at the University of WA.
Ms Tovey and Ms Whitby will fill vacancies left by the resignations from the District Court of His Hon. Ronald Birmingham and His Hon. Simon Freitag.
The two women will take up their new positions on June 9, 2021.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"I congratulate Ms Tovey and Ms Whitby on their appointments and welcome them to the judiciary.
"Ms Tovey is an experienced advocate in administrative and criminal law. She is also accomplished in Coronial Inquests, disciplinary proceedings and Constitutional Law.
"Ms Whitby is a qualified mediator and experienced in dispute resolution.
"As a Registrar of the Supreme Court she has performed many complex and difficult mediations, as well as public examinations under the Corporations Act.
"Both Ms Tovey and Ms Whitby will be strong assets at the District Court."
