The Federal Circuit Court of Australia welcomes the Government's appointment of Ms Allyson Ladhams, who will be based in the Perth registry, commencing 23 August 2021.
The Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, the Hon Will Alstergren said that the Court is pleased to receive the appointment of an additional judge to the Perth registry.
"On behalf of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, I am delighted to welcome Ms Allyson Ladhams to the Court. Allyson has enjoyed an impressive career, most recently as a solicitor at the Australian Government Solicitor, and I am confident that she will bring great energy and vigour to the role, as well as expertise in administrative law, migration and citizenship law, and other areas of law that traverse the Court's broad jurisdiction. The appointment of an accomplished young, female lawyer is to be commended," Chief Judge Alstergren said.
The Perth registry of the Federal Circuit Court currently has two presiding judges who deal exclusively with general federal law matters, which includes an exhaustive workload dominated by migration-related cases. Unlike in other Australian states and territories, the Federal Circuit Court does not deal with family law matters in Western Australia, as they are dealt with by the Family Court of WA.
Migration cases represents the largest area of the Court's general federal law jurisdiction, especially in the Perth registry. In 2019-20, the Court received 6,555 migration filings and finalised 4,045 migration applications. The nature of migration work leads to a larger number of written judgments than any other area of the Court's work.
"The appointment of an additional judge provides an extra, and much-needed, judicial resource to deal with the heavy workload.
"Allyson's appointment comes at a critical time for the Court as we prepare for the commencement of the new Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on 1 September 20201, which will be an amalgamation of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia.
"It is an exciting time in the Court's history as we strive to provide greater access to justice through a streamlined, and easy to navigate, federal court system," Chief Judge Alstergren added.
