Geoffrey Kennett and Belinda Baker have been appointed two new resident judges to the ACT Supreme Court.
Mr Kennett will begin his appointment on 21 March, while Ms Baker starts in December.
“The Court welcomes these outstanding appointments,” said Chief Justice Lucy McCallum. “Mr Kennett and Ms Baker are both known for their huge intellects, their astute legal analysis, and their prodigious capacity for hard work. With our full complement of six judges, the Court is well placed to take on the challenges ahead.”
Their appointments will bring the ACT Supreme Court to a full complement of six ongoing judicial officers, ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said.
“Mr Kennett has particular expertise in civil and administrative law and Ms Baker has particular expertise in criminal law. Their skills and experience will complement the existing judiciary, and bring the court back to a full bench.”
Mr Kennett has more than 30 years’ legal experience, and worked in Canberra from 1985 to 1998, before moving to Sydney to practice at the bar. He was called to the Bar in 1998, and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2010. He has particular expertise in civil and administrative law, constitutional law, customs, revenue, and native title. Mr Kennett completed a degree in law (with Honours) at ANU, and gained a Master of Public Law in 1993. He is the Chair of the Administrative Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia, and is a member of its Constitutional Law Committee.
He will fill the vacancy left by Justice Burns, who retired from the Court in August last year, having served for more than 30 years in the ACT Courts.
Ms Baker, who has legal experience spanning over 20 years, was admitted as a legal practitioner in NSW in 2000. She is the Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor with the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, and has appeared in more than 200 criminal appeals since 2016, including in the High Court.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1999 and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 2004. She has appeared as an advocate on behalf of the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions in various appeals in the Court of Criminal Appeal, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court of NSW. Before coming to the DPP, Ms Baker was a barrister in private practice, a Solicitor Advocate in the Crown Solicitor’s Office, Counsel Assisting the Solicitor General and Crown Advocate, and an Associate to Sackville J in the Federal Court.
She will replace Justice Michael Elkaim when he retires in December this year. Justice Elkaim has served as a Judge of the ACT Supreme Court since July 2016; previously, he served eight years as a District Court judge of NSW.
Andrew Muller, president of the ACT Bar Association, welcomed the announcement.
“The ACT Bar looks forward to working with Mr Kennett and Ms Baker, and congratulates them on their appointments,” he said. “They will each add significantly to the breadth of expertise in our Supreme Court.”
