Former District Court Judge Richard Jones has been sworn in as a Queensland Civil Administrative Tribunal member.
QCAT President Justice Kerri Mellifont QC and her deputy, Judge Geraldine Dann, welcomed Mr Jones and acting Adjudicator Danae Younger to the tribunal during swearing-in ceremonies this week.
Justice Mellifont said Richard Jones had served as a judge of Queensland’s District Court and Planning and Environment Court for more than a decade – retiring from the bench on 15 October 2021.
Mr Jones was admitted to the Bar in 1985 and took on a role as a senior valuer and property manager for the then New South Wales Electricity Commission from 1985 to 1987.
“He was admitted as a barrister-at-law of the High Court and Federal Courts of Australia in 1987 and that same year joined the private Bar in Brisbane where he practised in the civil, family and industrial relations jurisdictions,” Justice Mellifont said.
“In the years following, his work focused largely in the civil jurisdiction with particular emphasis on compensation law and other litigation in the Land Court, Land Appeal Court and the Planning and Environment Court.
“In 2005 he was appointed as a member of the Land Court and remained in this position for the next five years, before being appointed to the bench in 2010 where he worked tirelessly as a judge of both the District Court and the Planning and Environment Court before retiring in 2021.”
QCAT President Justice Kerri Mellifont QC, right, and deputy Judge Geraldine Dann welcome barrister Danae Younger as a QCAT acting Adjudicator.
Justice Mellifont said barrister Danae Younger had also been appointed as an acting Adjudicator at QCAT.
“Ms Younger was admitted as a solicitor and worked in private practice, before working in government for the Crime and Misconduct/Corruption Commission and the Office of the Adult/Public Guardian,” she said.
“She started practising at the private Bar in 2016 principally in disciplinary, administrative and criminal matters for both prosecution and defence.
“Whilst at the Bar, she was also an adjunct lecturer for the College of Law and co-authored annotations to Carter’s Criminal Law of Queensland.”
The appointments come a fortnight after Justice Mellifont swore-in four new acting tribunal members – all women including two proud First Nations Australians.
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