Visiting judges to join Qld Court of Appeal

The Queensland Court of Appeal will undertake its seventh judicial exchange with the Western Australian Court of Appeal and its third exchange with the South Australian Court of Appeal in September and October.

From 8 to 19 September inclusive, Justice Bleby of the South Australian Court of Appeal will act as a Judge of Appeal in Queensland, while President Mullins of the Court of Appeal of Queensland will sit on appellate matters in South Australia.

From 7 to 17 October inclusive, Justice Hall of the Western Australia Court of Appeal will act as a Judge of Appeal in Queensland, while Justice Bond will sit on appellate matters in Western Australia.

Justice Bleby was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia and the South Australian Court of Appeal in 2020. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2012, and from 2014 to 2016 was the Crown Advocate for South Australia, before serving as the Solicitor-General of South Australia from 2016 to 2020. 

His Honour is currently a member of the Law Admissions Consultative Committee and the Legal Practitioners’ Education and Admissions Council. 

Justice Hall was appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2009, and as a judge of the Court of Appeal in 2022.

From 1986 to 1999, he was with the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions before joining the Independent Bar in Western Australia in 1999 practising in criminal, administrative, insolvency and company law as well as disciplinary tribunals and coronial inquests. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003.

He appeared as Counsel Assisting in the Finance Brokers Royal Commission in 2001 and the Police Royal Commission in 2002 to 2003 and was briefed in a similar role in a number of matters in the Corruption and Crime Commission. He was retained as National In-House Counsel for the Commonwealth DPP for several years and appeared as counsel in trials or appeals in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT.

The Supreme Court of Queensland’s Judicial Exchange Program started in 2019 as an opportunity for appellate judges to examine practices for listing, managing and hearing appeals in other jurisdictions through first-hand experience and also sitting with judges from other jurisdictions in Queensland.

It offers professional development as well as improving efficiencies in the administration of the appellate jurisdiction.