Federal Court of Australia welcomes eight new judges, four from New South Wales

Federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, confirmed last week the appointment of eight new judges to the Federal Court of Australia.   

They are the Honourable Justice Samuel Vandongen from Western Australia; Cameron Moore SC, Nicholas Owens, James Stellios and Houda Younan SC from New South Wales; Elizabeth Bennet SC from Victoria; and Erin Longbottom KC and Amelia Wheatley KC from Queensland. 

The government says four of the appointments were made possible byfunds made available through the 2024-25 budget. Two of these were linked to reforms which increased the court’s capacity to resolve backlogs in migration and protection applications. The other two were included in a package to support legal outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

In a media release, Dreyfus said “these appointments follow an open call for expressions of interest across Australia.” 

Moore, Senior Counsel since 2011, and Owens, Senior Counsel since 2016, will commence in the New South Wales Registry on 18 December. While Stellios, a barrister since 2013, and Younan, Senior Counsel since 2020, will start their appointments a day later on 19 December. 

“I thank each new judge for their willingness to serve the people of Australia” concluded Dreyfus.