Philip Burchardt and John O’Sullivan will take up appointments on 10 July this year and will be based in Melbourne. They are among the six additional Federal Magistrates to be appointed as part of the Government’s workplace relations reforms. David Halligan and Heather Riley join them in this prestigious position.

Federal Attorney General Philip Ruddock last week congratulated the new appointees, noting that they would increase the quality of each role. “[They] bring to their new positions high level skills, experience and expertise,” he said.

Burchardt has practised as a barrister in Victoria since 1989 and is a qualified arbitrator and mediator. He was previously a senior industrial officer with the Australian Universities Industrial Association, and assistant general-secretary of the Federated Australian University Staff Association).

O’Sullivan was admitted to practice in Victoria in 2000. He has been a senior adviser to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations since 2003 and has worked as a lawyer with Telstra Corporation Limited and as a solicitor at Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Another of the appointments, Halligan, was admitted to practice in 1974, and has been a Judicial Registrar with the Parramatta registry of the Family Court of Australia since 1991. Halligan will take up his appointment on 31 July this year, and is to be based in Parramatta. He will fill the vacancy left by the appointment of Federal Magistrate Judy Ryan to the Family Court of Australia.

Riley, the fourth appointment, has practised as a barrister in Victoria since 1998, and is an accredited mediator. She was previously a solicitor with the Australian Government Solicitor, where her work included appearances in the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court. Riley will take up her appointment on 3 July this year and will be based in Melbourne. She will do both family law and general federal law work.