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NSW Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton has announced that 11 new magistrates will join the bench of the NSW Local Court, in a move that will see the largest appointment of new magistrates in decades.
Seven of the 11 new magistrates specialise in criminal law and four specialise in civil law. They are Imad Abdul-Karim, Rodney Brender, George Breton, Kathy Crittenden, Cate Follent, James Gibson, Susan Horan, Jennifer Price, Julie Soars, Brett Thomas and Julia Virgo.
“I congratulate all the appointees, who will make an enormous contribution to justice in the Local Court, which is the engine room of our justice system,” Ms Upton said.
“The appointments also bring NSW another step closer to gender equality on the Local Court bench, with women now accounting for 62 of the state’s 140 magistrates.”
The appointments followed the Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services. According to the report, the Local Court has had the lowest backlog of any comparable jurisdiction in Australia for more than a decade.
NSW Local Court Chief Magistrate, Judge Graeme Henson, said the appointment of the additional magistrates was “critical”.
“When matters are dealt with efficiently, it reduces stress and uncertainty for victims and defendants and allows witnesses to give evidence while the incident is still fresh in their minds,” Judge Henson said.
The 11 new magistrates will be sworn in at a series of ceremonies in the first quarter of 2017.
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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