Australian Public Service Gazette
Page: 35 of 334
No. PS19 - 10 May 2018
Duties
The Court has successfully implemented a number of important reforms through the National Court Framework (NCF). The
NCF is a fundamental reform of the Court and the way it operates. The key purpose of the NCF is to reinvigorate the Court's
approach to case management by further modernising the Court's operations so that the Court is better placed to meet the
demands of litigants and can operate as a truly national and international Court. The NCF reforms have focused on matters
relevant to the work undertaken by the judges of the Court, including the allocation of case work to judges on a national basis,
the organisation and management of the Court's work nationally through the introduction of nine National Practice Areas
(NPAs), the introduction of a national duty system and the reform of the Court’s practice and procedure through the introduction
of a suite of new practice notes, including the Central Practice Note. The Court is now extending the NCF (and its core
principles) to other broader and related areas of judicial and registrar work across both the FCA and the Federal Circuit Court
(FCC) (general federal law), in its aim to ensure an efficient, effective and nationally consistent approach to the allocation and
management of that work and to create opportunities for the advancement and career development of Judicial Registrars.
Judicial Registrars are registrars of the FCA and FCC and undertake a diverse range of work. In the FCA, Judicial Registrars
undertake work across all nine NPAs and sub-areas, primarily by conducting mediations, as well case management support,
such as conducting expert conferences. They also carry out delegated judicial functions in the area of corporations law,
presiding in Court over winding up and other corporations insolvency cases. In the FCC,
Judicial Registrars undertake similar work, including conducting mediations and presiding in Court over bankruptcy and
migration cases. In addition, some Judicial Registrars have separate appointments requiring them to undertake specific work
with various Courts or Tribunals such as the Registrar of the Australian Competition Tribunal and the Supreme Court of Norfo k
Island.
The Principal Judicial Registrar & National Operations Registrar (PJR) and the National Operations Team are responsible for
ensuring the proper implementation of the NCF and its ongoing functions. More particularly, the National Operations Team has
a number of key responsibilities as part of the implementation and operations of the NCF, including:
- assisting with the design and coherent operation of the NCF (across first instance and appellate work);
- the national allocation, management and workload analysis of all judicial and registrar general federal law work; and
- judicial support, including mediation and high level case management support.
The National Judicial Registrar & District Registrar (NJR) is a multi-faceted position and will play a critical role within the
reformed structure of the Court, both locally and nationally, including in the following areas:
- performing delegated judicial functions at a high level, including conducting complex mediations and case management;
- engaging with judges collaboratively at a local and national level to identify and perform critical work in support of judges for
the effective case management and disposition of proceedings;
- performing a leadership role for Judicial Registrars and legal support staff at a local and national level;
- supporting National Coordinating judges with the management of NPAs; and
- liaising with internal and external stakeholders in areas of Judicial Registrar practice, on a local and national basis.
In the respective registry, the NJR will undertake the statutory responsibilities and functions, in particular the leadership role, of
the “District Registrar” pursuant to the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth).
Eligibility
Competencies & Attr butes:
To undertake this role the successful applicant must have:
- extensive experience in high level civil litigation;
- a thorough understanding of how high level case management and complex mediations are undertaken;
- a detailed understanding of the jurisdiction and practices and procedures of the Federal Court and the FCC;
- a proven ability to: work autonomously and with the necessary authority and accountability in a senior role; manage multiple
respons bilities effectively and prioritise matters appropriately; and build and sustain positive relationships with a network of key
stakeholders internally and externally.
Formal Qualifications:
This position requires the occupant to perform statutory legal functions, as required, including conducting mediations and case
management. Therefore, legal qualifications and admission as a practitioner of the High Court and/or the Supreme Court of a
State or Territory of Australia is essential.
In addition, it is desirable for the applicant to:
- have an extensive experience in civil litigation (including exposure to high level case management) in superior courts of
Australia; and
- be accredited as a mediator with experience in conducting mediations.
Employment with the Court is subject to the terms and conditions in the Public Service Act 1999, and the following conditions:
1. Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must hold Australian citizenship;
2. National Police Check – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check, and may also be required to
complete security clearances during the course of their employment;
3. Health clearance – the successful applicant will be required to complete a health declaration and may be required to attend a
medical assessment to confirm their fitness for duty.
Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency are welcome to apply, but note that they
cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired.
Notes
