Please check against delivery Ceremonial Sitting of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia – Judge Anna Bertone Speech delivered by Elizabeth Shearer, on behalf of the President of the Law Council of Australia, at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Brisbane. [...] I respectfully acknowledge that this ceremony takes place on the traditional lands of the Jagera and Turrbal peoples, here in Meanjin, by the banks of the river this morning, and pay deep respect to the Elders of this place, past and present, and extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today. [...] It is an honour to represent the Law Council of Australia and the Queensland Law Society at this morning’s ceremony to welcome Your Honour’s appointment and extend to you the congratulations and best wishes of the profession, nationally, and particularly here in Queensland. [...] Your dedication to your clients, your collegiate approach to your work, and your unfailing good sense and kindness have made this aspiration a reality in your practice prior to joining the bench. [...] You have also shown dedication and commitment to ensuring your life is not all about the law, and in addition to the many attributes you will bring to your role as a Judge, you bring a love of music, including an enthusiasm for karaoke, and an emerging talent as a pianist.
Authors
- Pages
- 3
- Published in
- Australia
Table of Contents
- Ceremonial Sitting of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Judge Anna Bertone 1
- Speech delivered by Elizabeth Shearer on behalf of the President of the Law Council of Australia at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Brisbane. 1
- 5 July 2024 1
- May it please the Court. 2
- Throughout your career your Honour has been a committed advocate not just for your clients but for the humane practice of family law. 2
- You have been committed to working in our family law system in a way that best supports those who turn to our profession and our courts during the most stressful and difficult of times. 2
- Your dedication to your clients your collegiate approach to your work and your unfailing good sense and kindness have made this aspiration a reality in your practice prior to joining the bench. 2
- You now bring to this busiest of Benches courtesy patience legal acuity and diligence that will serve those who come before you well. 2
- If I can offer any advice to those of us who may appear before you it is to demonstrate those same qualities of courtesy acuity and diligence so we do not try your patience. 2
- Your Honour has been an active member of our professional community and an advocate for women in the law as a former Committee Member of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland. 2
- Of course your greatest love is your family particularly your husband and children and I am sure they could not be more proud of you today. 2
- Fortunately for us those you will serve are the people of Queensland who I understand have your husband to thank as it was he who instigated your move from Perth to Brisbane. 2
- I know you have also credited your move to the pioneering spirit you inherited from your parents who emigrated even further from Italy to Australia in the 1970s. 2
- Your own pioneering spirit will have ample opportunity to contribute to the work of the Court as it navigates significant change to law and practice in the coming years. 3
- Your Honour on behalf of the legal profession I congratulate you on your appointment and look forward to witnessing what will no doubt be your valuable contribution to the administration of justice. 3
- May it please the court. 3
- This document remains the property of the Law Council of Australia and should not be reproduced without permission. Please contact the Law Council to arrange a copy of this speech. 3