ATTORNEY-GENERAL HON ROBERT Mcclelland MP

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ATTORNEY-GENERAL HON ROBERT McCLELLAND MP MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday, 14 December 2010 APPOINTMENT TO THE FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA Attorney-General Robert McClelland today announced the appointment of Mr Colin Forrest as a Judge of the Family Court of Australia. “It is with pleasure that I announce Mr Forrest’s appointment to the Brisbane Registry of the Family Court,” Mr McClelland said. “Mr Forrest is very experienced in family law and his skills and expertise will be a great asset to the bench of the Family Court.” “I congratulate Mr Forrest on his appointment.” Mr Forrest holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales and was admitted as a barrister to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1987. From 1987 to 1988, Mr Forrest worked as an associate to the then President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, Justice Michael Kirby, and then as a solicitor at Goss Downey Carne between 1988 and 1989. Mr Forrest was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1990 and has practised predominately in family, child support and de facto relationships law, equity, wills and estate litigation. From 2001 to 2005, Mr Forrest served as Deputy Public Interest Monitor in Queensland, and has been Public Interest Monitor since 2005. Mr Forrest is also an approved mediator of the Supreme Court of Queensland. The appointment has been made in accordance with the Government’s transparent and merit based judicial appointments policy. All candidates were assessed by an advisory panel that comprised Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant, the Hon Ian Callinan AC, a former Judge of the High Court, the Hon Richard Chisholm AM, a former Judge of the Family Court, and a senior official of the Attorney-General’s Department. “Once again I have been impressed by the calibre of the expressions of interest and nominations received,” Mr McClelland said. Mr Forrest will take up his appointment in February 2011. Media Contact: Ryan Liddell 0427 225 763 Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 • Telephone (02) 6277 7300 • Fax (02) 6273 4102 www.attorneygeneral.gov.au .

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