Commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission
Former Federal Court Judge Anthony North KC (pictured) has been appointed as a Commissioner of Victoria’s formal truth telling process, the Yoorrook Justice Commission, replacing Professor Kevin Bell AM KC, who resigned from the Commission in October 2023.
Mr North has had a long and distinguished legal career, having served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia from 1995 to 2018. For the past four-and-a-half years he has been Chair of the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC), overseeing the VLRC’s reports on committals, contempt of court, inclusive juries and sexual offences and recklessness.
Acting Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission
The Hon Jennifer Coate AO has been appointed as Acting Chair of the VLRC while Mr North is serving as a Commissioner of Yoorrook.
Ms Coate has served as a VLRC Commissioner since 2020. Previously, she has been the President of the Children’s Court, the State Coroner and a Judge of the Family Court of Australia.
She was also one of six Commissioners on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and she led the Victorian Inquiry into Hotel Quarantine.
Read more on the Hon Jennifer Coate AO's appointment.
The College congratulates Mr North and Ms Coate on their new roles, as they both work towards continuous improvement of the justice system in Victoria.