Judicial Council

What is our role?

The Judicial Council of Tasmania (the Council) is an independent statutory body that manages judicial complaints and supports a consistent, contemporary and accountable judicial system.

The role of the Council is to ensure Tasmanians have confidence that judicial officers – judges, magistrates and presidential tribunal members – are held accountable to high expectations of judicial behaviour.  Its functions are set out in the Judicial Commissions Act 2024.

What are our legal responsibilities?

The Judicial Council of Tasmania is responsible for:

• Receiving and examining complaints
• Referring certain complaints to a Judicial Commission, a relevant head of jurisdiction or another disciplinary body where appropriate
• Informing and educating people on the complaint process
• Making recommendations about the professional development, education or training for judicial officers
• Providing an Annual Report to Parliament
• Reporting some complaints to the Attorney-General

Who are we?

The Judicial Council has four members as required by the Judicial Commissions Act 2024.

Chief Justice

His Honour, Christopher Shanahan is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Tasmania and is the Head of the Council.

Chief Magistrate

Her Honour, Catherine Geason is the Chief Magistrate of the Magistrate’s Court in Tasmania and is a Member of the Council.

Mr Michael O’Farrell SC

Michael commenced legal practice in the Crown Law Department in 1984, undertaking criminal prosecutions, civil matters and providing advice.  He moved to private practice at Dobson Mitchell and Allport in 1986, and became a partner of the firm in 1990, working mainly in commercial litigation, administrative law and employment.

In 2002 he commenced practice as a barrister.  He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2009.  In 2014 he was appointed as Solicitor-General of Tasmania.  He retired from that position in December 2021, before returning to the bar in March 2022.

Michael has appeared in a considerable range of cases before Tasmanian courts and tribunals, the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court.  He has held a variety of positions in the service of the law, including President of the Tasmanian Bar from 2011 to 2013.  He is presently Chair of the Sentencing Advisory Council, Chair of the Disciplinary Tribunal, a member of the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute and a member of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Law Council of Australia. Michael is a Member of Council.

Major General Steven Smith AM CSC RFD (Retd)

Steven Smith is the Attorney General's non-judicial appointment to the Judicial Council. Steven is a retired Tasmanian State Servant with multi-agency experience across the domains of policy development, emergency management and senior level interagency coordination. He is also a retired senior officer in the Australian Army Reserve with extensive experience in command, leadership, and change management. Steven maintains a wide range of community involvement through voluntary committee membership, is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of St John Ambulance Tasmania and has undertaken specialist consultancy roles in emergency management for various departments and organisations.  Steven is a Member of Council.

Who supports the Judicial Council?

The Department of Justice provides staff and facilities that support the functions and the work of the Judicial Council.

When lodging a complaint this will be received by the Principal Officer, who will work with complainants and the Judicial Council to support the complaint process from start to finish.

Contact details for the Principal Officer are: