NO.036

AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION TRIBUNAL APPOINTMENTS

I am pleased to announce a number of appointments to the Australian

Competition Tribunal, which will substantially increase the amount of resources

available to this important institution.

Firstly, the appointment of the President of the Tribunal, Justice

Alan Goldberg, has been changed from part time to full time for the remainder

of his term ending on 29 July 2008.

Justice Goldberg has been a judge of the Federal Court of Australia

since 1997, and has been serving as President of the Tribunal since 30 July

2003. I thank him for his previous dedication to this position and his commitment

to the future work of the Tribunal.

In addition, I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new

Deputy Presidents to the Tribunal, Justice Robert French, of Perth, and Justice

Raymond Finkelstein, of Melbourne, both for a period of five years. I look forward

to them both making a strong contribution to the Tribunal’s work.

Justice French has been a judge of the Federal Court since 1986,

and served as President of National Native Title Tribunal from 1994 to 1998.

Justice Finkelstein has served as a judge of the Federal Court

since 1997, and was appointed Queens Counsel in 1986. He was also acting Victorian

Solicitor General in 1992.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my sincerest

condolences to the family and friends of the late Justice Richard Cooper. I

am sad for their loss and I pay tribute to the great service that Justice Cooper

did, both in his role with the Tribunal and in his work for the Federal Court

in its native title jurisdiction.

These appointments will increase the number of people holding

appointments to the Tribunal to 14, consisting of a full-time President, and

five Deputy Presidents and eight general members contributing on a part time

basis as required.

BACKGROUND

The Tribunal was created in 1966 as the Trade Practices Tribunal.

It was renamed the Australian Competition Tribunal in 1995. The Tribunal’s

core function is to review a range of decisions under the Trade Practices

Act 1974.

The Tribunal consists of presidential members — who must

be federal judges — and other members who must be qualified by virtue

of their ‘knowledge of, or experience in, industry, commerce, economics,

law or public administration’. Members serve on a part time basis, or

as required, for a term of up to seven years.

MELBOURNE

28 April 2005

Contact: David Alexander

02 6277 7340