The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has appointed a new president, six months after the departure of Justice Sarah Derrington in January.
Justice Derrington had led the body since 2018 including the ALRC review into financial services legislation but stepped down at the beginning of the year.
This review had been exploring simplification of laws that regulated financial services in Australia, specifically focusing on the Corporations Act 2001.
The new position will be taken over by Justice Mordecai Bromberg for a five-year term commencing from 10 July.
Justice Bromberg had been a judge in the Federal Court of Australia since 2009 and was a founding president of the Australian Institute of Employment Rights. He now chairs the advisory board of the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law at the University of Melbourne.
He would take over responsibilities from Justice Mark Moshinsky who had been carrying out the role on an interim basis since Justice Derrington’s departure.
The Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC said: “The Australian Law Reform Commission plays an important role in ensuring our laws continue to work in the best interests of the Australia people. Its recommendations to government help to simplify the law, promote new or better ways to administer the law, and improve access to justice.
“Justice Bromberg has significant experience in the leadership of legal research and expertise across a broad range of practice areas, including industrial law, personal injuries, commercial law, product liability, constitutional law, administrative law, and trade practices.
“Justice Bromberg’s appointment follows a merit-based process. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all applicants who indicated an interest in this very important role.”
Two interim reports to the ALRC’s financial services legislation review had already been issued focused on the appropriate use of definitions in corporations and financial services legislation and secondly, on regulatory design and hierarchy of primary law provisions.
The ALRC was expected to announce a third interim report into the potential reframing or restructuring of chapter 7 of the Corporations Act 2001 in August 2023 and a final report in November 2023.
