Western Australia’s Chief Justice, the Hon David K. Malcolm AC, has announced he will step down early next year to take up a senior academic position with the University of Notre Dame Australia.
The Chief Justice will retire from the Bench on 7 February, 2006. He has accepted an appointment to a Chair of Law at Notre Dame commencing on 8 February, 2006.
Chief Justice Malcolm is Australia’s longest-serving Chief Justice currently on the Bench, and has been the chief judicial officer in Western Australia since 26 May, 1988.
He said it had been a great honour and privilege to serve Western Australia over the past 17 years, but it was time to pass the baton and take on new challenges.
His recent long service leave had provided an opportunity for him to reflect on the importance of family and consider a move to academia.
"The demands of this office have intruded into my family life for a very long time," he said. "I have thoroughly appreciated having that extra family time over the past few months and I don’t wish to give that up again.
"I am also greatly looking forward to the opportunities offered by my new role at Notre Dame University. This is a very fine university, and it will be exciting to be part of the consolidation of the law programs at the Fremantle campus and to be involved in the creation of a new law school in Sydney.
"I hope that I can make a small contribution to the next generation of legal practitioners. In addition to my association with the University, I hope that there may be other avenues through which I can continue to make a contribution to the life of the Australian community."
| Media Contact: | Val Buchanan Public Information Officer for the Courts Tel: 9421 5303 Pager: 9324 4319 |
