New Supreme Court Justices appointed

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman have welcomed the appointment of two Supreme Court judges including the first Indigenous Supreme Court Judge appointed in Australia.

The Premier said Lincoln Crowley QC and Melanie Hindman QC brought a wealth of experience and expertise to their new roles. 

“I congratulate Mr Crowley and Ms Hindman on their appointments. They are both outstanding individuals who have a lot to offer the Supreme Court of Queensland,” the Premier said.

“Mr Crowley, a descendant of the Warramunga peoples from the Northern Territory who grew up in north Queensland, is the state’s first Aboriginal Supreme Court Judge.

“Mr Crowley has regularly appeared throughout Australia but particularly in Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian courts across a diverse range of matters, especially criminal trials and appeals, since joining the bar in Sydney in 2003.

“Mr Crowley was also awarded the Australian Bar Association’s 2017 Indigenous Barrister Scholarship and is the current Chair of the Bar Association of Queensland’s Indigenous Barristers Committee.

“He has been a Crown Prosecutor for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions based in Sydney, Principal Crown Prosecutor at the Maroochy Chambers for the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutors and has specialised in both defence and prosecution at the private bar since 2009.

“He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2018.”

Minister Fentiman said Ms Hindman QC also brought particular expertise to the Supreme Court bench.

“Ms Hindman is recognised as an outstanding practitioner in commercial law, with particular expertise in building and construction litigation,” Minister Fentiman said.

“She has been recognised as preeminent in Doyle’s Australia Construction & Infrastructure Senior Counsel list in 2022, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in Australia (14th edition) in Construction/Infrastructure Law.

“Ms Hindman was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2017 and in addition to her law degree, she has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (physics) and a Master of Laws.

“Ms Hindman has been a much sought-after speaker in the areas of building and construction law and contract law, presenting to (amongst others) Queensland Law Society, Engineers Queensland, Queensland Environmental Law Association, Bar Association of Queensland, Society of Construction Lawyers Australia and Commercial Law Association.”

Ms Melanie Hindman QC will join the bench on 30 May 2022 and Mr Lincoln Crowley QC will begin on 13 June 2022.

ENDS

Media contact: 0419 620 447