National Registrar - Migration

Position Overview
The Federal Court has a current need for a EL 1 National Registrar in the Court’s migration team. Registrars support Judges in facilitating the just resolution of migration proceedings according to law in a fair, but also efficient way. Keeping costs of proceedings as reasonable as possible is also an objective. In providing support, Registrars exercise delegated judicial functions; and performing case management functions and responsibilities as a senior member in the Court’s migration team.

The key duties of the position include:

Major Activities – National Registrars
Migration Registrars undertake a diverse range of work, including the following:

• performing delegated judicial functions pursuant to the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) and other legislative instruments, such as:
  • the determination of costs estimates and taxation of costs.
  • the determination of compliance with practice and procedure under the Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth); and 
  • duty registrar practice, including occasional after-hours on-call duty on a rostered basis. 
• performing other statutory duties, powers and functions pursuant to the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) and other legislative instruments, as required. 
• analysing migration filings, understanding emerging trends, and identifying matters that raise similar legal and/or factual issues.
• providing high-level legal advice and legal support to Judges and other internal staff in the area of migration law.
• supporting the development of migration resources, policy and practice by monitoring developments in migration law.
• liaising with Judges, court staff, court users and other internal and external stakeholders in relation to the migration workload.
• working closely with legal and other staff who undertake work in the area of migration law.
• undertaking case management support and analysis and directing a substantial proportion of the case management steps.
• issuing case management directions and orders.
• conducting in-depth analysis and assessment of judicial workload; and providing recommendations regarding the management and allocation of Judge-related work, having regard to judicial workload and availability considerations.
• supervising and coordinating the allocation of migration matters to Judges on a national basis.  
• directing and coordinating statistics, reporting and record-keeping in relation to migration workload.
• leading a team of lawyers responsible for reviewing and summarising all migration matters to assess their nature, urgency and complexity, including any anomalies, competency issues, procedural history, potential cohorts or specific case management requests.
• supervising the court’s pro bono referral, cultural liaison and interpreter liaison programs. 

Eligibility

Competencies & Attributes – National Registrar
To undertake the EL 1 role, successful applicants must have: 

• demonstrated experience in migration law.
• a sound understanding of case management principles.
• an understanding of the migration jurisdiction and practices and procedures of the Federal Court.
• the ability to undertake analytical and legal work and critically evaluate a large volume of information in a high-pressure environment.
• the ability to coordinate caseload and workflow through delegation of work to support staff and allocation of work to senior staff.
• the ability to work autonomously to manage work but also work collaboratively as part of a small team.
• the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• the ability to build and sustain positive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Formal Qualifications
Registrars are required to perform statutory legal functions, as necessary. Therefore, legal qualifications and admission as a practitioner of the High Court and/or the Supreme Court of a State or Territory of Australia is essential.  

Selection Criteria 

1. Experience in migration law, and a sound knowledge of the available avenues of review in relation to migration decisions.
2. Experience in case management and understanding of case management principles.  
3. An understanding, or ability to acquire such knowledge quickly, of the jurisdiction and practices and procedures of migration and other general federal law work in the Federal Court. 
4. Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate large volumes of information and demonstrate sound judgment in decision-making.  
5. Well-developed communication skills, including the ability to work collaboratively, build and maintain positive professional relationships, and deal appropriately with sensitive and confidential information.
6. Excellent analytical and conceptual skills.

Eligibility
Employment with the Court is subject to the conditions prescribed in the Public Service Act 1999, and the following: 

1. Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must hold Australian citizenship.
2. Security and character clearance – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check and may also be required to complete security clearances during the course of their employment.
3. Successful applicants engaged into the APS will be subject to a probation period.

Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency are welcome to apply but note that they cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired. 
Notes

Diversity and Inclusion
Federal Court Australia is committed to supporting an inclusive and diverse workforce and welcomes and encourages applications from People with Disability. 

First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+ people, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, Mature age workers, as well as young workers and supporting an inter-generational workforce and supporting gender equity and families.

Federal Court Australia will provide reasonable adjustments for candidates to participate equitably in the recruitment process and discuss workplace adjustments to fulfil the inherent requirements of the role.

How to Apply
To apply, please complete the application form on the Court’s careers portal. 

As part of your application, you will be required to submit a written response to the selection criteria listed in the position description (maximum word limit 1500). Please ensure this document is attached before submitting your application.

If you have any technical issues with applying, please email ***********@fedcourt.gov.au 
 
Application Close: Thursday 29 May 2025 at 11:30 pm (AEST)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply. 

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