After being appointed to the Bench in 2010, Justice Cameron Macaulay is retiring as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Justice Macaulay was appointed as a judge of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria in September 2010 and as a Judge of Appeal in the Court of Appeal on 1 February 2022.
During his Honour’s 11 years in the Trial Division, Justice Macaulay primarily sat in the Common Law Division. There, he presided in trials ranging over the wide spectrum of civil matters initiated in the Court, including jury trials in personal injuries and defamation. Continuing his practice experience at the Bar in the field of professional liability, Justice Macaulay served as the inaugural Judge in Charge of the Court’s Professional Liability List. In addition to Common Law Division matters, from an early stage his Honour also sat regularly in the Criminal Division hearing criminal trials and, from time to time, sat as an Acting Judge of Appeal in the Court of Appeal.
“Every judge quickly learns the value of hard-working and well-prepared legal practitioners, as well as the weight litigants bear in confronting the court system. Together, judges and lawyers aim to help litigants bear that weight while navigating the necessarily onerous path to resolution of their problems. I believe that ‘partnership’ is alive and well”.
Justice Macaulay served in the Court of Appeal for three years, during the presidency, first, of Justice Maxwell, and now Justice Emerton.
“It was a special experience to work in the Court of Appeal alongside each of my colleagues. Collegiate judicial work presents different challenges to trial judge work, and I felt fortunate to experience those different challenges and the sense of collegiate achievement in meeting them.”
While at the Court, His Honour chaired several bodies including the Supreme Court Library committee, Law Library of Victoria committee, the Council of Law Reporting in Victoria and the Consultative Council of Australasian Law Reporting. Some of his Honour’s most valued highlights lay in assisting the modernisation of the legal information and law reporting systems available to Victorian courts and the wider legal community in the state. His Honour said, “Working with others similarly devoted to preserving our respected heritage while embracing the digital challenge was especially rewarding.”
Justice Macaulay joined the Victorian Bar in 1983 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003. After practising broadly in his early years at the Bar, his Honour went on to specialise in commercial law. During his time at the Bar, his Honour served on various committees including the Bar Council, Ethics Committee and Professional Standards Education Committee. He also served as a Director of Barristers Chambers Ltd.
Justice Macaulay’s retirement is effective 20 December 2024.