Hon Catherine Holmes AC
Fellow
- Bio/Profile
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The Hon Catherine Holmes AC is a graduate of The University of Queensland—Bachelor of Laws (1980), Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (1989), and Master of Laws (Advanced) (1998); Queensland Institute of Technology—Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (1983); and Australian National University—Bachelor of Economics (1977). She has also been conferred the degrees of Doctor of Laws honoris causa of The University of Queensland (2016) and Honorary Doctor of the University, Griffith University (2016). She was appointed Senior Council in 1999. She served as a founding member of the Women's Legal Service (1984), member of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (1994–2000) and deputy president of the Queensland Community Corrections Board (1997). She was Counsel assisting the Forde Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse (1998–99) and was the Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry into the 2010–11 Queensland Floods (2011–12). She was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2015 and retired on 17 March 2022. She previously served as Judge of the Queensland Court of Appeal (2006–2015), Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland (2000–06), Presiding Judge of the Mental Health Court of Queensland (2005–06), and acting Judge of the District Court of Queensland (1999). She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. In 2020, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for 'eminent service to the judiciary, notably to criminal, administrative and mental health law, and to the community of Queensland'. She was featured in 'A Woman's Place: 100 years of Queensland Women Lawyers', published by the Supreme Court Library Queensland in 2005.
