Attorney General Chansey Paech has announced the appointment of three judges to the Northern Territory Local Court, as part of a raft of measures to improve service delivery, alleviate pressures on the justice system, and provide better justice outcomes through community courts.
John McBride, Carly Ingles, and Ben O'Loughlin have been Acting Local Court Judges in Alice Springs and Darwin.
John McBride has been practicing law in the NT for over four decades, having been first admitted to the bar in Victoria, and in the Northern Territory in 1980. Judge McBride is a long-standing member of the Alice Springs community, and has extensive legal experience across the NT, including in remote bush courts. He has been an Acting Local Court Judge since December 2021.
Ben O'Loughlin has 23 years of experience as a barrister, specialising in civil litigation, crime, and worker's compensation matters. He worked at the NT Director of Public Prosecutions from 1993-95, and in private practice at Cridlands. He was appointed as an Acting Local Court Judge in December 2021.
Carly Ingles was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in Victoria in 2002, and in the Northern Territory in 2005. She has had a long association with Central Australia and in the past has worked as Crown Prosecutor at the NT Director of Public Prosecutions in Alice Springs; Managing Solicitor at the NT Legal Aid Commission; and as a criminal defence lawyer with the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service. Judge Ingles was appointed as an Acting Local Court Judge in September 2022.
Funding for additional Judges for the Northern Territory Local Court was announced as part of Budget 2023.
Quotes attributable to Attorney General Chansey Paech:
"These new appointments will be invaluable in the delivery of better justice outcomes through community courts, which begin early next year.
"Judges McBride, O'Loughlin, and Ingles have served Territorians for many years and each has a considerable wealth of legal experience.
"Our newest judges are well-acquainted with the Northern Territory and I welcome them with full confidence in their ability to serve Territorians with distinction."
