- State Administrative Tribunal appoints and reappoints five members
- All appointees are women who have extensive experience in the legal field
Attorney General John Quigley has announced the appointment and reappointment of five members to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).
Dr Michelle Evans-Bonner has been appointed as a new full-time senior member of SAT and Robyn Hartley as a new full-time ordinary member.
Charmian Barton has been reappointed on a full-time basis and Carol Conley and Michelle East, previously full-time ordinary members, have been reappointed as part-time members.
All five women's appointments are for terms of five years expiring in 2029.
Dr Evans-Bonner takes up her role at SAT after serving more than six years as a senior member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Before that, she was Deputy Dean of Curtin Law School.
Ms Hartley joins SAT after 18 years across two stints at the State Solicitor's Office (SSO), where she became a Senior Assistant State Solicitor.
Ms Conley and Ms East began in their full-time capacities at SAT in 2021 and 2022.
Prior to this, Ms Conley worked for 25 years at the Crown Solicitor's Office and SSO, also rising to the position of Senior Assistant State Solicitor, and Ms East spent more than 16 years at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the last five of those as a full-time member.
Before joining SAT in 2018, Ms Barton was a Partner at two private legal firms for seven years.
SAT manages a broad range of matters including commercial and civil disputes, development and resources disputes, guardianship and administration, and vocational regulation.
The appointments mean the tribunal's non-judicial membership totals 30 including 23 women.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"Congratulations to the newly appointed and reappointed members of SAT.
"All five women have strong legal backgrounds and have served in their respective careers with distinction.
"They will help fortify the tribunal's member base and contribute to the proficient management of a significant workload."
