The Federal Court of Australia Act 1976, sub-sections 34 (1) and (2) made provisions for the establishment of at least one Registry of the Court in each State, in the Australian Capital Territory and in the Northern Territory. The Governor-General was to designate one of the Registries as the Principal Registry and all other Registries are to be District Registries in respect of such District as the Governor-General specifies. A Registry may be designated by the Governor-General to be a Registry only in respect of a particular Division of the Court.

Sub-section 35 (3) specifies that there shall be a Registrar of the Court, a District Registrar of the Court in respect of each District Registry and such Deputy Registrars and Deputy District Registrars of the Court as are necessary. The Court is to have a seal which is to be kept at the Principal Registry. The Registrar is also to have in his custody a stamp the design of which is to be, as nearly as practicable, the same as the design of the seal of the Court, with the addition of the words "Principal Registry". A document or a copy of a document marked with this stamp is to be as valid and effectual as if it had been sealed with the seal of the Court.

The first Registrar of the Federal Court, Leslie Bernard Foley, was appointed on 1 February 1977. The establishment of the Principal Registry of the Federal Court of Australia at Sydney was notified on 2 February 1977 (Australian Government Gazette No. S.12 of 2 February 1977). District Registries and District Registrars were appointed at the same time for the States of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania and for the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. In an address by the Attorney-General, Mr R.J. Ellicott, at the swearing in of the judges of the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on 7 February 1977, he said-

"As has already been announced the Court will assume, in two Divisions [Industrial and General], the jurisdiction now exercised by the Australian Industrial Court and Bankruptcy Court. These latter Courts will, after part heard matters are disposed of, cease to exist as operating Courts. This Court will in future be the Court to deal with Industrial Law, Bankruptcy and Trade Practices. It will have an extremely significant role in its appellate jurisdiction. Subject only to the High Court, it will hear appeals from State and Territory Courts in several important areas of Federal Law-Taxation, patents and trade marks and other industrial property matters - in respect of which the original jurisdiction is to be exercised in those Courts. Just as importantly it will entertain appeals as of right from the Territory Courts and it will sit in the Territories. To ensure that at least one Judge who is a Judge of a Territory Supreme Court can sit on these appeals, the present Judges of the Supreme Courts of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have been appointed Judges of this Court. Another most important aspect of the work of this Court will be its jurisdiction in administrative law, particularly if legislation is enacted, as I hope it will be this year, to simplify the procedures and remedies available for the judicial review of action by officers of the Commonwealth ...."

"The establishment of the Federal Court is accompanied by other measures, some designed to ensure that this [that Supreme Courts and other State Courts should have jurisdiction to deal with federal matters] will be so. For instance, for the first time since 1907 State Courts will be able to decide Constitutional questions relating to Commonwealth and State power. Under other measures more federal jurisdiction will be vested in State Supreme Courts. An object of all these measures is to cut down the workload of the High Court, both in its original and appellate jurisdiction, thus enabling it to perform its role as the final interpreter of our constitution and our ultimate Court of Appeal." (Attorney-General's Press Release, No. 11/77 of 7 Feb 1977)

Aditional Information 11/01/2018

The Court provides operational support for the Australian Competition Tribunal, Copyright Tribunal, Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal. This support includes the provision of registry services to accept and process documents for tribunal proceedings, collect tribunal fees (where payable), list matters for hearing, and to otherwise assist in the management and determination of proceedings.

http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/about/courts-and-tribunals

Historical agency address

Law Courts Building, Queens Square, Sydney NSW 2000

Legislation administered

Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Acts No. 156 of 1976, Federal Court of Australia Act 1976

Agency controlled unregistered

Federal Court of Australia, District Registry, Australian Capital Territory, 1977-

Previous agency unregistered

1956-1977: Australian Industrial Court, Federal Court of Bankruptcy - Registries, Trade Practices Tribunal