John McBride, Carly Ingles, and Ben O’Loughlin appointed as Local Court judges
Three new judges have been appointed to the Local Courts in Darwin and Alice Springs. Here’s who they are.
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Three new judges have been appointed to the Northern Territory Local Court.
John McBride, Carly Ingles, and Ben O’Loughlin have been acting Local Court judges in Alice Springs and Darwin.
Attorney-General Chansey Paech on Thursday announced the trio would be confirmed as permanent judges, promoting the move 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.
Mr 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 to 1995, and in private practice at Cridlands.
He was appointed as an acting judge based at the Darwin courts in December 2021.
Mr McBride has practised law in the NT for over four decades, having been first admitted to the bar in Victoria, and in the Territory in 1980.
A longstanding member of the Alice Springs community, he has extensive legal experience across the NT, including in remote bush courts. He has been an acting Local Court judge since December 2021.
Also based in Alice Springs, Ms Ingles has been an acting judge since September last year.
She 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.
Funding for the additional judges was announced as part of Budget 2023.
Mr Paech said the new appointments would be “invaluable in the delivery of better justice outcomes through community courts”.
“Judges McBride, O’Loughlin, and Ingles have served Territorians for many years and each has a considerable wealth of legal experience,” he said.
“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.”
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