Attorney-General Martin Pakula today announced the extension of the Honourable Justice Greg Garde AO RFD as President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a further year.
Justice Garde was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court and President of VCAT in 2012.
During his time, Justice Garde has overseen a number of key projects including the introduction of VCAT's new fee regime which introduced measures designed to promote affordability, access to justice, and the early settlement of disputes.
These reforms, introduced in July 2016, have seen a significant increase in the number of people pursuing civil claims as many more Victorians turn to VCAT to enforce their rights.
Prior to his appointment to VCAT, he was a barrister for 38 years and practised in a broad range of commercial and civil law areas, and served as Chairman of the Environmental, Planning and Local Government Law Section of the Commercial Bar Association.
He was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1989 and has lectured in the areas of constitutional and administrative law at RMIT.
In addition to his legal expertise, Justice Garde also served in the Australian Army Reserve from 1967 until 2004, when he transferred to Standby Reserve.
During his service, he held the position of Commanding Officer at both the Monash University Regiment and the 4th/19th Prince of Wale’s Light Horse Unit, before becoming Commander of the 4th Brigade (Victoria's Brigade) from 1992 until 1994.
He holds the Reserve Forces Decoration (4th Clasp) and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Military Division in 1995 and an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Military Division in 2005.
He also served as Chief of Reserves and Head of Reserve Policy, the highest position for a reserve officer in the Australian Defence Force.
Justice Garde graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts and Laws and a Master of Laws, and signed the Victorian Bar Roll in 1974. As an undergraduate, he won a number of university exhibitions including in Australian Constitutional Law, Equity (joint) and Applied Mathematics.
VCAT is the busiest tribunal in Australia and finalises more than 85,000 cases a year at more than 46 venues across Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Martin Pakula
“Justice Garde has made a substantial contribution as the President of VCAT and has overseen the introduction of a successful new fee regime which is helping more Victorians to enforce their rights.”
“Justice Garde’s leadership is highly valued at VCAT and I’m pleased to announce his extension as President for another year.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020