Sixth appointee will sit in general federal law and migration jurisdictions
The federal government has announced the appointments of the following judges to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), Division 2 – Kara Best, Celia Conlan, Kathryn Heuer, Sharney Jenkinson, Amy McGowan, and James Renwick – effective 17 September 2025.
“These appointments will facilitate access to justice for families and add to the capacity of the FCFCOA to deal with migration matters,” said Michelle Rowland, Australia’s attorney-general, in a media release.
According to the announcement, the appointments pertained to the following registries:
“The Government has made these appointments following merit-based processes to ensure that judicial appointments meet the high standards Australians expect,” Rowland said.
The attorney-general’s media release noted an open call for expressions of interest, with advisory panels considering the applications. The government congratulated the new appointees and expressed gratitude for their willingness to serve Australians.
In a media release, the FCFCOA also welcomed the recently announced judicial appointments.
William Alstergren, chief justice of the FCFCOA’s Division 1 and chief judge of Division 2, acknowledged the attorney-general’s comprehensive consultation process and choice of highly qualified candidates.
The FCFCOA said the appointments recognised senior judicial registrars’ extensive skills and their pathway to judicial appointments.
“Many of our current Judges previously served as Registrars of our Courts, which provides unique experience and insight into being a judicial officer, and is a matter of great pride for the Courts,” Alstergren said in the media release.
The FCFCOA noted that the additions raised Division 2’s total judges to 91. The court shared that it has 126 total judges across both divisions, 35 of whom are at Division 1.
The court’s and the attorney-general’s media releases provided information on the new appointees.
Best has been a senior judicial registrar in the FCFCOA since 2021. She was a managing director at Best Wilson Buckley family law, a specialist family law firm. She earned a specialist accreditation in family law from the Queensland Law Society in 2007.
She was admitted as a barrister in 2001 and as a solicitor in 2004 in the Supreme Court of Queensland. She was also admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and entered on the High Court of Australia register of practitioners in 2004.
A senior judicial registrar in the FCFCOA since 2021, Conlan has also served as national coordinating senior judicial registrar. She was a family law solicitor at Victoria Legal Aid, where she worked as an independent children’s lawyer and senior lawyer until 2010.
She was admitted as a solicitor and barrister in the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1993 and signed the Victorian bar roll in 1996. She became a member of the Victorian bar in 2010.
Heuer has been a senior judicial registrar in the FCFCOA since 2020. She worked as a registrar of the then Family Court of Australia, a family law director at Farrar Gesini Dunn, and the wills and estates team director at Certus Law.
She was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and as a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 1989. She is an accredited mediator.
Sharney Jenkinson has been a senior judicial registrar in the FCFCOA since 2021. Her legal practice extends to all aspects of family law. She has been counsel on behalf of the independent children’s lawyer.
She was admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2007. She signed the Queensland bar roll in 2011 and the Victorian bar roll in 2013. She is an accredited mediator and arbitrator.
McGowan has been a senior judicial registrar in the FCFCOA since 2022. She served as advocacy director for Rainbow Families. She also worked as a senior associate and then as a partner at Kyle & McGowan Family Law.
She was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2009. The Law Society of New South Wales recognises her as an accredited family law specialist.
“Dr Renwick, who will sit in the Court's general federal law and migration jurisdictions, brings a wealth of experience to the Court, having had a diverse appellate, administrative and public law, commercial, regulatory and inquiry practice prior to his appointment,” Alstergren said in the FCFCOA’s media release.
Renwick has been deputy judge advocate general for the Navy in the Australian Defence Force and a commodore in the Royal Australian Navy.
He was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1985. He signed the NSW bar roll in 1996 and became senior counsel in 2011. He is an accredited mediator.
