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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-30 Daily Xml
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Matteo, Her Honour Judge C.

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:59): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the minister please inform the chamber about the appointment of Her Honour Judge Matteo?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in the legal system. I am pleased to be able to take this opportunity to inform the chamber about the most recent appointment to the District Court of South Australia. Her Honour Judge Carmen Matteo epitomised the role of a prosecutor, as attested to by those who made speeches at the special sitting of the District Court very recently, on 23 November, to mark the occasion of Her Honour's commission.

The appointment of Carmen Matteo marked a bittersweet moment, particularly for those in the Attorney-General's Department. At least four attorneys-general have had the distinct privilege of having Carmen Matteo as a prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions over the course of more than two decades of her legal practice. Judge Carmen Matteo began working in the law in 1999 as an associate to Justice Ted Mullighan, before taking on a role as a duty solicitor for the Legal Services Commission.

Judge Matteo, in her speech at the special sitting of the court, noted that Justice Mullighan was an important mentor in her legal career. Judge Matteo also noted that during her time as a duty solicitor she regularly had help and advice of hardworking counsel, and would go on in her role at the Legal Services Commission to handle many complex defences. After almost a year with the Legal Services Commission, Her Honour moved to the office that would be the centre of her professional career up until her appointment: the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

For the next 22 years, under four successive directors, Her Honour worked on some of the most complex, high-profile criminal matters our state has seen, including the Snowtown killings, the murder of Carly Ryan, the prosecution of Timothy Sexton and the murder of Suzanne Poll, amongst other matters. Her Honour's work ethic, attention to detail and intellect were renowned through the profession and resulted in her appointment as senior counsel in September 2022. The importance of Her Honour's role at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was evidenced by the special sitting being full of rows of seats of those prosecutors in various stages of her career.

Judge Matteo noted that her last appearance before a court before being appointed to the bench as a judge was to move the admission of a young Aboriginal lawyer Her Honour had mentored. She had mentored the young Aboriginal lawyer through the Aboriginal Law Student Mentoring Program, which runs across all three South Australian universities, and it was a fitting last legal appearance as a lawyer for Her Honour before she became a member of the bench. We are looking forward to Her Honour becoming a valued member of the bench, as she has been in the legal profession for more than two decades.

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