Appointment to the Mental Health Review Tribunal

St James Hall Chambers congratulates Madeleine Bridgett on her appointment as a part-time Lawyer member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal commencing in September 2024. 

Madeleine Bridgett is a human rights, public law and commercial law barrister. Madeleine has specialised knowledge in trauma-informed practice, mental health, drug and alcohol, child protection, domestic and family violence, and sexual assault. Having served almost three years as Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, Madeleine continues her work in this area at the Mental Health Review Tribunal as well as her practice as a Barrister in areas of human rights, public law and commercial law.

Congratulations Madeleine.

The FCFCA affirms the constitutional limits to lawfully detain as held in NZYQ

Dr Christopher Ward SC and Madeleine Bridgett appeared for the successful applicant in a habeas corpus application made on an urgent basis to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia in GMZ18 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2024] FedCFamC2G 335. The Court found that the applicant’s immigration detention was unlawful and ordered the immediate release of the applicant. This case considers the effect of the judgments in Chu Kheng Lim v The Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs (1992) 176 CLR 1 and NZYQ v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2023] HCA 37, including the scope of the constitutional limit to lawfully detain. The Court concludes that the relevant principle in Lim as espoused in NZYQ applies. The judgment can be found here.

Congratulations Madeleine Bridgett

6 St James Hall would like to congratulate Madeleine Bridgett on her recent appointment by the Attorney General as Counsel Assisting for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. 

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was established in July of this year to inquire into a number of matters including systemic issues and any common themes among defence and veteran deaths by suicide, or defence members and veterans who have other lived experience of suicide behaviour or risk factors. 

The terms of reference can be found here:

Stories from Australia's leading human rights advocates

6 St James Hall Counsel Madeleine Bridgett will be moderating this Australian Lawyers Human Rights webinar event with three of Australia's leading human rights advocates The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, Kate Eastman AM SC and Julian Burnside AO QC sharing experiences of their journey as human rights advocates.

The webinar will be held on 2 September 6:00 PM.

For further information and how to register, please click here.

the human rights concerns of Real Bodies - The Exhibition

Counsel, Madeleine Bridgett discusses the serious human rights concerns of Real Bodies - The Exhibition and organ trafficking on FBI Radio.

To listen to the interview, please click on the recording below.

Madeleine Bridgett calls for law reform to Australia's organ trafficking laws

Currently in Australia organ trafficking laws which can be found in Division 271 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Commonwealth) do not have extraterritorial effect. This means there are no provisions in Australian law to protect people from organ trafficking and organ tourism which occur overseas by Australians. 

On 23 June 2017 The Human Rights Sub-Committee of the Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade commenced an Inquiry into Human Organ Trafficking and Organ Transplant Tourism. The inquiry examines how the Australian legal system deters organ trafficking and what more can be done to prevent this offence from occurring both in Australia and internationally.

Madeleine Bridgett, Co-Chair of the Business and Human Rights Committee for the Australian Lawyers For Human Rights (ALHR), and Kerry Weste, Vice-President of the ALHR, made submissions to the Inquiry which can be read here. 

Madeleine Bridgett was featured in today's Lawyers Weekly.