Ceremonial - Announcement of Appointment by Queen's Counsel - Canberra

The High Court of Australia, comprising Mason CJ, Wilson, Brennan, Dawson, Toohey, and Gaudron JJ, convened in Canberra on 6 February 1989 for the ceremonial announcement of appointments to Queen's Counsel. The proceedings involved numerous barristers, including the Solicitor-General for the Commonwealth and the Solicitors-General for Victoria and the Northern Territory, formally informing the Court of their appointments as Queen's Counsel in various Australian states.

The primary legal issue before the Court was the formal recognition and recording of these appointments. Each barrister, upon being called, announced their appointment to Her Majesty's Counsel for a specific state and, in many instances, their intended precedence relative to other newly appointed or existing Queen's Counsel. The Court's role was to receive these announcements and, by their presence and the formal nature of the proceedings, acknowledge the appointments.

The Court's reasoning was implicit in its reception of the announcements. By allowing these declarations to be made before it, the Court acknowledged the significance of the appointments within the legal profession and the established practice of such ceremonies. The legal principle at play was the formal recognition of appointments to Queen's Counsel, a tradition that signifies a barrister's elevation to a senior rank within the legal profession, carrying with it certain privileges and responsibilities. The presence of the Chief Justice and other Justices underscored the gravity and official nature of these appointments.

The outcome of the proceedings was the formal recording of the appointments of numerous barristers as Queen's Counsel for their respective states, with their precedence duly noted.