Elizabeth Raper is a judge of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (mo ...

Early life and education

Raper attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, earning a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1996 and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 1998.

Career

Raper's legal career began at the

Australian Industrial Relations Commission The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), known from 1956 to 1973 as the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and from 1973 to 1988 as the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, was a tribunal with powe ...

, where she served as an Associate to Justice Paul Munro. She later worked as a lawyer in private practice at Baker and McKenzie. Raper also worked in academia at the University of Sydney and co-authored a text on

discrimination law Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws ...

.Cash, Michaelia, (1 April 2022)
"Appointment to the Federal Court of Australia"
''Attorney-General Media Release,'' Retrieved 13 November 2022. Raper has served as a judge since 1 April 2022. She was appointed by then

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Michaelia Cash Michaelia Clare Cash (born 19 July 1970) is an Australian politician currently serving as shadow minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She previously served as the 38th Attorney-General of Australia from 202 ...

to the Sydney Registry of the Federal Court following the retirement of Justice

Geoffrey Flick Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (given name), including a list of people with the name Geoffrey or Geoffroy * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (musician) (born 1987), Canadian ...

Notable cases

In October 2022, as a Federal Court judge, Raper presided over a high-profile

industrial dispute Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Working class, work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Str ...

between the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

and the

Rail, Tram and Bus Union The Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union (RTBU) is an Australian trade union representing rail, tram and bus workers. The RTBU is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Interna ...

. A native title claim covering thousands of square kilometres, including agricultural land as well as several small towns along the

Barrier Highway Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, was lodged in 2012 by Maureen, Glen, and Dulcie O'Donnell, on behalf of the Wilyakali people. Native title was finally formally recognised on 28 August 2023, in a decision handed down by Justice Raper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raper, Elizabeth Australian barristers Australian women judges 21st-century Australian judges Year of birth missing (living people) Judges of the Federal Court of Australia Australian Senior Counsel Living people