High Court Registry closure

The High Court Registry will be closed from 4:00pm AEDT on Wednesday, 24 December 2025 and will re-open at 9:00am on Friday, 2 January 2026.

Any party seeking to file a document due to be filed between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 has an automatic extension of time under the High Court Rules 2004 (Rule 4.01.5) until 4:00pm on Friday, 2 January 2026 to file the document. Any documents lodged between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 will be reviewed on 2 January 2026.

All inquiries for the High Court will be considered when the Registry re-opens on Friday, 2 January 2026. If a matter is of extreme urgency, you may telephone 1800 570 566, select Option 1 and leave a voicemail. In addition, provide details by email to: registry@hcourt.gov.au.

Patrick Keane AC

Patrick Keane AC

Background

Patrick Anthony Keane was appointed to the High Court in March 2013. At the time of his appointment he was Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. He served as a judge of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland from 2005-2010 before joining the Federal Court. He is a graduate of the University of Queensland and Oxford University. He was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1977 and in 1988 he was appointed Queen’s Counsel. He was Solicitor-General for Queensland from 1992 to 2005. Justice Keane AC was appointed a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2015.

Speeches/Articles by Patrick Keane AC