Top government lawyer appointed to the bench CROWN Solicitor Greg Parker is one of two new appointments to the Supreme Court bench. The respected administrative lawyer also has been appointed first head of the newly created South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which will begin operations early next year. The second new Justice is District Court Judge Anne Bampton, who has been sitting in that role since 2010. The pair replace Justice Margaret Nyland, who retired earlier this year, and Justice Richard White, who has been appointed to the Federal Court. The new SACAT has been created to hear appeals against decisions made by myriad government agencies, rather than them being heard by either the District or Supreme Court, as is currently the practice. It is also expected to absorb bodies such as the Residential Tenancies Tribunal, Teachers Appeal Board and Guardianship Board. Attorney-General John Rau said Mr Parker was the State's "pre-eminent" administrative lawyer. A CSO lawyer since 1990, he was managing solicitor from 1997 to 2004 and was appointed Crown Solicitor in 2010. "In 2013 he was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in the provision of legal and industrial advice," Mr Rau said. He has extensive management experience through his leadership roles within the Crown Solicitor's Office and he has set a very high bar in this pivotal role. His experience makes him uniquely qualified to lead the SACAT. Justice Bampton was admitted in 1985 and appointed a District Court Master in 2006. She was appointed a Judge of the District Court in 2010. Mr Rau welcomed her appointment, stating she brought almost three decades of experience to the Supreme Court bench. "Her Honour has experience in the conduct of both civil and criminal matters as well as an extensive understanding of the important interaction between interlocutory processes and the efficient disposition of trials," he said. Highly regarded by her peers and the profession alike, her Honour will make a welcome addition to the Supreme Court bench. The vacant Crown Solicitor's position will be filled early next year.