The Hon Kylie Elizabeth DOWNES
Judge, Federal Court of Australia: 02.08.2021
Location: Brisbane
Other Commissions/Appointments:
Australian Competition Tribunal – Deputy President
Justice Kylie Downes was appointed to the Federal Court on 2 August 2021.
Justice Downes graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the Queensland University of Technology and with a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford. She was admitted as a barrister in the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1992 and was appointed senior counsel in 2008.
Associateship applications
The next vacant associate positions will commence in January 2029 and July 2029, and will be for 12 months each.
Justice Downes will be taking associateship applications for these positions between 1 May 2027 and 30 June 2027, with a view to interviewing applicants and making an offer by no later than 31 July 2027.
Applications are to take the form of a one page cover letter, brief CV and university transcript. Each applicant should indicate in their cover letter their range of available working dates. Applications should not include written references.
Should you have any queries in relation to the process, please contact the Queensland Registry via qldreg@fedcourt.gov.au marked for the attention of the Chambers of Justice Downes.
General information about associate positions can be found on the Employment pages of the website.
Updated January 2026
NOTE: Australian citizenship is a condition of engagement and may only be waived in exceptional circumstances. A character clearance is generally subject to a nil response being returned to a police record check.
