The Hon. Geoffrey Giudice AO has been remembered as one of the most respected leaders of Australia’s national industrial relations tribunal.
Justice Giudice (pictured) passed away last Thursday (18 November) at age 74.
Tributes from the IR and business community have flowed, remembering Justice Giudice for guiding the tribunal through significant legislative and administrative change.
Between 1997 and 2009, Justice Giudice led the former Australian Industrial Relations Commission with distinction before guiding what is now the Fair Work Commission during a period of significant change for the tribunal. He retired in 2012 as the second longest serving leader in the tribunal’s 117-year history.
“Justice Giudice was a wonderful person and well respected by anyone who knew or worked with him,” Steve Knott AM (pictured), Chief Executive of Australian Resources and Energy Group AREEA, said.
“He was a highly intelligent legal professional who will be remembered for his unrivalled industrial relations knowledge, integrity and independent judgement.”
Justice Giudice has always been held in especially high regard by Australia’s resources and energy industry.
“As a solicitor and partner at Moules, a law firm known for working on complex industrial relations matters, and later merged with Freehills, Geoff was the go-to person on major industrial relations issues for many of AREEA’s blue chip resources and energy industry members,” Mr Knott said.
“His professionalism and leadership was evident when appointed as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia in 1997, while at the same time becoming President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, appointed by Peter Reith under the Howard government.
”He was an excellent choice for the stewardship of the Commission, and in 2009 when it was replaced by the newly-established Fair Work Australia, prior to it being renamed the Fair Work Commission in 2013, Geoff was appointed its first president.”
AREEA extends its thoughts and condolences to Mr Giudice’s family and friends.
