Peta Gwen Stilgoe
President of the Land Court of Queensland
University education
- Masters of Law, University of London (Queen Mary College) (1984) – the first law graduate from the then QIT to be accepted into a Masters’ program
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours LLB), Queensland Institute of Technology (1982)
- Certificate of Mediation (1996)
Pre-judicial career
- Admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland (1984)
- Admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Australia (1984)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Registrar, Planning and Environment Court of Queensland (2007-2009)
- Member, QCAT – Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (2009-2012)
- Senior Member, QCAT – Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (2012-2017)
Judicial career
- Member, Land Court of Queensland (2017 - present)
- Acting President, Land Court of Queensland (May 2023 - May 2024)
- President, Land Court of Queensland (May 2024 - present)
Other positions
- Director, Vasey Housing Auxiliary (1990-2000); Director and Chair (2000-2007)
- Director, RSL Care (2006-2007)
- Director, St Michael's College (2000-2006)
- Member, Board of Imaginary Theatre (2016)
- Member, Vasey Housing Auxiliary (1990 – 2000)
- Chair, Vasey Housing Auxiliary (2000 – 2007)
- Member, Zonta (various dates)
Awards
- OAM – Medal of the Order of Australia (general division), for services for dispute resolution (2013)
Publications
Articles
Hybrid hearings at QCAT — the why, the how and a progress report: Australian Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Bulletin 2014 Vol 1 No. 4
Speeches and papers
ADR in planning and environment matters: four things you need to think about
'Big sister is watching - Orwellian overtones or no cause for alarm?' (paper presented at the COAT Conference, Hobart, June 2016)
Guidelines for expert evidence in the Land Court and the CMEE process - a court perspective
'Big sister is watching - Orwellian overtones or no cause for alarm?' (paper presented at the COAT Conference, Hobart, June 2016)
'You can lead a horse to water – and you can make it drink!' (paper presented to the 13th American Bar Association ADR Spring Conference, Denver, Colorado, March 2011)
'Is ECR really “faster better cheaper”?' co-authored with John Haydon; Jan Crawford, Town Planning Consultant and ECR Practitioner, Auckland, New Zealand; and Dr Jianbo Kuang Science/Mediator and ECR Consultant at EcoDirections International Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Australia, (paper presented to the 5th Conference of the United States Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, Tucson, Arizona, May 2008)
Biographical notes
President Stilgoe was admitted to the Bar in 1984 but transferred to the Solicitors’ branch of the profession in 1986. She had a career in private practice, specialising in commercial litigation from 1986 to 2007.
In 2007, President Stilgoe was appointed as the first ADR Registrar to the Planning and Environment Court of Queensland. President Stilgoe introduced court facilitated mediation to that jurisdiction.
President Stilgoe was a Member of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal from its inception in 2009. In 2012 her leadership potential was realised when she was appointed as a Senior Member to that Tribunal. She has also developed and presented ADR and other training programs for Members of QCAT and other Tribunals.
President Stilgoe was pivotal in introducing innovative and effective ADR processes at both QCAT and the Planning and Environment Court.
President Stilgoe is a well-respected litigation lawyer and highly regarded by judicial officers, practitioners and expert witnesses for her mediation skills as well as her experience in planning and environment matters. Her contributions to ADR were recognised in 2013 when she was awarded an OAM.