- Kim Farmer appointed as a Magistrate to preside in the Children’s Court of WA
- Experienced practitioner has devoted much of career to criminal and family law
- Ms Farmer is a Noongar woman and daughter of football legend Graham “Polly” Farmer
Attorney General John Quigley has announced the appointment of Kim Farmer as a Magistrate of the Children’s Court of Western Australia.
Admitted to practice in 2004, the Noongar woman and former Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) lawyer is the daughter of Australian Rules football legend Graham “Polly” Farmer.
Ms Farmer joins the judiciary after two separate periods working as a private legal practitioner, most recently since 2021.
She has represented Aboriginal juveniles and adults in criminal defence law matters before multiple Western Australian courts, as she did during her seven-year career at the ALSWA.
As a private lawyer, Ms Farmer also practised in family law, care and protection proceedings, violence restraining orders and criminal injuries compensation.
She gained further family and domestic violence law experience as principal legal officer of the Aboriginal Family Legal Services (AFLS), which assists Aboriginal people impacted by family violence.
In this role, Ms Farmer oversaw all lawyers operating in the AFLS’ regional offices and had client and court responsibilities, predominantly relating to care and protection matters.
Between 2014 and 2016 she was a senior lawyer at a national legal service set up to support and provide free legal advice to survivors of child sexual abuse.
Ms Farmer is the long-time vice-chairperson of the Polly Farmer Foundation, a not-for-profit group that seeks to help Aboriginal students through its academic enrichment programs.
She is also a current serving community member of the Prisoners Review Board.
Ms Farmer will take up her magistrate position on 22 July.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
“I am pleased to welcome Ms Farmer as a new Magistrate presiding in the Children’s Court.
“Her appointment follows many years of distinguished service in the criminal law and family law spaces, managing large caseloads in her various legal roles, including leadership positions.
“Ms Farmer has appeared in all WA criminal jurisdictions including regular appearances in the Children’s Court and worked extensively with people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Her appointment will help the court manage an increased workload expected to stem from the introduction of the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Act 2023 (WA) from 1 September 2024.”
