Vale Ernest Schmatt AM PSM, former Chief Executive of the Judicial Commission

The Commission is saddened to hear of the death of former Chief Executive Ernest Schmatt AM PSM. Mr Schmatt passed away peacefully on 23 February 2024.

After being admitted to legal practice in 1979, Mr Schmatt held senior legal and management positions in the public sector and joined the Judicial Commission at its founding in 1987 before being appointed its Chief Executive in 1989. Mr Schmatt retired in 2022.

For his services to judicial education and other achievements in the public sector, Mr Schmatt was honoured with a Public Service Medal in the 1997 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and made a member of the Order of Australia in 2018.

In addition to his work in Australia, Mr Schmatt was also involved in the international sphere. He contributed to judicial capacity-building programs in China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Turkey and Papua New Guinea. He was appointed to the International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT) Board of Executives in 2011 and served for 11 years.