Justice Derek Wood has joined the National and Supreme Court benches of Papua New Guinea after he was officially sworn-in yesterday the Government House in Port Moresby.
Justice Wood cited before the Acting Governor General Job Pomat the declaration of office, loyalty, and judicial declaration.
Chief Magistrate Mark Pupaka and Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika witnessed his swearing-in ceremony.
He served as a judge at the Supreme and National Court for the past three months before this.
Justice Wood acknowledged his appointment and said he has been working in PNG for the past 19 years.
“I first came to PNG with the Australian Army in 1988, which marks the beginning of my first introduction to PNG, where it gave me an idea of what to expect in this country,” he said.
“When I came back as a lawyer in the private practice, I was under the illusion that there will be many challenges working here, and indeed, there are many challenges in terms of dealing with cases that are put before the court, “he said.
Wood said one of his primary expertise serving as a lawyer is practicing litigation in the court, which has helped him to deal with many pressing issues in PNG.
“Prior to being a lawyer, I was a policeman in Melbourne and Victoria for 12 years and my background as a policeman really helped me with skills such as conflict resolution and managing issues which I utilize throughout my career as a lawyer,” he said.
Wood said PNG is a country with many issues before the court, usually daily. He intends to contribute enormously to ensure these issues are dealt with effectively.
Meanwhile, Wood said there are currently about 20,000 outstanding cases that need to be dealt with.
“The only way to deal with these cases is through the appointment of more judges,” he said
Justice Wood added that there is also a high demand to train lawyers so they can act on matters effectively for judges to make decisions quickly so cases will not pile up like they are currently.