Prostate Cancer

Both judgments were handed down after Ms Rimmer's illness had been diagnosed in 2004.

Ms Rimmer confirmed her illness yesterday in the same week that the Howard Government introduced legal changes to encourage federal magistrates with serious medical problems to leave the bench.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said on Wednesday that without the changes "a federal magistrate whose performance is significantly impaired for medical reasons may nonetheless be unwilling to resign".

The changes will give federal magistrates a pension of 60per cent of their salary if the Attorney-General certifies they have a permanent disability or infirmity.

Currently they are not entitled to a judicial pension.

But the Attorney-General's office said this had no connection to the Rimmer affair.

Ms Rimmer said that even if she wanted to leave the Magistrates Court, she "would be left with absolutely nothing".

However, she said the pending changes did not influence her decision on whether to return to the court.

The impact of Ms Rimmer's health problems has prompted Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe to introduce annual health checks.

Ms Rimmer said that if such a system had been in place earlier, "I would not be in this position today".

She said both the offending judgments contained matter that should have been quo...

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