11   Acting Judges

(1)  The Governor may, by commission under the public seal of the State, appoint any qualified person to act as a Judge for a time not exceeding 12 months to be specified in the commission.

(2)  In subsection (1), qualified person means a person qualified for appointment as a Judge.

(3)  The person so appointed shall, for the time and subject to the conditions or limitations specified in the person’s commission, have and may exercise the functions of a Judge and shall, for the purposes of this or any other Act, be deemed to be a Judge.

(3A)  The person so appointed may, despite the expiration of the period of the person’s appointment, complete or otherwise continue to deal with any matters relating to proceedings that have been heard, or partly heard, by the person before the expiration of that period.

(3B)  While a person completes or otherwise continues under subsection (3A) to deal with any matters relating to proceedings that have been heard or partly heard by the person before the expiration of the period of the person’s appointment, the person has all the entitlements and functions of a Judge and, for the purpose of those proceedings, is taken to continue to be a Judge.

(4)  A retired Judge of the Court or of another court in New South Wales (including a retired judicial member of the Industrial Commission or the Industrial Relations Commission) may be so appointed even though the retired Judge has reached the age of 72 years (or will have reached that age before the appointment expires), but may not be so appointed for any period that extends beyond the day on which he or she reaches the age of 75 years.

(5)  The conditions or limitations specified in a commission under this section may exclude the whole or any part of the period of appointment from being regarded as prior judicial service (within the meaning of section 8 of the Judges’ Pensions Act 1953) by the person.