{{Short description|Australian judge (born 1954)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | office = Judge of the Federal Court of Australia | appointer = Philip Ruddock | occupation = Jurist | honorific_prefix = The Honourable Justice | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%}} | term_start = 3 April 2006 | term_end = 7 May 2024 | alma_mater = University of Adelaide{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} | office2 = Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island | term_start2 = 26 February 2015 | term_end2 = 7 May 2024 | predecessor2 = Peter Jacobson | successor2 = Robert Bromwich | office3 = Judge of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island | term_start3 = 5 August 2013 | office1 = Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory | term_start1 = March 2007 | office4 = Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia | term_start4 = 2001 | term_end4 = 2006 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|8 May 1954|df=y}} }}

'''Anthony Besanko''' (born 8 May 1954)<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 May 1954 |title=Family Notices |work=Chronicle |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article93916447 |access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> is an Australian jurist who served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia from April 2006 to May 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australia |first=c\=AU\; co\=Commonwealth of Australia\; ou\=Federal Court of |date=1 July 2020 |title=Biography of Justice Besanko |url=https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/about/judges/current-judges-appointment/current-judges/besanko-j |access-date=1 June 2023 |website=www.fedcourt.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref> and as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island between February 2015 and May 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Judicial Appointments for Norfolk Island |url=https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/territories/norfolk_island/administrator/media/2015/ni-a-mr-201509}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Chief Justice for Supreme Court of Norfolk Island|url= https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/mcbain/media-release/new-chief-justice-supreme-court-norfolk-island}}</ref> He has also served as additional judge in the ACT Supreme Court since March 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Administration |first=ACT Law Courts and Tribunal Administration; PositionTitle=Director; SectionName=ACT Magistrates Court; Corporate=ACT Law Courts and Tribunal |date=5 May 2023 |title=Chronological list of Former and Current Judges, Associate Judge and Masters |url=https://www.courts.act.gov.au/supreme/about-the-courts/judiciary/Chronological-list-of-Former-and-Current-Judges,-Associate-Judge-and-Masters |access-date=1 June 2023 |website=www.courts.act.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>

From 1984 to 2001, he practiced as a barrister in South Australia, working in corporation and administration law and native title,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=New Judge for the Federal Court of Australia |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22media/pressrel/40XI6%22 |website=Parliament of Australia}}</ref> and was president of the South Australian Bar Association from 2000 to 2001.<ref name=":0" /> From 2001 to 2006, he was a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia.<ref name=":0" />

In 2025, he joined Atkin Chambers as a door tenant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Beth |date=2025-03-03 |title=The Hon Anthony Besanko KC joins Atkin Chambers |url=https://www.atkinchambers.com/the-hon-anthony-besanko-kc-joins-atkin-chambers/ |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Atkin Chambers |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Roberts-Smith defamation proceedings== From 2021, Besanko presided over Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation proceedings against several major newspapers, dismissing the case on 1 June 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited (No 41) [2023] FCA 555 (Summary) |url=https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2023/2023fca0555 |access-date=1 June 2023 |website=www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au}}</ref> Roberts-Smith appealed to the Federal Court of Australia against Besanko's judgement, but he lost his appeal on 16 May 2025. Publication of the new judgment was held over until 20 May, for checking for security-sensitive information.<ref name="Lyons-2025">{{Cite news |last=Lyons |first=Kate |date=16 May 2025 |title=Ben Roberts-Smith loses appeal against defamation ruling he committed war crimes in Afghanistan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/16/ben-roberts-smith-loses-appeal-defamation-ruling-case-war-crimes-afghanistan-ntwnfb |access-date=16 May 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite AustLII|litigants=Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Publications Pty Limited|link=|source=FCAFC|num=67|year=2025|pinpoint=|parallelcite=|date=16 May 2025|courtname=auto|juris=auto|ref=}}</ref>

== References == <references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Besanko, Anthony}} Category:Judges of the Federal Court of Australia Category:21st-century Australian judges Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Australian barristers

{{Australia-law-bio-stub}}