Keane
Keane has 5 reported Hong Kong decisions (2023–2025) in the HKCFA.
About Keane
Keane has 5 reported Hong Kong decisions (2023–2025). These were decided across HKCFA (5). By subject matter, the largest shares are Basic Law (2), Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (1) and Matrimonial Causes Ordinance (1). Of these, 5 sitting on the coram.
Source: derived from 5 published Hong Kong judgments, most recent decision . Published on HKLII.
On the judicial record
Patrick Anthony Keane, born 26 October 1952, is a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, sitting there since 6 April 2023 following his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia, to which he was appointed effective 1 March 2013 as the 50th Justice of that court. Keane previously served as Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, was appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2005, and had earlier held the position of Solicitor-General of Queensland from 1992. He studied at the University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours and a University Medal in 1976, before completing a Bachelor of Civil Law at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was awarded the Vinerian Scholarship.
In the Court of Final Appeal, reported matters presided over by Keane between 2023 and 2025 span Judicial Review & Immigration, Criminal Law, and Family & Divorce subject areas. These include So Kwai Chung v. Wong Wai Ying Anita and Others [2025] HKCFA 8, decided 20 May 2025; Sham Tsz Kit (岑子杰) v. Secretary for Justice, reported at both [2023] HKCFA 31 (27 October 2023) and [2023] HKCFA 28 (5 September 2023); Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Pertamina v. Trevaskis Limited; and All Other Persons Claiming or Being Entitled to Claim Damages Arising from a Collision Between "Star Centurion" and "Antea" [2023] HKCFA 20, decided 26 July 2023; and HKSAR v. Mak Wing Wa (麥永華) [2023] HKCFA 19, decided 25 July 2023.
Biography
Patrick Anthony Keane (born 26 October 1952) is an Australian judge currently serving as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023, after his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He is currently the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group set up by the Australian Government to guide reforms to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He is a former Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career Highlights
- • In 1992, Keane was appointed Solicitor-General of Queensland, a position he held under Labor and Coalition state governments until his appointment to the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
- • On 10 February 2010, Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland announced that Keane would be appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.
- • Keane became the 50th Justice appointed to the High Court.
Education
- • graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973, and a Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours and a University Medal in 1976
- • awarded the Vinerian Scholarship, a scholarship given to the student that "gives the best performance in the examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Civil Law"
- • Bachelor of Civil Law at Magdalen College of the University of Oxford and was awarded the Vinerian Scholarship, a scholarship given to the student that "gives the best performance in the examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Civil Law"
- • College, Gregory Terrace in Brisbane, where he was the school captain and dux of 1969, winning an Open Scholarship in the Queensland Senior Public Examinations
How many cases has Keane decided?
Keane has 5 reported Hong Kong decisions (2023–2025).
Which courts does Keane sit in?
Keane sits in HKCFA (5).
When did Keane become a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal?
Patrick Anthony Keane has sat as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023, following his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia, to which he had been appointed effective 1 March 2013.
What senior Australian judicial roles did Keane hold before joining the Court of Final Appeal?
Before his Hong Kong appointment, Keane served as Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, was a Judge of Appeal on the Supreme Court of Queensland's Court of Appeal from 2005, and had earlier been Solicitor-General of Queensland from 1992.
What case did Keane preside over in May 2025?
On 20 May 2025, Keane presided over So Kwai Chung v. Wong Wai Ying Anita and Others [2025] HKCFA 8 in the Court of Final Appeal, part of the reported record spanning judicial review, criminal law, and family matters.
Practice Areas (from the 39-area taxonomy)
Citation influence
2 of Keane's authored judgments have been cited by later Hong Kong judgments, 12 times in total, per HKLII citation records.