Margaret Stone (judge)

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Margaret Ackary Stone AO FAAL (died 1 September 2021) was an Australian judge who served on the Federal Court of Australia from 2000 to 2012. She also served as an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory from 2003 to 2012, and later as Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security from 2015 to 2020.

Education and early career
Stone earned a BA from the University of Sydney, an LLB with honours from the Australian National University, and an LLM from Yale Law School. She taught law at the University of New South Wales for more than 15 years, including a role as Sub-Dean in 1981. She worked as a solicitor and became a partner at Freehills in 1993, specialising in commercial property, infrastructure, financing, and taxation.

Judicial and public service
After joining the Federal Court, she was also an Additional Judge of the ACT Supreme Court. She retired from both courts in March 2012. She then served as Judge in Residence at Melbourne Law School (2012) and as a Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW (2013). From December 2012 to December 2014 she was Australia’s Independent Reviewer of Adverse Security Assessments, which are security findings by ASIO about potential risks faced by refugees. By June 2014 she had reviewed 22 of 52 assessments, leading to four people having their adverse assessments removed. By June 2015 she completed a further 24 reviews, finding five assessments flawed or not appropriate. Stone was appointed the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security from August 2015 until her retirement in August 2020.

Death and legacy
Stone died on 1 September 2021 and was survived by three daughters and their families. In 2023, the Margaret Stone Lecture was started in her honour by the University of New South Wales and Herbert Smith Freehills. The lectures have featured speakers such as The Honourable Justice Michelle Gordon (2023) and The Honourable Justice Nye Perram (2025).