Judges’ pay: how other countries do it

Procedures for the appointment of judges and fixing their pay differ across common law countries. In Canada, an independent body, the judicial compensation and benefits commission, reviews judges' salaries, benefits and retirement annuities and recommends changes. Judges are appointed by the federal government.

In England and Wales, judges' salaries are determined by an independent pay review body, which makes recommendations to the government. In 2006, a judicial appointments commission for England and Wales was set up to take over judicial appointments from the lord chancellor and the UK department for constitutional affairs.

The commission recommends candidates to the lord chancellor, who has limited powers of veto. The commission also has a specific statutory duty to “encourage diversity in the range of persons available for selection for appointments”. In this way it seeks to widen the pool of candidates. There are judges on the judicial appointments commission but they are not in the majority and the group is chaired by a lay person.

In New Zealand, a judge's salary is set by a statutory body, the remuneration authority.

Judicial appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the attorney general.