Francine McNiff

Francine Valerie McNiff (24 March 1948 - 2 April 2015) was a legal scholar, and was the first female state magistrate in Victoria, Australia.

She completed a thesis in 1977 regarding children court establishment in Victoria, at Monash University. In 1979 she produced a guide to the childrens court practice.

She was appointed Children's Court Stipendary Magistrate in August 1983 after working a senior legal officer within the Victorian public service. In November 2013, the University of Melbourne created the Francine V McNiff Chair in Human Rights Law, in recognition of her contributions to the field.

Selected publications