Bernadette Boss

Bernadette Carmel Boss, is a Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory, an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and a former barrister. She was appointed as a magistrate on 11 June 2012. In her military career, Boss was the first woman to be a commanding officer of the Sydney University Regiment and the first woman to conduct an inquiry into the combat death of a soldier.

Boss was appointed as the first (interim) National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention on 1 October 2020.

Legal career Boss holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in anthropology from London University, a Diploma of Law from the University of Westminster, a Masters of Public Policy from the University of New England, a Masters of International Law from the University of Sydney, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Studies from the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies. Boss also qualified as a registered nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and holds an ophthalmic nursing diploma from Moorefields Eye Hospital in London.

Boss was admitted to practice in the United Kingdom in 1992 and then in Australia in 1993. She then practised in England and Wales as a barrister and prosecutor.

In 2002, Boss began practising as a barrister. She began practising in the Australian Capital Territory in 2004. and has served as the Army Adjutant General.

Boss holds the rank of brigadier in the Australian Army Reserve.