THE Federal Magistrates Court will be renamed the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has announced today.

Ms Roxon has also announced that the title of Federal Magistrate will be renamed Judge ''to better reflect their important role in Australia's judicial system''.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon will announce the renaming of the Federal Magistrate's Court today. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The name change is the latest effort by Ms Roxon to improved strained relations between the court and the government. Several Federal Magistrates launched a case in the Federal Court earlier this year arguing they should get a 60 per cent pension for life, as judges of the High Court, Family Court and Federal Court do. The court refused the claim last week.

Ms Roxon said the new name for the court highlighted the important service the court provided to rural and regional communities through its program of regular court circuits.

''The title of Judge better reflects the role and responsibilities of a federal judicial officer, which is significantly different from that of a state or territory Magistrate.''

Ms Roxon said the choice of the new name followed consultation with the Federal Magistrates Court and the federal courts. The government intends to introduce legislation to make the changes within days.