Why not a Federal Court judge? I get it. They're both presumed independent. I assume the intelligence commissioner is presumed independent; I can't imagine why. Both are government-appointed. Both are presumed to have perfect knowledge, and I think you know what I mean by perfect knowledge. They are both presumed to have all the knowledge. A Federal Court judge, however, is not beholden to the government. They aren't “hired”. Their term isn't renewed or anything like that. They can sit until they're 75.
Why not have a Federal Court judge play the role of gatekeeper, rather than the intelligence commissioner, when there is at least a reasonable perception of connection to government?