Honorary Patronage of Michael Kirby
Michael Kirby is a former Justice of the Australian High Court and a highly accomplished jurist and academic.
Kirby was the youngest man ever appointed to federal judicial office in 1975 and was soon after appointed as a judge. In 1996 he was appointed to Australia's highest court, making him the first openly gay judge on the court, where he earned the nickname "The Great Dissenter." Kirby became known for dissenting from his colleagues, and was often the sole voice of dissent. On the court he was described as "a legal progressive who was defiantly internationalist and sought to move forward the legal debate surrounding human rights."
Kirby retired from the court in 2009 but has been active since - in 2013 he was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to lead an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea, and has continued to write and speak about human rights and equal rights for all - especially the LGBT community, indiginous peoples, women and religious and ethnic minorities. He has been named one of Australia's most influential people and has received numerous accolades, at home and abroad, such as the Australian Human Rights Award, the Gruber Prize for Justice, the Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star and honorary degrees from over 20 universities across the world.
We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Michael Kirby to the Phil.