Murray Wilcox
Encyclopedia
Murray Rutledge Wilcox, AO
, QC
is a former Australia
n Federal Court Judge
, serving from 11 May 1984 until retiring on 2 October 2006.He also served as an additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory from 23 April 1983 to 30 September 2006. He may be best remembered for handing down the controversial Noongar Native Title ruling a fortnight before retiring. In May 2007, Wilcox gave the Blackburn Lecture to the ACT Law Society. In his speech, Wilcox claimed that Australia was becoming an 'elected dictatorship' as a result of a concentration of power in Canberra and the position of Prime Minister of Australia
at the hand of John Howard
.
He was the Chief Justice of the Industrial Relations Court of Australia between 1994 and his retirement in 2006.
In October 1993 his book An Australian Charter of Rights was launched by Michael Kirby. The Australian
reported a concomitant "attack" on Australia's human rights laws as inadequate to prevent "discrimination" and a potential "international embarrassment". Wilcox was quoted as saying that "Parliaments and the common law [are] not doing their jobs". In particular, they did not do enough to extirpate racial and sexual discrimination or to protect homosexuals. Kirby agreed that Parliament was "spineless" in such areas.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
is a former Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Federal Court Judge
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law , along with some summary criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single Judges...
, serving from 11 May 1984 until retiring on 2 October 2006.He also served as an additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory from 23 April 1983 to 30 September 2006. He may be best remembered for handing down the controversial Noongar Native Title ruling a fortnight before retiring. In May 2007, Wilcox gave the Blackburn Lecture to the ACT Law Society. In his speech, Wilcox claimed that Australia was becoming an 'elected dictatorship' as a result of a concentration of power in Canberra and the position of Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
at the hand of John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
.
He was the Chief Justice of the Industrial Relations Court of Australia between 1994 and his retirement in 2006.
In October 1993 his book An Australian Charter of Rights was launched by Michael Kirby. The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
reported a concomitant "attack" on Australia's human rights laws as inadequate to prevent "discrimination" and a potential "international embarrassment". Wilcox was quoted as saying that "Parliaments and the common law [are] not doing their jobs". In particular, they did not do enough to extirpate racial and sexual discrimination or to protect homosexuals. Kirby agreed that Parliament was "spineless" in such areas.