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Travels From:
Sydney
Fee Range: E
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When he retired from the High Court of Australia in February 2009, Justice Michael Kirby was the longest serving judge in Australia. During his 35 years in judicial office, he engaged the media and audiences in Australia and overseas in a way the judges had previously not done. In part, this was because, for ten years (1975-84), he chaired the Australian Law Reform Commission. That involved extensive engagement with Australians over what the shape of the law would be on computers, genetics, and a fast changing society.
In addition to important judicial posts, including as President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal (1984-96) and on the High Court of Australia (1996-2009), Michael Kirby has served in an array of interesting positions. From the Board of the CSIRO in Australia, an appeal judge in Solomon Islands, to work on the Global Commission on AIDS of the World Health Organisation, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN on Human Rights in Cambodia and President of the International Commission of Jurists. Few, if any, Australian lawyers have had such a varied global career in law and society. He now serves as President of the Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia and as a Professor at 8 Australian universities.
Michael Kirby's interests reflect the range of issues that he can address with knowledge and insight:
- Human rights and the proposal for the Australian Charter of Rights
- The human genome project and genetic alterations to eliminate disease.
- Regulating computers and the internet -- is this desirable?
- Business regulation. And how corporate boards failed to see the GFC coming.
- The value of dissent in a free society.
- The clash of civilisation and religious fundamentalism.
- New responses to the AIDS epidemic that will promote prevention strategies.
- The future of law in Australia.
- Using mediation to avoid conflict: international, personal and business.
Michael Kirby's style is inter-active, engaging audiences and injecting just the right note of humour and personal empathy.
Some audience and client comments on file:
Excellent: 88.1%. Good: 4.8%. Disappointed: 00%
"Excellent. Comparing presenters after [MK] very difficult"' "Thought provoking and very inspiring"; "Highlight of the conference"; "Wonderful"; "Outstanding!! Kirby was undoubtedly the best speaker for the conference"; "You were the star of our show".
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