10th Annual Hawke Lecture: Consensus and Dissent in Australia
Delivered by
The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG
Adelaide Town Hall, Wednesday 10 October 2007
Celebrating a decade of Annual Hawke Lectures
Copy of paper (pdf format 117 KB)
Unedited audio transcript (mp3 format - 19MB)
Bob Hawke was famous for his commitment to a search for consensus in politics and in industrial relations. It was the theme of his Boyer Lectures and a feature of his leadership of the union movement and the nation.
This year's Hawke Lecturer, Justice Kirby, has the highest dissenting rate in the history of the High Court, even out-flanking the dissents of Justice Issacs, Justice Evatt and Justice Murphy. In his Hawke Lecture, Justice Kirby will explore consensus and dissent in society. When is it appropriate, in the law and in the community, to seek agreement? And when do we have to stand up and disagree? By reference to law and life, this year's Annual Hawke Lecture will examine consensus and dissent in Australia.
Biography
This year's Tenth Annual Hawke Lecturer is Justice Michael Kirby of the High Court of Australia.
Justice Kirby is now the longest serving judicial officer in the nation. He was first sworn in as a Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission in December 1974. In February 1975 he was appointed inaugural chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission. He held that post until 1984.
In 1983, he was appointed by the Hawke Government a judge of the Federal Court of Australia. In 1984 he was appointed President of the NSW Court of Appeal, the busiest appellate court in Australia. In 1996 he was appointed one of the seven Justices of the High Court.
Justice Kirby has also served in many international bodies. He was Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Human Rights in Cambodia; a member of the Global Commission on AIDS of WHO; a member of the ILO Mission to South Africa on its Labour Laws 1992; and President of the International Commission of Jurists.
Currently he serves as a member of the UNAIDS Global Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights and as a member of the Judicial Integrity Group of UNODC.
Famously, he gives his recreation as work but lately he has begun to ponder life after the High Court which he must leave early in 2009.
About the Hawke Centre
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre is a dynamic University of South Australia initiative to establish an internationally recognised public learning/visitor and research facility serving young people, national and international scholars and local and global audiences.
Named after Bob Hawke, a third generation South Australian, one of the 20th century’s most notable Prime Ministers (1983-1991) and a great conciliator nationally and abroad, the Hawke Centre was established by Memorandum of Understanding in 1997. UniSA has developed the Centre believing that that Bob Hawke’s contribution should be properly recognised through a national facility, not as a memorial, but in a way that helps young Australians and furthers his legacy of valuing a cohesive and fair Australia.
A new building designed by architect John Wardle to house the Centre’s forum space, Civic Gallery, auditorium and Hawke Library will open in July 2007.
Broadly, the Hawke Centre aims to challenge Australians to consider ideas and develop solutions for Australia and the world, leading towards more sustainable societies, within a democratic framework. It is supported by a fine group of national patrons, and especially, international patron Nelson Mandela.
The Annual Hawke Lecture is the premier national event on the public calendar of the University of South Australia, delivered under the auspices of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre. There are relatively few moments when we have the time to consider the larger issues of life, including the future of our nation and our world and how we can shape it. The University of South Australia offers the Annual Hawke Lecture in this spirit, as an opportunity to listen to the views of someone whose experience of human affairs is notable, and whose concerns about our world are truly worthy of consideration.
Past lecturers
1998 The Hon Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia
1999 Sir Zelman Cowen, former Governor General of Australia
2000 Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Managing Director, World Bank
2001 Sir Gustav Nossal, distinguished Australian scientist
2002 Mr Noel Pearson, Aboriginal activist
2003 The Hon Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis Group
2004 Ms Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
2005 Mr Greg Bourne, CEO, WWF-Australia
2006 Mr Greg Combet, Secretary, ACTU
Contact
Ms Elizabeth Ho
Director
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, University of South Australia
Ph: 08 8302 0651 Mobile: 0417 085 585 Email:
Elizabeth.ho@unisa.edu.au
While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: strengthening our democracy – valuing our cultural diversity – and building our future.