Ian Callinan

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Justice Ian Callinan

Justice Ian David Francis Callinan (1937- ) AC QC is a Justice of the High Court of Australia; the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy.

1 Education
2 Judicial activity
3 Other activities
4 Honours
5 External links

[edit] Education

Born in Casino, New South Wales, he was raised in Brisbane, Queensland, and educated at Brisbane Grammar School. He received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland while working as an articled clerk.

[edit] Judicial activity

Callinan was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1960 and a barrister in 1965. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1978. He was President of the Queensland Bar Association 1984 - 1987 and President of the Australian Bar Association 1984 - 1985.

At the Bar he developed a broad national practice, appearing in cases concerning almost all areas of the law including high profile commercial law cases, industrial relations disputes, defamation trials, constitutional cases and criminal matters. He was briefed by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecute High Court justice Lionel Murphy. He also appeared for high profile corporate personalities such as Alan Bond. He was briefed by the Australian government to appear in extradition proceedings against fugitive businessman Christopher Skase in both Spanish and Australian courts. While at the Bar he held retainers from some of Australia's largest banks and media companies.

Widely regarded for his legal abilities, he is considered a judicial conservative and a strong defender of federalism. He has spoken out against the death penalty (which has been abolished in Australia) and has advocated a tort of interference with privacy.

He was appointed as a Justice of the High Court in February 1998, a position he still holds. Under the Australian Constitution he must retire from the High Court by 1 September 2007 when he will turn 70.

[edit] Other activities

While at the Bar Callinan devoted much time to supporting the Arts in Queensland. He served on the board of many art galleries and was Chairman of Trustees of the Queensland Art Gallery.

Apart from his judicial writings he is a novelist (The Lawyer and the Libertine, The Missing Masterpiece, The Coroners' Conscience, Appointment at Amalfi and After the Monsoon) and a playwright (Brazilian Blue, The Cellophane Ceiling and The Acquisition). He has also written short stories.

He served on the board of several public companies before being appointed to the bench and was also a board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia's public broadcaster.

Since 2000 he has been the Chairman of the Australian Defence Force Academy.

[edit] Honours

He received Australia's highest civil honour when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2003 for his services to the law, arts and the community.
He received the Centenary Medal in 2001 for his service as a Justice of the High Court of Australia.