William Deane

Infobox Governor-General


| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

name= Sir William Deane
honorific-suffix =
AC, KBE, QC
| order=22nd Governor-General of Australia
nominator1 = Paul Keating
term_start=16 February 1996
term_end=29 June 2001
predecessor=Bill Hayden
successor=Peter Hollingworth
office2 = Puisne Justice of the High Court of Australia
nominator2 = Malcolm Fraser
term_start2 = 25 June 1982
term_end2 = 11 November 1995
predecessor2 = Ninian Stephen
successor2 = Michael Kirby
birth_date= birth date and age|1931|01|04
birth_place= Melbourne, Victoria
death_date=
death_place=
spouse=
profession=Judge
religion=Roman Catholic

Sir William Patrick Deane, AC, KBE, QC (born 4 January 1931), Australian judge and 22nd Governor-General of Australia.

Early life

William Deane was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He was educated at Catholic schools including St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in arts and law. In addition, he also attended the Hague Academy of International Law. After graduation he worked in the federal Attorney-General's Department in Canberra, and travelled in Europe studying international law. He was called to the Sydney Bar in 1957, and also lectured in law at the University.

During this time Deane was active in the Catholic community and was interested in politics. In 1955 he was briefly a member of the Democratic Labor Party, a predominantly Catholic and anti-Communist breakaway from the Australian Labor Party. He soon became disillusioned with the party and played no further part in active politics, but he was strongly influenced by progressive Catholic doctrines of social justice and opposition to racial discrimination.

Judicial career

In 1977 Deane was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and in the same year he was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia and as President of the Australian Trade Practices Tribunal. In July 1982 he was appointed to the High Court of Australia, replacing Sir Ninian Stephen on his appointment as Governor-General. On the court he formed part of the majority that recognised native title in the landmark Mabo case of 1992.

Governor-General

In August 1995, Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating announced that the Queen had agreed to the appointment of Deane as Governor-General to succeed Bill Hayden. He retired from the High Court in November, and was sworn in as Governor-General on 16 February 1996 [ [http://www.racismnoway.com.au/classroom/factsheets/21.html Racism. No Way.: Fact Sheets: The Honourable Sir William Deane AC KBE ] ] . Less than a month later, Keating's government was defeated by the Liberal Party led by John Howard.

During his six-year term of office Deane became increasingly outspoken on social issues.Fact|date=March 2008 While he never directly criticised the government, the tenor of his comments was clear to most observers.Fact|date=March 2008 Conversely, Howard and his ministers were careful not to criticise Deane, but conservative press commentators and activists were less restrained. After Deane's term ended in 2001, Deane became openly critical of the Howard Government.

In 2001, Sir William Deane was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize "for his consistent support of vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians and his strong commitment to the cause of reconciliation."

Honours

Deane was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982, when appointed to the High Court. On Australia Day 1988 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia.

References

External links

* [http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=26 Governor General of Australia - Sir William and Lady Deane] Official biography of Sir William Deane and Lady Deane, published by Government House, Canberra.
* [http://www.filmartdoco.com/mirror.html A Mirror to the People] 58 min Documentary film on the Office of Governor-General of Australia 1999. Dir: Daryl Dellora. Features Sir William Deane, Sir Zelman Cowen, Sir Ninian Stephen. Special Commendation ATOM Awards.