The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG
Michael
Kirby, who delivered the 2007 Hawke Lecture, was a Justice of the High Court
of Australia.
He has served on the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, as Foundation Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission, as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia (to which he was appointed by the Hawke Government), as President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and of the Solomon Islands Court of Appeal and, between 1996 and 2009 was a Justice on the High Court.
He has been engaged in numerous national and international activities, including as President of the International Commission of Jurists and as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Human Rights in Cambodia.
In 1990 he was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal. In 1998 UNESCO, Paris named him as Laureate of the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education.
He now serves as President of the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia and as an Honorary Professor in nine Australian Universities.
Michael Kirby is also a member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (EPG), formed in July 2010.
Group will recommend options to sharpen impact, strengthen networks and raise the profile of the Commonwealth. "This distinguished Group will set out decisive recommendations on how to strengthen the Commonwealth and fulfill its potential in the 21st century," Secretary-General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma said when he made the announcement in London. "The Group's work will aim to ensure that the Commonwealth remains relevant to its times and makes the best use of its networks and partnerships to do so."
The Group is expected to consult extensively with governments, civil society groups and professional associations, and individuals within the Commonwealth, as well as those beyond the membership with an interest in the Group's work.