The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG

The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG is one of Australia’s most distinguished jurists and public intellectuals. He served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia — the nation’s highest constitutional and appellate court — from 1996 until his retirement in February 2009. At the time of his retirement, he was Australia’s longest-serving judge.

Over a judicial career spanning more than three decades, Michael Kirby held some of the most senior legal offices in the country. He was first appointed in 1975 as Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. He became the inaugural Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975–1984), later serving as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia, President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal (1984–1996), and concurrently President of the Court of Appeal of Solomon Islands (1995–1996). He was appointed to the High Court of Australia in 1996 and served for thirteen years, twice acting as Chief Justice of Australia.

Beyond his judicial service, Michael Kirby has played a leading role in international law, human rights and global governance. His work has included service with the World Health Organization’s Global Commission on AIDS; as President of the International Commission of Jurists (Geneva); as United Nations Special Representative for Human Rights in Cambodia; as a member of UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee; and as a member of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights.

Following his retirement from the High Court, he continued extensive international engagement. He served as a member of the Eminent Persons Group on the Future of the Commonwealth of Nations; Commissioner of the UNDP Global Commission on HIV and the Law; Chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights Violations in North Korea; member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Essential Medicines; and Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. He has also been engaged in international arbitration, domestic mediation and legal education.

Michael Kirby has held leadership roles in Australian academia and governance, including serving as Chancellor of Macquarie University (1984–1993). He has been appointed Honorary Visiting Professor at twelve universities and has received numerous honorary doctorates in Australia and overseas. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of The Laws of Australia.

His contributions have been recognised with many prestigious honours. In 1991 he was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal. He was named Laureate of the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education in 1998 and co-winner of the Gruber Justice Prize in 2010 — becoming the first Australian recipient of that award. In 2017 he was invested by Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 2018 and has been recognised with honours by the United Nations Association of Australia. He also received the inaugural Australian Privacy Medal in 2011.

An engaging, eloquent and thought-provoking speaker, Michael Kirby addresses audiences on constitutional law, human rights, ethics, global health, governance and the pursuit of justice in both its practical and philosophical dimensions. His presentations combine intellectual depth, historical perspective and personal insight drawn from decades at the forefront of national and international law.

He lives in Sydney with his partner of many decades, Johan van Vloten.