James Spigelman
Secretary of the Department of the Media | |
---|---|
In office 30 June 1975 – 22 December 1975 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Sosnowiec, Poland | 1 January 1946
Nationality | Australian |
Spouse | Alice Spigelman |
James Jacob Spigelman
Early years and education
Spigelman was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 1 January 1946. He arrived in Australia with his family in 1949[3][4] and attended Maroubra Public School and later Sydney Boys High School. He then went on to study Arts at the University of Sydney, where he attained First-Class Honours in Government and Second-Class Honours (Division 1) in Economics. Subsequently, he studied law, graduating in 1971 with First-Class Honours and the University Medal.[4]
Spigelman participated in and helped organise the 1965 Freedom Ride, a project undertaken by students to draw attention to problems faced by Indigenous communities in NSW. In 1969 he was President of the Students' Representative Council. From 1969-1971, he was the Student Fellow of the University Senate.[4]
Career
Early legal career
Spigelman was admitted to practise as a solicitor in 1972. From 1972 to 1975, he served as Senior Advisor and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. In 1975, he was appointed the Secretary of the Department of the Media.[4][5][6]
In 1976 Spigelman was admitted to the NSW Bar. He did not commence practice until three years later, when he first served for several years as a member of the Australian Law Reform Commission and also spent time overseas. Spigelman's primary areas of practice at the bar included constitutional law, administrative law, and appellate work.
In 1986, Spigelman was appointed
Judicial career
The Premier Bob Carr appointed Spigelman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and Lieutenant-Governor of NSW, effective 25 May 1998.[3][4][6][7]
Spigelman was regarded as the favourite to succeed Murray Gleeson as Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia when he stepped down in late 2008.[8] However, this appointment went instead to Robert French.
On 18 March 2011, Spigelman announced his decision to resign as Chief Justice, effective 31 May 2011.
He retired on 31 May 2011 and was succeeded by Tom Bathurst QC. Spigelman has also been a justice of the Supreme Court of Fiji.
He was also appointed to the
Chairman of the ABC
On 8 March 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Spigelman would become chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), starting a 5-year term on 1 April 2012.[13] His term finished in March 2017[14] and he was replaced by Justin Milne in April 2017.[15]
Personal life
Spigelman's parents, Gustawa and Majloch, are Holocaust survivors who feature in the graphic novel Maus, by Spigelman's cousin Art Spiegelman. They were 2 of 15 survivors among 72 Spigelman relatives. Spigelman's surname was originally spelt Szpigelman until his parents altered it to Spigelman after moving to Australia after the Holocaust ended.
Spigelman and his two brothers, Mark Spigelman and Allan Spigelman, have often been recognised for their achievements following the Holocaust.[16]
Spigelman is married to author and clinical psychologist
Community leadership
Spigelman has a strong interest in the arts. His community involvement includes:[4]
- Chairman of the Film Finance Corporation Australia Ltd (1990–1992)
- Chair of the National Library of Australia Council (2010–present)
- Deputy Chairman of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (1983–1988)
- President of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences(1995–1998)
- Member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia (1995–1998)
- Member of the Board of the Brett Whiteley Foundation (1995–1998)
- Councillor of the Australian Film Television and Radio School(1975–1978)
Honours
- Justice Spigelman became a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2000, for services to law and to the community through leadership in bringing about change in attitudes to the administration of justice for a more fair and equitable society, and to the support of the visual arts.[17]
- In 2001, Justice Spigelman was one of over 15,000 Australians to be awarded a Centenary Medal.[18]
- He has received honorary doctorates from two universities in Sydney: University of Sydney, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), 2004;[4] and Macquarie University, Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), 2012.[19]
References
- ^ "Swearing in Ceremony of The Honourable J J Spigelman QC" (PDF). 25 May 1998.
- ^ Top court gets new permanent judge, South China Morning Post
- ^ Supreme Court of NSW . 19 May 1998. Archived from the originalon 20 March 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ The University of Sydney. 28 May 2004. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ Whitlam, Gough (16 June 1975). "Appointments" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
- ^ News Limited. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Government Gazette Appointments and Employment". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 96. New South Wales, Australia. 19 June 1998. p. 4415. Retrieved 3 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Koutsoukis, Jason (9 March 2008). "Spigelman odds-on for High Court". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ Jacobsen, Geesche (19 March 2011). "Chief Justice announces he will retire". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ a b Marr, David; Jacobsen, Geesche; Snow, Deborah; Gibson, Joel (19 March 2011). "A time to refresh for a defining force". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ Australian James Spigelman resigns as judge of Hong Kong appeals court over new national security law, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 18 September 2020
- ^ Australian judge James Spigelman says he resigned over HK's national security law, The Standard, 18 September 2020
- ^ "Spigelman confirmed as new ABC chairman". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ "ABC farewells Chairman James Spigelman" (Press release). ABC Media Centre. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Justin Milne B.A., F.A.I.C.D". ABC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "His brother is one of our most celebrated judges, but Mark Spigelman has an even more extraordinary tale. He survived the Nazis by dressing as a girl". 22 May 2009.
- Commonwealth of Australia. 12 June 2000. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "SPIGELMAN, James Jacob - Centenary Meda". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "Honorary Doctorate awarded to His Honour James J Spigelman AC QC". Macquarie University. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
External links
- The Hon James Spigelman AC QC, ABC Chairman Official website
- The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, AC, Supreme Court of New South Wales website
- The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, AC, Speeches, Supreme Court of New South Wales website
- The Hon Justice James Jacob Spigelman AC, Honorary Awards, University of Sydney
- The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman AC, Author profile, UPQ
- Books by James Jacob Spigelman at Worldcat