Sir Daryl Dawson | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the High Court of Australia | |
| In office 30 July 1982 – 15 August 1997 | |
| Nominated by | Malcolm Fraser |
| Appointed by | Ninian Stephen |
| Preceded by | Sir Keith Aickin |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Hayne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-12-12)12 December 1933 (age 92) |
| Education | Canberra High School |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne Yale University |
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Sir Daryl Michael Dawson (born 12 December 1933) is an Australian former judge who served as a justice of theHigh Court of Australia from 1982 to 1997. Before being appointed to the High Court, he served for periods as a legal officer in theRoyal Australian Navy and asSolicitor-General of Victoria.
Dawson was born inMelbourne but raised inCanberra, where he attendedCanberra High School. He completed his undergraduate education at theUniversity of Melbourne, living atOrmond College and received aBachelor of Laws with honours. He later completed aMaster of Laws atYale University on aFulbright Scholarship.
Dawson was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1957 (and later to the Tasmanian Bar in 1972). In the 1960s, he served as a commander in theRoyal Australian Navy's legal service inMelbourne, holding the rank oflieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. He was appointed aQueen's Counsel in 1971, and served as theSolicitor-General of Victoria from 1974 to 1982.
Dawson was a member of theAustralian Motor Sport Appeal Court from 1974 to 1986, and was the chairman of this court in 1987. In 1982, he was appointed a justice of theHigh Court of Australia, a position he held until retiring on 15 August 1997. During his tenure, he earned the nicknameDissenting Dawson,[1] being the onlydissenting justice in the landmark cases ofMabo v Queensland andCommercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio.[2] He was notably the only justice inAustralian Capital Television v Commonwealth[3] to argue there was noimplied freedom of political communication in the Australian Constitution, although he revised his position on this issue inLange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[4]
From 1997 until 2003, Dawson served as a non-permanent judge of theHong Kong Court of Final Appeal. In 1998, he became a director and chairman of theMenzies Foundation. Dawson is currently a professorial fellow at theMelbourne Law School, and an adjunct professor atMonash University.[5]
Dawson headed a Royal Commission into the 1998 explosion at anatural gas processing plant atLongford, which killed two people and crippled Victoria's energy supply for weeks.
He occasionally adjudicates mooting competitions at theUniversity of Melbourne.
In 1980, Dawson was made a Companion of theOrder of the Bath (CB). Dawson was knighted in 1982, becoming a Knight Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (KBE), and known formally as Sir Daryl Dawson. In 1986, Dawson was made a Companion of theOrder of Australia; at the time, Australia's highest civilian honour. In 2006, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from Monash University, with the University of Melbourne conferring the same award.[6]
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