Hon Lionel Murphy

Lionel Keith Murphy (30 August 1922 - 21 October 1986), Australian politician, was Attorney-General in the Government of Gough Whitlam, and a Justice of the High Court of Australia. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (867x1120, 773 KB) This photograph is from the Australian Parliamentary Handbook, and is held under Crown copyright by the Commonwealth of Australia. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (867x1120, 773 KB) This photograph is from the Australian Parliamentary Handbook, and is held under Crown copyright by the Commonwealth of Australia. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General or Attorney-General, is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... Edward Gough Whitlam (born 11 July 1916), Australian politician and 21st Prime Minister of Australia, was the only Australian Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Governor-General. ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the court of last resort for the jurisdiction of Australia. ...

Murphy was the youngest son of William and Lily Murphy, and grew up in Sydney. He was educated at state schools and the University of Sydney, where he graduated in science and law. He was admitted to the bar in 1947, and became a QC in 1960. In July 1954, he married Nina Morrow at St John's church in Darlinghurst. Their daughter, Lorel Katherine, was born in 1955. In 1967, Murphy's marriage to Nina ended in divorce. In 1969, Murphy married Ingrid Gee (Grzonkowski). They had two sons, Cameron Murphy (who, as of 2005, heads the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties) and Blake. Sydney Harbour looking south from the vicinity of the Sydney Harbour Bridge towards the CBD skyline; the Opera House is visible in the background on the left. ... The University of Sydney The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... QC can stand for: Quality Custom, a company that makes high end custom cabinetry. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Darlinghurst is an inner eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A member of the Australian Labor Party from an early age, he was elected to the Australian Senate in 1961, and in 1967 he was elected Opposition Leader in the Senate. In 1969 Labor Leader Gough Whitlam appointed him Shadow Attorney-General, and when Labor won the 1972 election he became Attorney-General. The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Australian Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... Edward Gough Whitlam (born 11 July 1916), Australian politician and 21st Prime Minister of Australia, was the only Australian Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Governor-General. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The Attorney General of Australia is the chief law officer of the Crown and a member of the Federal Cabinet. ...

One of Murphy's more dramatic actions as Attorney-General was his unannounced visit to the Melbourne headquarters of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in March 1973. This came about because ASIO officers were unable to satisfy his requests for information concerning intelligence on Croatian terrorist groups operating in Australia. Murphy's concern about the matter was heightened by the impending visit to Australia of the Yugoslav Prime Minister Dzemal Bijedic. ASIO officers claimed not to be able to locate the file with which to properly brief Murphy. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Australias domestic counterintelligence service, is responsible (in coordination with the Australian Federal Police) for preventing espionage by foreign powers, and is attempting to monitor and prevent terrorist and other political violence. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Murphy's most important legislative acgievement was the Family Law Act, which completely overhauled Australia's law on divorce and other family law matters, establishing the principle of "no fault" divorce in the face of opposition from the Catholic Church and other conservative forces. This act established the Family Court of Australia. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage, which can be contrasted with an annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody and distribution of property. ... Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including, but not limited to marriage, civil unions, divorce, spousal abuse, child custody and visitation, property, alimony, and child support awards, as well as child abuse issues, and adoption. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... The Family Court of Australia has jurisdiction over all marriage-related cases in Australia, including applications for declarations of the validity or nullity of marriages, divorces, custody, access and property settlements. ...

In 1975 Whitlam appointed Murphy to a vacancy on the High Court of Australia. He was the first serving Labor politician appointed to the Court since Dr H.V. Evatt in 1931 and the appointment was bitterly criticised. The Premier of New South Wales, Tom Lewis, appointed an independent Senator to replace Murphy in the Senate, beginning the chain of events which led to the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975. 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the court of last resort for the jurisdiction of Australia. ... Rt Hon Dr H.V. Evatt Herbert Vere Evatt (April 30, 1894 - November 2, 1965), Australian jurist, politician and writer (popularly known as Doc Evatt or H.V. Evatt) was born in Maitland, New South Wales, to a working-class family of Anglo-Irish origin. ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... List of Premiers of New South Wales Before the 1890s there was no formal party system in New South Wales. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

In July 1985, during the term of the Hawke Labor government, Murphy was convicted on one of two charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice, over allegations made by Clarrie Briese, the Chief Magistrate of New South Wales, that Murphy had attempted to influence a court case against Sydney lawyer, Morgan Ryan, whom Murphy referred to as "my little mate." Murphy subsequently won a retrial and was acquitted in April 1986. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert James Lee Hawke (born December 9, 1929), Australian trade union leader and politician, was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Attorney-General Lionel Bowen, acting on what he said was his belief that the Justices of the High Court were minded to take some independent action to assess Justice Murphy's fitness to return to the Court, introduced legislation for a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, constituted by three retired judges, to examine "whether any conduct of the Honourable Lionel Keith Murphy has been such as to amount, in its opinion, to proved misbehaviour within the meaning of section 72 of the Constitution." (Section 72 specifies that a High Court judge may only be removed by the Governor-General and both houses of Parliament, "on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.") The terms of this inquiry specifically excluded the issues for which Murphy had already been tried and acquitted.[1] Lionel Frost Bowen (born 28 December 1922), Australian politician, was a senior Labor figure, serving in the ministries of Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke. ...

The legislation establishing the Commission of Inquiry received assent in May 1986. In July Murphy announced that he was dying of untreatable cancer. The establishing legislation was repealed, and that repeal legislation vested control of the Commission's documents in the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. Murphy returned to the Court for one week of sittings. He died on 21 October 1986. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In addition to his work as a legislator, Murphy also took a lifelong interest in science. At Sydney University he combined his Bachelor of Laws degree with a Bachelor of Science, and Justice Michael Kirby identified Murphy's later scientific reading as a positive influence on his approach to jurisprudence.[2]. The Lionel Murphy Foundation funds postgraduate scholarships for students who "intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in science, law or legal studies"[3]. The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... This article is about Australian High Court judge Michael Kirby. ...

The Lionel Murphy Nebula was named in acknowledgement of Murphy's interest in science, and for a perceived resemblance to his distinctive nose.

External links

• Lionel Murphy Foundation
• Jenny Hocking site