Editing Michael Kirby (judge)

{{Short description|Australian jurist and academic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
|name = Michael Kirby
|honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AC|CMG|size=100%}}
| image  = The Hon Michael D. Kirby AC CMG (cropped).jpg
| office      = [[List of Justices of the High Court of Australia|Justice of the High Court of Australia]]
| appointer   = [[Bill Hayden]]
| nominator   = [[Paul Keating]]
| term_start  = 6 February 1996
| term_end    = 2 February 2009
| predecessor = [[William Deane|Sir William Deane]]
| successor   = [[Virginia Bell (judge)|Virginia Bell]]
| office1     = [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of [[Macquarie University]]
| predecessor1 = Percy Partridge
| successor1  = [[Tim Besley (public servant)|Tim Besley]]
| term_start1 = 1984
| term_end1   = 1993
| occupation  = [[Arbitrator]], [[Mediation|Mediator]], [[United Nations|UN Official]]
| birth_name  = Michael Donald Kirby
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1939|03|18}}
| birth_place = [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], Australia
| nationality = Australian
| spouse      = Johan van Vloten
| alma_mater = [[University of Sydney]] 
| children    =
}}
'''Michael Donald Kirby''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AC|CMG}} (born 18 March 1939) is an Australian [[jurist]] and academic who is a former Justice of the [[High Court of Australia]], serving from 1996 to 2009.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG|url=https://www.alrc.gov.au/about/president/past-presidents/hon-michael-kirby-ac-cmg/|access-date=2020-10-09|website=ALRC}}</ref> He has remained active in retirement; in May 2013 he was appointed by the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] to lead an [[Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea]], which reported in February 2014.

==Early life and education==
Michael Donald Kirby was born on 18 March 1939 at [[Crown Street Women's Hospital]] to Donald and Jean Langmore (née Knowles) Kirby. He was the eldest of five siblings, followed by twins Donald William and David Charles (the latter died at 18 months from pneumonia), David, and Diana Margaret.<ref name="Paradoxes">{{cite book |last=Brown |first=A.J. |title=Michael Kirby: Paradoxes and Principles |year=2011 |publisher=Federation Press |location=Leichhardt |isbn=978-1862876507}}</ref> In 1943 his grandmother, Norma Gray, remarried and her second husband was Jack Simpson, National Treasurer of the [[Australian Communist Party]].  Although Kirby came to admire Simpson, neither he nor his immediate family embraced the ideology.  His father supported the [[Australian Labor Party]] but never became a member.  His mother, it is believed, voted for [[Robert Menzies]] ([[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]]).

Kirby attended state schools, commencing at [[North Strathfield, New South Wales|North Strathfield]] Public School, followed by [[Summer Hill, New South Wales|Summer Hill]] Public School for [[Opportunity Class]]es, and then [[Fort Street High School]] (at that time Fort Street Boys High School) in Sydney.<ref name="Paradoxes"/>

After graduating from high school, Kirby later attended the [[University of Sydney]], where he earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] (1959), [[Bachelor of Laws]] (1962), [[Bachelor of Economics]] (1965), and [[Master of Laws]] ([[British undergraduate degree classification#First-class honours|First-Class Honours]]) (1967). At university, Kirby was elected President of the [[University of Sydney Students' Representative Council]] (1962–1963) and President of the [[University of Sydney Union]] (1965).<ref>[http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyjbio.html Biography: Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=3089|title=Transcript of Michael Kirby's talk|first=Ruchir|last=Punjabi|date=28 February 2009|publisher=The University of Sydney}}</ref>

==Career==
Kirby commenced his legal career as an [[articled clerk]] for Ramon Burke at the small Sydney firm M. A. Simon and Co., assisting with Compensation Commission cases for plaintiffs. The firm had two principals, Maurice Arthur Simon and Ramon Burke, later a judge of the [[Compensation Court of New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/1990s/vol43/1999/1588-LESSONS_AS_A_SOLICITOR_-_LAW_SOCIETY_JOURNAL.doc|first=Michael|last=Kirby|title=Lessons as a Solicitor|work=Law Society of New South Wales Journal|year=1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/2000s/vol60/2006/2140-UWA_BLACKSTONE_SOCIETY_10_PARABLES_NOV_2006.doc|title=Ten Parables for Freshly-Minted Lawyers|first=Michael|last=Kirby|publisher=The University of Western Australia Blackstone Law Society}}</ref> After graduation, he moved to Hickson, Lakeman and Holcombe (now Hicksons Lawyers) as a solicitor, practising in insurance litigation and property disputes. He was a partner of the firm from 1963 to 1967.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirby |first1=Michael |title=Law firms and justice in Australia |url=http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyj_award.htm |website=High Court of Australia |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirby |first1=Michael |title=Memories of Hicksons |url=http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyj_hicksons.htm |website=High Court of Australia |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref>

Kirby was admitted to the [[New South Wales Bar Association|New South Wales Bar]] in 1967.<ref name="HCA">{{cite web|url=http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyjbio.html|title=Biography: Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG|publisher=High Court of Australia}}</ref>

==Judicial appointment==
Kirby became the youngest man appointed to federal judicial office in 1975, when he was appointed Deputy President of the [[Australian Industrial Relations Commission|Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission]], a tribunal which adjudicated labour disputes.<ref name="HCA"/> In 1983, Kirby was appointed a judge in the [[Federal Court of Australia]], before an appointment as President of the [[New South Wales Court of Appeal]], a superior court in that state's legal system, in 1984. During that period, he was also the President of the Court of Appeal of Solomon Islands from 1995 to 1996.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Boyd|first=Susan|title=Australian Judges at Work Internationally|journal=[[Australian Law Journal]]|year=2003|volume=77|pages=303 at 305}}</ref>

From 1984 until 1993, Kirby held the position of Chancellor at [[Macquarie University]].<ref>{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918083703/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyjbio.html|date=18 September 2006}}. Retrieved 22 January 2010.</ref>

In February 1996, Kirby was appointed to the [[High Court of Australia]].<ref name=":0" /> He has served on many other boards and committees, notably the [[Australian Law Reform Commission]] (ALRC) and the [[CSIRO]]. He is Patron of the Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA) and many other bodies.

===Dissent rate===
Kirby was often at odds with his colleagues in the [[Murray Gleeson|Gleeson]] [[High Court of Australia|High Court]], and sometimes as the sole dissenter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kirby-swims-against-tide-as-other-judges-go-with-flow/2007/02/15/1171405374612.html|title=Kirby swims against tide as other judges go with flow|first=Tim|last=Dick|date=16 February 2007|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/kirbys-last-dissent-my-fellow-judges-racially-biased-20090202-7vr7.html|title=Kirby's last dissent: my fellow judges racially biased|first1=Leo|last1=Shanahan|first2=Andra|last2=Jackson|date=3 February 2009|work=The Age}}</ref> In 2004, he delivered a [[dissenting opinion]] on nearly 40% of the matters in which he participated, almost twice as many as any of his High Court colleagues; in constitutional cases, his rate of dissent was more than 50%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/its-unanimous-kirby-still-the-great-dissenter/story-e6frg6z6-1111113002018|title=It's unanimous: Kirby still the great dissenter|first=Chris|last=Merritt|date=16 February 2007|work=The Australian}}</ref> His notable dissent rate earned him the nickname the "Great Dissenter".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/kirby-set-to-retire/story-e6frf7jo-1111118723839|title=Kirby set to retire|work=Herald Sun|date=1 February 2009}}</ref> Future High Court Justices who have been considered in contention for the title include [[Dyson Heydon]] and [[Patrick Keane (justice)|Patrick Keane]], though neither had dissent rates as high as Kirby's.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-05/byrne-high-court-judges/4553626|title=Justice Keane completes the new-look High Court|first=Elizabeth|last=Byrne|date=5 March 2013|work=The Drum|publisher=ABC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timebase.com.au/news/2011/AT388-article.html|title=Justice Heydon triples his dissent rate for 2011|work=Legal Research|publisher=TimeBase|date=12 August 2011}}</ref>

Legal researchers Andrew Lynch and George Williams observe that "even allowing for 2004 as a year in which Kirby had a particularly high level of explicit disagreement with a majority of his colleagues, it is neither premature nor unfair to say that in the frequency of his dissent, his Honour has long since eclipsed any other Justice in the history of the Court... <nowiki>[Kirby]</nowiki> has broken away to claim a position of outsider on the Court which seems unlikely to pass with future years".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/news/docs/HighCourtStatistics_2004.doc|title=News {{!}} Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law|website=gtcentre.unsw.edu.au|access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref>

Kirby has responded, stating that "on their own, statistics tell little"; to understand Kirby's rate of dissent, it is necessary to examine what his disagreements have been ''about'' and consider whom he has dissented ''from''. Kirby explains "there have always been divisions, reflecting the different philosophies and perspectives of the office-holders", and that, throughout the High Court's history, many dissenting opinions have ultimately been adopted as good law.<ref>{{cite speech
 |title       = Judicial Dissent
 |author      = Michael Kirby
 |date        = 26 February 2005
 |location    = [[James Cook University]]
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_feb05.html
 |access-date  = 14 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918103829/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_feb05.html
 |archive-date = 18 September 2006
}}</ref> Further, Kirby argues that the rate of dissent, if seen within its context, is relatively small. Cases heard before the full bench of the High Court have proceeded through a series of lower courts and special leave hearings. They are thus likely to test the boundaries of the existing law, and raise opposing, though no less valid, views of the law.<ref>
{{cite episode
 | title = Bold Enough: Justice Michael Kirby
 | series = Sunday Profile
 | series-link = Sunday Profile
 | airdate = 2 December 2007
 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/s2106109.htm
}}
</ref>

===Retirement and post-retirement life===
Kirby retired from the High Court on 2 February 2009, shortly before reaching the constitutionally mandatory retirement age of 70,<ref>[[Constitution of Australia]], section 72.</ref> and was succeeded by [[Virginia Bell (judge)|Virginia Bell]].<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/high-court-gets-fourth-woman/2008/12/15/1229189518021.html High Court gets fourth woman]. Retrieved 15 December 2008.</ref>

After his retirement, Kirby was appointed to several honorary academic roles at Australian universities. These included appointments to: the [[Australian National University]] (ANU) in Canberra, as distinguished visiting fellow in February 2009;<ref>{{cite news | agency=Australian Associated Press |title=Kirby takes on new job at ANU law school | date=9 February 2009 | work=The Sydney Morning Herald| url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/kirby-takes-on-new-job-at-anu-law-school-20090209-81mu.html | access-date=9 February 2009 }}</ref> the [[UNSW Faculty of Law|University of New South Wales Faculty of Law]] as visiting professorial fellow in March 2009;<ref>[http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/business-law/michael-kirby-joins-unsw news@unsw Michael Kirby joins UNSW | UNSW Newsroom]</ref> the [[University of Tasmania]] Faculty of Law as [[adjunct professor]] in July 2009; and [[Victoria University, Melbourne|Victoria University]] as an adjunct professor. He has been appointed [[Honorary title (academic)|honorary]] [[visiting professor]] by 12 universities.

==Jurisprudence==
In November 2003, at the [[University of Exeter]], Kirby delivered the Hamlyn Lectures<ref>{{cite speech
 |title       = First Hamlyn Lecture 2003 – "Judicial Activism" – Authority, Principle and Policy in the Judicial Method
 |author      = Michael Kirby
 |date        = 19 November 2003
 |location    = [[University of Exeter]]
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_19nov.html
 |access-date  = 14 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918103412/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_19nov.html
 |archive-date = 18 September 2006
}}</ref><ref>{{cite speech
 |title       = Second Hamlyn Lecture 2003 – "Judicial Activism" – Authority, Principle and Policy in the Judicial Method
 |author      = Michael Kirby
 |date        = 20 November 2003
 |location    = [[University of Exeter]]
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_20nov.html
 |access-date  = 14 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918105140/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_20nov.html
 |archive-date = 18 September 2006
}}</ref> on the subject of [[judicial activism]]. Rejecting the doctrine of [[strict constructionism]], Kirby declared that:<blockquote>Clearly it would be wrong for a judge to set out in pursuit of a personal policy agenda and hang the law. Yet it would also be wrong, and futile, for a judge to pretend that the solutions to all of the complex problems of the law today, unresolved by incontestably clear and applicable texts, can be answered by the application of nothing more than purely verbal reasoning and strict logic to words written by judges in earlier times about the problems they then faced... contrary to myth, judges do more than simply apply law. They have a role in making it and always have.</blockquote>These lectures sparked a debate in the Australian media, echoing an ongoing debate in the United States, as to whether judges have the right to interpret the law in the light of its intent and considerations of [[Natural law#Contemporary jurisprudence|natural law]] or whether judges should (or can) simply follow the letter of the law, leaving questions of its intent and underlying principles to elected representatives.

Following increasing public scrutiny into, and characterisations of, High Court judgments as 'activist' in the late 1990s, a number of members of the Court agreed to give interviews in the 1998 documentary ''The Highest Court''. Kirby was one of the few members of the Court who did not take part.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Highest Court|url=https://www.filmartmedia.com/projects/the-highest-court/|access-date=2021-04-23|website=Film Art Media}}</ref><ref name="youtube1998">{{Citation|title=The Highest Court (1998) – Documentary on the High Court of Australia| date=20 February 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQUH1NpidoA|access-date=2021-04-23}}</ref> An insight into Kirby's jurisprudence and judicial style can be found in his engagement with Gavin Griffith QC in ''[[Kruger v Commonwealth]],'' which is featured in the documentary.<ref name="youtube1998"/>

He had also addressed this topic in a 1997 speech to the Bar Association of India, in which he spoke approvingly of "a kind of 'judicial activism' that is often in tune with the deeply felt emotions of ordinary citizens".<ref>{{cite speech
 |title       = Bar Association of India Lecture 1997 – Judicial Activism
 |author      = Michael Kirby
 |date        = 6 January 1997
 |location    = New Delhi Hilton Hotel
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_indialt.htm
 |access-date  = 14 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918112058/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_indialt.htm
 |archive-date = 18 September 2006
}}</ref> Nonetheless, Kirby is critical of the term "judicial activism" when it is used as "code language", applied chiefly by conservative commentators to views and to people with which they disagree.<ref>{{cite episode
 | title = The Great Dissenter: Justice Michael Kirby
 | series = Sunday Profile
 | series-link = Sunday Profile
 | airdate = 25 November 2007
 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/s2100123.htm
 | access-date = 2 December 2007
 | archive-date = 28 November 2007
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128105903/http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/s2100123.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

==UN Report into North Korean Human Rights Abuses==
{{main|Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea}}
{{further|Human rights in North Korea}}
[[File:Michael Kirby, Chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the DPRK.jpg|thumb|The commission of inquiry presided over by Kirby recommended that North Korean leadership be prosecuted for human rights violations.]]
In May 2013, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] appointed Kirby to lead a [[United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|commission of inquiry]] into human rights abuses in [[North Korea]], with [[Sonja Biserko]] and [[Marzuki Darusman]].<ref>[http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13301&LangID=E Council President appoints Members of Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic in Korea] Retrieved 8 May 2013</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/un-appoints-kirby-to-head-inquiry-into-rights-abuses-in-north-korea-20130508-2j82r.html
|title=UN appoints Kirby to head inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 May 2013 |access-date=9 May 2013}}</ref> The report is dated 7 February 2014.  It identifies "[s]ystematic, widespread and gross human rights violations" by a "totalitarian state", including "unspeakable atrocities" in the political prison camps.  It makes many recommendations for internal reform and international action, including prosecution of the North Korean leadership in the [[International Criminal Court]] or before an ad hoc international tribunal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx |title=Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |date=7 February 2014 |access-date=20 February 2014}}</ref> North Korea refused all co-operation with the inquiry and, just before the report was launched, issued a statement claiming that it was based upon "faked" material.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korea-says-un-report-based-on-faked-material-20140217-hvcrs.html|title=North Korea says UN report based on 'faked' material|date=18 February 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=20 February 2014}}</ref>

As the report was being finalised, on 20 January 2014 Kirby wrote to North Korea's Supreme Leader, [[Kim Jong-un]], informing him that he would be advising the [[United Nations]] to formally refer the situation in North Korea to the [[International Criminal Court]], where Kim could be tried for his personal culpability as head of state and leader of the military, but proposing that the commission come to [[Pyongyang]] to discuss the issues with the North Korean government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/north-korea-human-rights-abuses-united-nations |title=UN panel accuses North Korea of human rights abuses resembling Nazis |first=Peter |last=Walker |date=18 February 2014 |work=The Guardian |access-date=18 February 2014 }}  The letter is appended to the report; there was no reply.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/feb/17/united-nations-letter-north-korea-human-rights UN inquiry chairman's letter to Kim Jong-un on North Korean rights abuses]</ref>
At a press conference to launch the report, on 17 February 2014, Kirby said that there were "many parallels" between the evidence he had heard and crimes committed by the Nazis and their allies in the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korea-crimes-evoke-nazi-era-un-inquiry-finds-20140218-hvcsm.html|title=North Korea crimes evoke Nazi era, UN inquiry finds|first=Stephanie |last=Nebehay |date=18 February 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> On 22 April 2014 the official news agency of North Korea, [[Korean Central News Agency|KCNA]], claimed that the "fabrications" are meant to "undermine the ideology and social system of the [[North Korea|DPRK]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html |title=KCNA Commentary Slams Artifice by Political Swindlers |publisher=Korean Central News Agency |date=22 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729025304/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html |archive-date=29 July 2014 }}</ref> The KCNA also criticised Kirby for being gay: "it is ridiculous for such gay {{sic}} to sponsor dealing with others' human rights issue".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/22/north-korean-state-media-slams-u-n-human-rights-report-because-it-was-led-by-a-gay-man/|first=Adam|last=Taylor|title=North Korea slams U.N. human rights report because it was led by gay man|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2014-04-22|access-date=2014-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html|website=kcna.co.jp|publisher=the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)|access-date=17 August 2015|date=22 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729025304/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news22/20140422-02ee.html|archive-date=29 July 2014|title=KCNA Commentary Slams Artifice by Political Swindlers}}</ref>

Kirby remained involved in advocacy on issues of human rights in North Korea and the abduction of Japanese citizens, participating in symposia organised by the Japanese government in Geneva (September 2014) with a UN Human Rights Council Panel and in Tokyo (December 2015).<ref name = ORScitation /> In May 2017,<ref>{{cite journal|title = Reception in honour of the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG|volume = 52|issue = 2|page = 3|date = October 2017|url = https://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/document/english/japan_reports/JR52-2/JR%20Vol%2052-2%20p.3.pdf|journal = The Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney's Quarterly Newsletter}}</ref> he was awarded the [[Order of the Rising Sun]], Gold and Silver Star, "in recognition of his contribution to promoting understanding of the situation of Human Rights in North Korea in the international society including the issue of the abductions of Japanese nationals".<ref name = ORScitation>{{cite web|url = https://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/document/english/annex.pdf|title = The Hon. Mr. Michael Kirby AC CMG &ndash; The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star|publisher = Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney}}</ref> The honour was presented by Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]] and Kirby received the additional honour of an audience with [[Akihito]], the [[Emperor of Japan]], at the [[Tokyo Imperial Palace|Imperial Palace in Tokyo]].<ref name = ORSawarded>{{cite journal|title = 2017 Spring Imperial Decorations: the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG|url = https://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/document/english/japan_reports/JR52-1/JReports%20Vol%2052-1%20p.2.pdf|volume = 52|issue = 1|date = July 2017|page = 2|journal = The Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney's Quarterly Newsletter|first = Michael|last = Kirby}}</ref> Kirby described the awarding of the honour to himself and former [[United Nations special rapporteur]] Marzuki Darusman<ref name = SMH-ORS>{{cite news|title = Finding Megumi: Michael Kirby calls for 'peaceful initiatives' on North Korea|first = Daniel|last = Hurst|date = 21 May 2017|access-date = 12 February 2017|newspaper = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|url = https://www.smh.com.au/world/michael-kirby-calls-for-peaceful-initiatives-on-north-korea-after-decoration-20170517-gw6sxr.html}}</ref> as "a clear signal that the Japanese Government has not abandoned its determination to pursue the [[crimes against humanity|crime against humanity]] involved in the abductions in the international community and other crimes revealed in our report."<ref name = ORSawarded />

In January 2015, one of the key witnesses to Kirby's inquiry, [[Shin Dong Hyuk]], admitted that he had given false testimony. Having sworn that he had spent his childhood entirely in the notorious Camp 14, he changed his story to say that he had been transferred at the age of six to the nearby Camp 18.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mundy |first=Simon |date=2015-01-19 |title=North Korea defector admits falsehoods in prison camp story |work=Financial Times|location=London |url=https://www.ft.com/content/00894c3e-9fc5-11e4-aa89-00144feab7de |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref> He said that he had changed his story after seeing his father (whom he had thought to be dead) on television. Shin apologised but gave few details.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/19/north-korea-defector-change-story-shin-dong-hyuk|title=North Korean defector changes story after seeing father in video|agency=Reuters|date=2015-01-19|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-04-12|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Public life==
Michael Kirby was among the founders<ref>{{cite speech| title = Recollections of Sir Harry Gibbs| author = Michael Kirby| date = 27 May 2006| location = [[Canberra]]| url = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_27may06.pdf| access-date = 14 October 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060918100656/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_27may06.pdf| archive-date = 18 September 2006}}</ref> of [[Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]], an organisation which played a prominent part in the [[1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 republic referendum]].

Kirby has a reputation as an eloquent and powerful orator, having given a vast number of speeches over his career on a diverse range of topics.<ref>[http://www.hcourt.gov.au/publications_05.html High Court of Australia – Publications – Speeches<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The annual Michael Kirby Lecture and Dinner has been conducted by the Faculty of Law and Justice, Southern Cross University, since 2007.<ref>"School of Law and Justice Annual Michael Kirby Lecture Series" < http://scu.edu.au/law-justice/index.php/57 ></ref>

Kirby is a fellow of the [[Hastings Center]], an independent bioethics research institution in the United States. In 2006, he was elected an Honorary Bencher of the [[Inner Temple]] in London. In the same year, the [[Australian Academy of the Humanities]] elected him an Honorary Fellow.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fellows|url=https://www.humanities.org.au/fellows/fellows/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=Australian Academy of the Humanities}}</ref>

In July 2009, Kirby accepted a position as adjunct professor in law at the University of Tasmania Faculty of Law. He is also the (founding) Chairman of the Editorial Board of the ''[http://www.jlisjournal.org Journal of Law, Information & Science]'', which is published by that faculty; a position he has held since 1981.<ref>See "Contributions to the JLIS by Hon. Prof Michael Krby AC CMG." < http://www.jlisjournal.org/briefs/kirbypapers.html ></ref>

Since 2010, Kirby has been one of the 11 members of the Eminent Persons Group set up to advise on reform of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/228488/228492/whos_in_the_epg/ |title=Who's in the EPG? |author=Commonwealth (of Nations) Secretariat |year=2011 |access-date=28 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522091357/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/228488/228492/whos_in_the_epg/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 }}</ref>

In 2011, Kirby, suggested that "There is nothing so powerful in the world as an idea whose time has come, and animal protection is just such an idea", becoming a patron of [[Voiceless (animal rights group)|Voiceless]], an animal protection institute.<ref>{{cite web|title=Voiceless, the animal protection institute|url=https://www.voiceless.org.au/who-we-are/michael-kirby}}</ref>

Kirby is an avid supporter of the arts. He has appeared in the ''University of Queensland Law Revue'' twice since 2004. In May 2007, he appeared in Melbourne alongside hip-hop impresario [[Elf Tranzporter]] at the launch of Victorian Arts Law Week, performing a rap of [[W. B. Yeats]]'s poetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/judge-jerry-gives-artists-the-word/2007/05/07/1178390232082.html|title='Judge Jerry' gives artists the word|first=Kenneth|last=Nguyen|date=8 May 2007|work=The Age}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/05/performances_top_judge_beats_r.html|title=Performances: Top judge beats rap|date=8 May 2007|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043321/http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/05/performances_top_judge_beats_r.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> 

==Personal life==
Kirby has been openly gay since around 1984.  He has lived since 1969 with Johan van Vloten, who migrated to Australia from the [[Netherlands]] in 1963, and in 1999 Kirby listed him as his long-term partner in ''[[Who's Who in Australia]]''.  Van Vloten helped people living with HIV and Kirby became involved in the issue both within Australia and internationally.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=26 May 2017 |title=The Pettifogger Issue 3 2017|magazine=The Pettifogger |location=Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |publisher=The University of Tasmania Law Society }}</ref> Kirby has often spoken publicly in support of gay rights.<ref>{{cite news
 |publisher      = ABC News|location=Australia
 |title       = Kirby calls for united effort on gay rights
 |url         = http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1718903.htm
 |date        = 19 August 2006
 |access-date  = 14 October 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060823023622/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1718903.htm
 |archive-date = 23 August 2006
}}
</ref> While President of the [[International Commission of Jurists]] he encouraged that organisation to give more consideration to human sexuality as an aspect of human rights,<ref>{{cite interview
 |subject     = Michael Kirby
 |interviewer = Michele Boyle
 |title       = Leadership
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_29mar04.html
 |location    = Canberra
 |date        = 4 March 2004
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060820045705/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_29mar04.html
 |archive-date = 20 August 2006
}}</ref> and as an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] he has expressed disappointment at his church's stance on gay rights.<ref>{{cite interview
 |subject     = Michael Kirby
 |interviewer = Monica Attard
 |title       = Michael Kirby
 |url         = http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_16nov.html
 |work        = [[Sunday Profile]]
 |location    = Canberra
 |date        = 16 November 2003
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060820064258/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_16nov.html
 |archive-date = 20 August 2006
}}</ref> In 2002, at the Sydney [[2002 Gay Games|Gay Games VI]], Kirby was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony. "The movement for equality is unstoppable. Its message will eventually reach the four corners of the world," he told a crowd of 35,000.<ref>{{cite news
 | author = Margo Kingston
 | title = Kirby Courage
 | url = http://www.ssonet.com.au/archives/display.asp?ArticleID=1969
 | date = 5 November 2002
 | access-date = 17 February 2009
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071218100105/http://www.ssonet.com.au/archives/display.asp?ArticleID=1969 |archive-date = 18 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | author=Andrew West
 | title=Thanks for having us Sydney, say gays
 | work=The Sydney Morning Herald
| date= 10 November 2002
 | access-date= 17 February 2009
 | url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/09/1036308532773.html
}}</ref> In 2006, he attended the [[2006 World Outgames#International Conference on LGBT Human Rights|International Conference on LGBT Human Rights]] in Montreal, presiding over the Asia-Pacific Plenary.

Kirby is religious, describing himself as a "Protestant Anglican Christian" and criticising clerical opposition to homosexuality:  "I don't want any old gent in frocks to take my religion from me and to me it is still an important aspect of my life".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/high-court-judge-michael-kirby-talks-about-religion-and-sexuality150612/|title=High Court judge Michael Kirby talks about religion and sexuality|first=Anna|last=Leach|date=15 June 2012|publisher=Gay Star News}}</ref> In November 2007, he accused the Anglican and Catholic archbishops of Sydney, [[Peter Jensen (bishop)|Peter Jensen]] and [[George Pell]] respectively, of hindering the acceptance of gay people in Australian society, stating that homophobia was "reinforced even to this day by religious instruction, and it has to be said, religious instruction from the two archbishops of Sydney".<ref name="Gemma Pritchard">{{cite news| url=http://archive.globalgayz.com/oceania/australia/gay-australia-news-and-reports-4/|title=Archbishops fuel homophobia says gay judge|first=Gemma|last=Pritchard|date=27 November 2007|newspaper=Pink News}}</ref> Kirby also expressed disappointment in his "minority of one" status among his [[High Court of Australia]] colleagues, and conceded that "some of the justices perhaps have less liberal views than I have".<ref name="Gemma Pritchard"/>

Kirby was selected by readers of samesame.com.au as one of the 25 most influential gay or lesbian Australians in every year that this list was published, from 2007 to 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Samesame 25|url=http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2007/|publisher=samesame|access-date=22 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129114250/http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2007/|archive-date=29 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Samesame 25 |url=http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2010/ |publisher=samesame |access-date=31 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402172118/http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2010/ |archive-date=2 April 2011 }}</ref>

Kirby's [[memoir]] "A Private Life", subtitled "fragments, memories, friends" was published by [[Allen & Unwin]] in 2011.<ref name="The Western Australian Jurist - 2012, vol 3 - Book Review: Michael Kirby – A Private Life – Fragments, Memories, Friends">{{cite journal |last1=Moens |first1=Gabriel |title=Book Review: Michael Kirby – A Private Life – Fragments, Memories, Friends |journal=[[The Western Australian Jurist]] |date=2012 |volume=3 |page=271 |url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/WAJurist/2012/11.pdf |access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref> About the memoir in [[The Sydney Morning Herald]], Michael Kirby's brother [[David Kirby (judge)|David Kirby]], in the context of the 2017 [[Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey]], noted that "the message he received from his early teens was that his secret should be the source of deep shame"... "He abandoned any thought of politics".<ref name="The Sydney Morning Herald - 19 September 2017 - The ambition my brother abandoned because he was gay: why a 'yes' vote matters">{{cite news |last1=[[David Kirby (judge)|David Kirby]] |title=The ambition my brother abandoned because he was gay: why a 'yes' vote matters |url=https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/the-life-my-brother-never-had-because-he-was-gay-why-a-yes-vote-matters-20170919-gyk7e9.html |access-date=1 May 2025 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=19 September 2017}}</ref>

Kirby and van Vloten married on 11 February 2019, the 50th anniversary of their first meeting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-11/michael-kirby-marries-partner-50-years-after-first-meeting/10800442|title=Michael Kirby marries partner Johan van Vloten on 50th anniversary of first meeting|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|author=Bellinda Kontominas|date=11 February 2019|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/justice-michael-kirby-weds-50-years-after-that-summer-of-69-20190211-p50x2q.html|last=Pitt|first=Helen|title=Justice Michael Kirby weds 50 years after that summer of '69|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 February 2019|access-date=12 February 2019}}</ref>

===Family===
Kirby's father, Donald, was the only child of Alma Caroline (Norma) Grey, a single working mother of English—Irish descent. Norma became pregnant at 15 with Donald Kirby<ref name="Paradoxes"/> while in a relationship with a then-17-year-old Victor Kirby, a Catholic who had arrived after the Great Famine.  Norma's parents were John Emmanuel Gray, an English brick- and boiler- maker and Annie Lyons.  Annie's father, Harry Lyons, had emigrated from Dublin to Sydney in the 1850s, following the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] and her mother's name was Mary.

His mother, Jean Langmore Knowles, was born in [[Berwick, Victoria]] to William Knowles, an [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster Scot]] from [[Ballymena]], and Margaret, as one of four daughters.<ref name="Paradoxes"/> Jean was a graduate of [[Sydney Girls High School]], obtaining a Leaving Certificate, a rarity for a woman at that time, and worked in numerous paid jobs by virtue of her own successes and ability.<ref name="Paradoxes"/> Donald Kirby, aged 16, and Jean Knowles first met at Saint Martin's Anglican Church, [[Kensington, New South Wales|Kensington]]. Donald attended [[Sydney Technical College|Sydney Technical School]] in [[Ultimo, New South Wales|Ultimo]], and afterwards worked as a general assistant, then tool and machinery salesman, at a hardware firm.<ref name="Paradoxes"/> The two became engaged on Jean's 21st birthday and were married in March 1937, a month after Donald turned 21; their first home was in Bloomfield Street, [[South Coogee]].<ref name="Paradoxes"/>

Michael Kirby's brothers have also been lawyers: [[David Kirby (judge)|David]] was a judge of the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales]], retiring in 2011; Donald was a solicitor until retiring in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/extraordinary-impacts-of-a-family-mans-ordinary-life-20111117-1nl0f.html|title=Extraordinary impacts of a family man's 'ordinary' life|author=A. J. Brown|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=18 November 2011|access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> Sister Diana was a nurse in the Colorectal Unit of the [[Royal Prince Alfred Hospital]] in Sydney, retiring in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyj_2feb09.pdf|title=Judicial Farewell: The Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, Justice of the High Court of Australia|author=Michael Kirby|publisher=Michael Kirby|date=2 February 2009|access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

==Recognition, honours, and awards==

===Australian national honours===
*1977: [[File:Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.png|60px]] [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]]<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 August 1977 |title=By command of Her Majesty The Queen the Silver Jubilee Medal has been awarded to the following persons |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/25638902 |journal=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Periodic (National : 1977 - 2011) |issue=P7 |pages=9 |via=Trove}}</ref>
* 1991: [[File:OrderAustraliaRibbon.png|60px]] Companion of the [[Order of Australia]] (AC) in 1991, "For Service to the Law, Law Reform, to Learning and to the Community"<ref name="AC">[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/882348 Companion of the Order of Australia], CMG, 26 January 1991, itsanhonour.gov.au</ref>
* 1982: [[File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg|60px]] Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG), for "Services to the law"<ref name="CMG">[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1066397 Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George], CMG, 31 December 1982, itsanhonour.gov.au</ref>
*2001: [[File:AUS Centenary Medal ribbon.svg|60px]] [[Centenary Medal]]<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1128216 Centenary Medal], 1 January 2001, itsanhonour.gov.au<br/>'''Citation:''' ''For service to law reform and as a Justice of the High Court of Australia''</ref>

===Other honours and awards===
* 1991: [[Human Rights Medal]], bestowed by the [[Australian Human Rights Commission]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC, CMG | website=Australian Human Rights Commission | date=24 November 1991 | url=https://humanrights.gov.au/node/16396 | access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=1991 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners | website=Australian Human Rights Commission | date=24 November 1991 | url=https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/1991-human-rights-medal-and-awards-winners | access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
* 1997: National Trust [[Australian Living Treasures|Australian Living Treasure]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=From the Archives, 1997: Australia’s 100 living treasures named |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/from-the-archives-1997-australia-s-100-living-treasures-named-20221208-p5c4ug.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215071937/ |archive-date=15 December 2022 |access-date=22 May 2025 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>
* 2008: Inaugural Australian Privacy Medal, awarded by Senator [[John Faulkner]] and Karen Curtis, the Australian Privacy Commissioner<ref>[http://www.privacy.gov.au/news/media/2008_25.html Media Release: Justice Michael Kirby wins inaugural Australian Privacy Medal]. Retrieved 9 February 2009.</ref>
* 2010: [[Gruber Prize for Justice]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 Gruber Justice Prize |url=https://gruber.yale.edu/prize/2010-gruber-justice-prize |url-status=live |access-date=22 May 2025 |website=Gruber Foundation}}</ref>
* 2017: [[Order of the Rising Sun|Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star]], a Japanese award, "In recognition of his contribution to promoting understanding of the situation of Human Rights in North Korea in the international society including the issue of the abductions of Japanese nationals"<ref name = ORScitation /> (awarded to former UN special rapporteur [[Marzuki Darusman]] at the same time<ref name = ORSawarded /><ref name = SMH-ORS />)
* 2018: [[UN Day Honour]]<ref name=undaylc>{{cite web | title=Media Release | website=Landcare Australia | date=22 October 2021 | url=https://landcareaustralia.org.au/project/landcare-australia-receives-2021-united-nations-day-honour/ | access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>  
*2022: Michael Kirby Building, a new [[Macquarie Law School|Law School]] building at [[Macquarie University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mq.edu.au/thisweek/2017/11/13/launch-of-exciting-new-law-school-plans/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkdGaU0yTTBOakZpTkdVMCIsInQiOiIxZGdkVWYyZVNEYmFnZWxKbXNmN0hweU0xMExSMWc3dVZZeFNFdmx4TkQzSWNVVnc1dGJ5d2ZVQmdNS0VJcHhRZ2NnMmRnOTVZSmJUT01oak5EMys4dHk1Z3RxaFlMWXU3M3cwNXc5ZDNqRFFxZ2pXeXd6TFY0cFhoRHNxQ3lET2UyV2hkYjc4dU5mMUhtc2tiR0dOQ1E9PSJ9|title=Launch of exciting new Law School|website=Macquarie University|date=15 November 2017|access-date=15 November 2017}}</ref>

===Honorary degrees===
{{more citations needed|section|date=April 2024}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[Charles Sturt University]] (D.Univ.) in 2024
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[University of Newcastle (Australia)|University of Newcastle]] (DLitt) in 1987
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[Macquarie University]] ([[Doctor of Laws|LL.D.]]) in 1994
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[University of Sydney]] (LL.D.) in 1996
* {{flagicon|India}} [[National Law School of India University]] (LL.D.) in 1997
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[University of Ulster]] (D.Litt.) in 1998
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[University of Buckingham]] (LL.D.) in 2000
* {{flagicon|South Australia}} [[University of South Australia]] ([[Doctor of the University|D.Univ.]]) in 2001
* {{flagicon|Queensland}} [[James Cook University]] (D.Litt.) in 2003
* {{flagicon|Australian Capital Territory}} [[Australian National University]] (LL.D.) in 2004<ref>[http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_17dec04.html Australian National University, Michael Donald Kirby, Citation for an Honorary Degree] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721020753/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_17dec04.html |date=21 July 2008 }}. Retrieved 9 February 2009.</ref>
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[Southern Cross University]] (D.Univ.) in 2007
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[University of New South Wales]] (LL.D.) in 2008<ref>AAP (2008). [http://news.smh.com.au/national/kirby-urges-lawyers-to-think-globally-20080909-4d3g.html Kirby urges lawyers to think globally]. Retrieved 10 September 2008.</ref>
* {{flagicon|Queensland}} [[Griffith University]] (D.Univ.) in 2008
* {{flagicon|Western Australia}} [[Murdoch University]] (LL.D.) in 2009
* {{flagicon|Queensland}} [[Bond University]] (LL.D.) in 2009
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[University of Melbourne]] (LL.D.) in 2009
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[University of Technology, Sydney]] (LL.D.) in 2009
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Indiana University]] (LL.D.) in 2009
* {{flagicon|Sri Lanka}} [[University of Colombo]] (LL.D.) in 2010
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[La Trobe University]] (D.Univ.) in 2011
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[Victoria University, Melbourne|Victoria University]] (LL.D.) in 2011
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[Deakin University]] (LL.D.) in 2011
* {{flagicon|Queensland}} [[Central Queensland University]] (D.Univ.) in 2011
* {{flagicon|Victoria}} [[Monash University]] (LL.D.) in 2015<ref>Monash News (2015). [http://monash.edu/news/show/honorary-doctorate-to-former-high-court-judge Honorary Doctorate to former High Court Judge]. Retrieved 27 May 2015.</ref>
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Queen's University at Kingston]] (LLD) in 2015.
* {{flagicon|Western Australia}} [[Curtin University]] (D.Litt.) in 2016
* {{flagicon|New South Wales}} [[University of Wollongong]] (LL.D.) in 2016
* {{flagicon|Queensland}} [[University of Southern Queensland]] (LL.D.) in 2017<ref>USQ (2017) [https://www.usq.edu.au/news-events/news/2017/04/graduation-17-bela-post Graduations continue with inspiring talks]</ref>
* {{flagicon|South Australia}} [[University of Adelaide]] (D.Univ.) in 2017
* {{flagicon|Tasmania}} [[University of Tasmania]] (LL.D.) in 2017
* {{flagicon|India}} [[National Law University Odisha]] (D.Univ.) in 2019
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Michael Kirby (judge)}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://michaelkirby.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=9 Catalogue of Michael Kirby's public speeches]
* [http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/1494 Video: Michael Kirby on his career of public engagement] March 2009 at Sydney University
* [http://www.filmartmedia.com DVD Biography ''Michael Kirby: Don't Forget The Justice Bit'']
{{external media
|video1= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snlQp3bPrl4&t=504s Michael Kirby calls for freedom from religion], [[Matter of Fact With Stan Grant]], [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]
}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl |title= [[Australian Law Reform Commission|Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission]] |years= 1975–1984 }}
{{s-aft |after= [[Murray Wilcox]] }}
{{s-bef |before= [[Robert Ellicott]] }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[List of judges of the Federal Court of Australia|Judge of the Federal Court of Australia]] |years= 1983–1984 }}
{{s-aft |after= [[Bill Pincus]] }}
{{s-bef |before= [[Athol Moffitt]] }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal]] |years= 1984–1996 }}
{{s-aft |after= [[Dennis Mahoney (judge)|Dennis Mahoney]] }}
{{s-bef |before= [[William Deane|Sir William Deane]] }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[List of Justices of the High Court of Australia|Puisne Justice of the High Court of Australia]] |years= 1996–2009 }}
{{s-aft |after= [[Virginia Bell (judge)|Virginia Bell]] }}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef |before= Percy Partridge }}
{{s-ttl |title= [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of [[Macquarie University]] |years= 1984–1993 }}
{{s-aft |after= [[Tim Besley (public servant)|Tim Besley]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Justices of the High Court of Australia}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Australia|Law|LGBTQ|North Korea}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Michael}}
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