Terence Rhoderic Hudson Cole, AO RFD KC [2] (born 31 October 1937),is an Australian jurist,known best for presiding over two Australian Government Royal Commissions.
Terence Rhoderic Hudson Cole, AO RFD KC [2] (born 31 October 1937),is an Australian jurist,known best for presiding over two Australian Government Royal Commissions.
Cole was born in Longreach,Queensland,and was educated at Fort Street High School in Sydney;where he was school Vice Captain. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1961 with a BA LL.B. [1]
Cole practiced as a solicitor before he was admitted to the bar in 1962 where he represented in commercial and common law matters and before the Land and Environment Court. [1] He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1976.
Cole was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1988 in the Common Law Division;and then in the Commercial Division of the Court until 1994. He was promoted as a judge of the Court of Appeal of New South Wales in 1994 and served until 1998. Between 1998 and 2000 Cole became a Court appointed referee,arbitrator and mediator in various commercial disputes. [1]
With an active military service in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve that commenced in 1969,rising to the rank of Commodore,Cole served as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force between 1992 and 1998. [1]
He was commissioner of the 2000-2003 Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry [3] and the 2005-2006 Cole Inquiry investigating allegations that AWB Limited paid illegal bribes to the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in order to secure wheat sales to Iraq. [4]
On 31 March 2008,Cole was appointed by the Chief of the Australian Defence Force to head an inquiry into the loss of the cruiser HMAS Sydney in a mutually destructive battle during World War II. [2]
Cole was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for services to the judiciary,particularly judicial administration,to reform of the building and construction industry,and to the community through the Australian Naval Reserve and conservation and arts organisations. [5]
He received the Reserve Force Decoration in 1994 for fifteen years service to the Australian Naval Reserve.
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom,Australia,Canada,New Zealand,Norway,Malaysia,Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. A royal commission is similar in function to a commission of inquiry found in other countries such as Ireland,South Africa,and Hong Kong. It has considerable powers,generally greater even than those of a judge but restricted to the terms of reference of the commission. These powers include subpoenaing witnesses,taking evidence under oath and requesting documents.
Sir Ronald Darling Wilson,was a distinguished Australian lawyer,judge and social activist serving on the High Court of Australia between 1979 and 1989 and as the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission between 1990 and 1997.
Sir Harry Talbot Gibbs,was Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1981 to 1987 after serving as a member of the High Court between 1970 and 1981. He was known as one of Australia's leading federalist judges although he presided over the High Court when decisions such as Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen in 1982 and Commonwealth v Tasmania expanded the powers of the Commonwealth at the expense of the states. Gibbs dissented from the majority verdict in both cases. On 3 August 2012,the Supreme Court of Queensland Library opened the Sir Harry Gibbs Legal Heritage Centre. It is the only legal heritage museum of its kind in Queensland and features a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and legacy of Sir Harry Gibbs.
The Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry,or informally the Cole Royal Commission,was a Royal Commission established by the Australian government to inquire into and report upon alleged misconduct in the building and construction industry in Australia. The establishment of the Commission followed various unsuccessful attempts by the Federal Government to impose greater regulation upon the conduct of industrial relations in that industry.
The Cole Inquiry,formally the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme,was a Royal Commission established by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to investigate "whether decisions,actions,conduct or payments by Australian companies mentioned in the Volcker Inquiry into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme breached any Federal,State or Territory law."
Sir Laurence Whistler Street,was the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales. He was the third generation of the Street family to serve in these viceregal offices and the youngest since 1844. Street fought in World War II and became a commander in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve and an honorary colonel in the Australian Army Reserve.
Ronald Sackville is the Chair of the Royal Commission into Violence,Abuse,Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. He is a former acting judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and also a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
John Spence Winneke,was a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and President of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria,which is the highest ranking court in the Australian state of Victoria.
The Royal Commissions Act 1902 is an Australian Act of Parliament which authorises the Australian Governor-General to initiate an investigation,referred to as a Royal Commission. Royal Commissions are a major independent public inquiry into an issue,initiated by the Australian Government. They often investigate cases of political corruption or matters of significant public concern.
Major General Leonard William Roberts-Smith,is a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. From February 2005,he was one of the inaugural Judges of the Court of Appeal Division,having been first appointed to the Supreme Court on 6 November 2000. From May 2007,he served as Commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia,having been appointed for a five-year term. He retired on 31 January 2011.
Murray Herbert Tobias,was a retired Australian jurist who served as a judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales between 28 April 2003 and 25 March 2011.
Peter David McClellan is a retired judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal who served between February 2013 and February 2018. McClellan was the Chief Royal Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from January 2013 to December 2017. He was previously the Chief Judge in Common Law in the Supreme Court,a position to which he was appointed in 2005.
Rear Admiral Kenneth Allan Doolan,is an Australian naval officer,author,and is the former national president of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). He is a retired rear admiral in the Royal Australian Navy,his most senior commands being Maritime Commander Australia and operational commander of all Australian combatant forces deployed to the Gulf War.
The AWB oil-for-wheat scandal refers to the payment of kickbacks to the regime of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in contravention of the United Nations Oil-for-Food Humanitarian Programme. AWB Limited is a major grain marketing organisation based in Australia. For much of the 20th and early 21st century,it was an Australian Government entity operating a single desk regime over Australian wheat,meaning it had the sold ability to export Australian wheat,which it paid a single,fixed price for. In the mid-2000s,it was found to have been,through middlemen,paying kickbacks to the regime of Saddam Hussein,in exchange for lucrative wheat contracts. This was in direct contradiction of United Nations Sanctions,and of Australian law.
Major General Paul Le Gay Brereton,is a Judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and a senior officer in the Australian Army Reserve. He commanded the 5th Brigade from 2008 to 2010 and Head of the Cadet,Reserve and Employer Support Division from 2010 to 2014. He led an Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force investigation into criminal misconduct on the battlefield by Australian Special forces in Afghanistan,issuing the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report in November 2020. In March 2023,he was appointed as the inaugural commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Peter Garling,RFD is an Australian judge,a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales,the highest court in the state of New South Wales.
The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption was a Royal Commission established by the Government of Australia to inquire into alleged financial irregularities associated with the affairs of trade unions. The Australian Workers Union,Construction,Forestry,Maritime,Mining and Energy Union,Electrical Trades Union,Health Services Union and the Transport Workers Union were named in the terms of reference. The Royal Commission inquired into the activities relating to slush funds and other similar funds and entities established by,or related to,the affairs of these organisations.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1978 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen. The announcement date varies,both from year to year and from country to country.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is a royal commission established on 8 October 2018 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Honourable Richard Tracey and Ms Lynelle Briggs were appointed as Royal Commissioners. The Commissioners were required to provide an interim report by 31 October 2019,and a final report by 30 April 2020. Tracey died of cancer in October 2019 and was replaced by Tony Pagone. The final report was tabled on 1 March 2021.
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