Gillian Triggs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gillian Triggs
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Triggs in 2015
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| President of the Australian Human Rights Commission | |
| In office 30 July 2012 – 26 July 2017 |
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| Appointed by | Nicola Roxon |
| Preceded by | Catherine Branson KC |
| Succeeded by | Ros Croucher AM |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1945 London, England, UK |
| Citizenship | Australian / British |
| Spouse | Alan Brown AM |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Profession | |
Gillian Doreen Triggs (born 30 October 1945) is an Australian and British expert in public international law. This means she knows a lot about the rules that guide how countries interact. She specializes in human rights, which are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person. She also knows about trade and business laws between countries.
Gillian Triggs is also a university professor, a lawyer who argues cases in court (called a barrister), and a director on various boards. She became well-known in Australia when she was chosen to be the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2012. She held this important job for five years.
Before becoming president, Triggs worked as a consultant on international law for about ten years. In 1996, she became a professor at the Melbourne Law School. Later, from 2007 to 2012, she was the dean (head) of the Sydney Law School. In 2019, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed her as an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. In this role, she worked as the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection until December 2023, helping to protect refugees.
Gillian Triggs has received many awards and honors for her work. In 2025, she was given the Companion of the Order of Australia award, which is a very high honor in Australia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gillian Doreen Triggs was born in London, England, on 30 October 1945. As a child, she went to a local school in north London and studied ballet. Her father was a major in the British Army, and her mother was a member of the Women's Royal Navy Service.
In 1958, when she was 12 years old, Gillian and her family moved to Melbourne, Australia. She attended University High School there. Later, she went to the University of Melbourne, where she earned a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1968.
After finishing her first law degree, Gillian Triggs received a scholarship to study at Southern Methodist University in Texas, USA. She earned a Master of Laws degree there in 1972.
Early Career and Further Studies
From 1972 to 1974, Gillian Triggs worked for the Dallas Police Department in the United States. She was a legal advisor to the chief of police, helping them understand the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1973, she became an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska.
She returned to Australia in 1975 and became a lecturer at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Law. She became a senior lecturer in 1984.
Gillian Triggs also continued her studies and earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Melbourne in 1982. Her research was about territorial sovereignty, which is about who has control over different areas of land or sea. After her PhD, she traveled to the Antarctic for two months to do research.
Career in Law and Academia (1987–2011)
In the late 1980s, Triggs joined a law firm called Mallesons Stephen Jaques. She worked there as a consultant, giving advice on international law. She continued this work until 2005, including in places like Singapore and Paris.
In 1996, Triggs became a professor at Melbourne Law School, a role she held until 2007. During this time, she also had other important jobs within the university. She was the associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies and directed centers focused on international law and energy law. From 2005 to 2007, she was also the director of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
Triggs came back to Australia in 2007 to become the dean of the University of Sydney Law School. She was also the Challis Professor of International Law there until 2012.
She also became a member of the Victorian Bar, which means she could represent people in court in Victoria. From 2009 to 2011, she was an honorary member at a group of barristers' offices in Sydney.
Australian Human Rights Commission (2012-2017)
On 27 July 2012, Gillian Triggs finished her job as dean of the Sydney Law School. She then started her new role as the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission on 30 July 2012. This was a five-year appointment. For a period, she also acted as the Race Discrimination Commissioner.
In February 2014, Triggs started a special investigation called the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. This inquiry looked into how being held in immigration detention affected the health and well-being of children. The report from this inquiry, called "The Forgotten Children," was published in November 2014.
After this report, there were some disagreements between the Australian Government and the Human Rights Commission. Some government ministers said the report was politically motivated. However, Triggs stated that both the previous and current governments had not done enough to protect children in their care. She received a lot of public support for her work. The review she led helped many children be released from detention.
Racial Discrimination Act Case
In 2016, Triggs faced some criticism for how she handled a case involving three students from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). These students were accused of racial vilification under a part of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. One student had made a social media post that was seen as causing offense.
In November 2016, the Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit, saying it was unlikely to succeed. Triggs had suggested that the government should make it harder for the commission to investigate complaints about hate speech. However, she defended how the commission handled this specific case.
Triggs supported a proposal to change Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act in November 2016. At that time, it was against the law to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" someone based on their race. Triggs suggested removing "offend" and "insult" and adding "vilify" instead. She believed this would make the laws stronger. In February 2017, she also recommended that people who are complained about should be told about it, and that the president should have more power to reject complaints that are not serious.
Political Critics
In October 2016, a politician named Ian MacDonald claimed that Triggs had misled the Senate. This was about comments she made in a newspaper article. She later said that the article was an accurate part of a longer interview. In November 2016, the Prime Minister at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, said that Triggs's job would not be renewed when it ended in July 2017.
In March 2017, Triggs defended her decision to speak at a fundraising event for the Bob Brown Foundation. Some politicians criticized her for this, saying the foundation was involved in political campaigns. Other government members called for her to resign.
UNHCR (2019–2023)
In 2019, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed Gillian Triggs as an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. In this important role, she worked as the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She held this position until December 2023, helping to protect refugees around the world.
As of 2025, Triggs continues to be an ambassador for Australia for UNHCR, supporting their work.
Recognition and Honours
Honorary Positions
- Honorary fellow at the College of Law in Sydney.
- Honorary Master Bencher at the Inner Temple in London (since 2023).
- Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney (since 2012).
- Professorial fellow at Melbourne Law School.
Honours and Awards
- 2014: Honorary doctorate from Macquarie University.
- 2016: Honorary doctorate from Deakin University.
- 2016: Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award.
- 2017: Voltaire Award from Liberty Victoria.
- 2018: Humanist of the Year award.
- 2018: NSW Award Winner, Women and Leadership Australia.
- 2019: Judge's Choice Catalyst Award, Pro Bono Australia's Impact 25 Awards.
- 2021: First ever Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal, from the World Jurist Association.
- 2023: Prominent Women of International Law Award.
- 2023: International Law Woman of the Year from the American Society of International Law.
- 2025: Companion of the Order of Australia, for her excellent work in human rights law, international relations, social justice, and legal education.
Other Roles
Gillian Triggs has held many other important roles, including:
- Chair of the Academic Advisory Group for Energy and Resources Law (2000-2004).
- Member of the Attorney General's International Legal Service Advisory Council (2001-2005).
- Australian representative for the Council of Jurists, Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions (2002-2005).
- Chair of the Australian International Health Institute.
- Chair of the International Legal Issues Committee for the Law Council of Australia.
- Fellow and deputy chair of the Governing Board at Janet Clarke Hall, University of Melbourne (1997-2005).
- Chair and member of the Appeals Board for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (2007-2012).
- President and member of the Administrative Tribunal for the Asian Development Bank (2012-2019).
- Advisory Committee Member for the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law (2013-2019).
- Patron and chair of Justice Connect (2017-2019).
- Chair of an Independent Expert Panel for an inquiry into workplace issues at the UNAIDS Secretariat (2018).
- Patron of Refugee Legal Australia (as of 2025).
- Ambassador for Australia for UNHCR (as of 2025).
Besides Australia, Triggs has also worked in countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, and Iran.
Personal Life
Gillian Triggs was first married to Melbourne law professor Sandy Clark. They had two daughters and a son. Their third child, Victoria, had a rare health condition and was not expected to live long. Victoria passed away around 2008 at the age of 21. Triggs's marriage to Clark ended in 1989.
Later, she married Alan Brown, who was a former Australian diplomat.
