Julian Burnside facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julian Burnside
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| Born |
Julian William Kennedy Burnside
9 June 1949 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Monash University |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Commercial law 1998 Australian waterfront dispute Refugee rights |
| Political party | Greens (since 2019) |
| Relatives | Edith Burnside (grandmother) |
Julian William Kennedy Burnside (born 9 June 1949) is an Australian barrister, a type of lawyer. He is well-known for helping people with their human rights and supporting refugees. He also writes books.
Julian Burnside mostly works on legal cases for businesses. However, he is most famous for speaking out against the mandatory detention of people seeking safety in Australia. He has also worked on many important legal cases. In 2009, he received a special award, the Officer of the Order of Australia. This award was for his work helping refugees and for supporting the arts. In 2019, he ran for parliament as a candidate for the Australian Greens party.
Early Life and Education
Julian Burnside was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. His father was a well-known surgeon. His grandmother, Dame Edith Burnside, was famous for her charity work.
Julian went to Melbourne Grammar School. He was a very good student and won many scholarships and prizes. After school, he studied law and economics at Monash University. He first thought about becoming a business consultant.
While at university, Julian showed a great talent for law. He did very well in "Moot Court" competitions. These are like practice trials where students argue a case. He even represented Monash University in a competition in New Zealand. There, he was named the best speaker. A judge from New Zealand, Sir Richard Wild, told Julian he should become a barrister. Julian decided to follow this advice. He earned his economics degree in 1972 and his law degree in 1973.
Julian Burnside is married to Kate. They have a daughter named Katherine and a foster son named Mosa.
Professional Career
Julian Burnside became a barrister in Victoria in 1976. In 1989, he was appointed a King's Counsel. This is a special title for very experienced and respected barristers. His main work has always been in commercial law, which deals with legal issues for businesses.
He has worked on many big business cases. This includes cases about company takeovers and trade rules. He represented some of Australia's richest people, like Alan Bond and Rose Porteous. Because of these high-profile cases, he became very well known as a commercial lawyer. He often says that before the late 1990s, he mostly "acted for the big end of town," meaning large companies and wealthy individuals.
In 1998, Julian Burnside surprised many people. He decided to represent the Maritime Union of Australia. This was during a big dispute with a company called Patrick Corporation. This event, known as the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute, was a very serious and long-lasting disagreement about workers' rights. The case went all the way to Australia's highest court, the High Court of Australia. The court eventually sided with the Union. Julian Burnside says this case was one of his most important. It showed him how vital it is for workers to have fair representation. His role in this dispute was even shown in a TV series called Bastard Boys.
From the late 1990s, Julian Burnside started doing more and more pro bono legal work. This means he offered his legal services for free. He focused on issues related to human rights. He helped a civil liberties group take action against the Australian Government. This was about the Tampa affair, where a ship carrying asylum seekers was not allowed to enter Australia. He strongly criticized the government for holding asylum seekers in detention.
With his wife, Kate Durham, he started programs called "Spare Rooms for Refugees" and "Spare Lawyers for Refugees." These programs provide free places to stay and free legal help for refugees in Australia.
Even while doing this important human rights work, Julian Burnside continued his commercial law practice. He appeared in many large group lawsuits and business cases.
Julian Burnside has also helped Indigenous Australians in several important cases. One of his most notable cases was for Bruce Trevorrow. Bruce was a member of the Stolen Generation. This was a time when many Aboriginal children were taken from their families. Julian Burnside helped Bruce sue the South Australian Government. For the first time in Australian history, a government was found responsible for such actions. The court awarded Mr. Trevorrow $500,000 in damages.
Julian Burnside has received many awards for his work:
- In 2004, he won the Human Rights Law Award. This was for his free legal work for asylum seekers.
- Also in 2004, he was named an Australian Living Treasure.
- In 2007, he received the Australian Peace Prize.
- In 2014, he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize.
Besides his legal work, Julian Burnside has written several successful books. These books are about law, human rights, and language. He also supports many arts organizations. He often pays for new classical music and sculptures to be created. He is the Chair of two arts groups, Fortyfive Downstairs and the Mietta Foundation. He once asked a composer to write a funny piece of music called Wind Farm Music Dedicated To Tony Abbott. This piece got a lot of attention because it was a protest against the Prime Minister's policy on renewable energy.
Notable Cases (Selected)
- Helping the Maritime Union of Australia win against Patrick Corporation in the High Court of Australia during the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute.
- Representing Liberty Victoria in the Tampa legal case.
- Helping Bruce Trevorrow successfully claim money for harm caused by being part of the Stolen Generation.
- Representing James Hird (a football coach) in discussions with the AFL about a sports scandal.
Political Career
Since 2017, Julian Burnside has been an ambassador for the National Secular Lobby.
In March 2019, Julian Burnside announced he had joined the Australian Greens party. He decided to run for parliament in the area of Kooyong. He ran against Josh Frydenberg in the 2019 Australian federal election. While he did not win, he achieved the highest vote for the Greens in that area in a federal election. He also came closer to winning the seat than any other candidate in 90 years.
In May 2020, Julian Burnside announced he was running for a Greens Senate seat. This was to replace a senator who was retiring. However, he lost the contest to Lidia Thorpe. She went on to become the first female Aboriginal Senator for Victoria.
