The Great Dissenter

Last week, I had to opportunity to hear Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby speak at the Melbourne Law School. The biggest auditorium at the faculty was packed full, with people standing at the back and sitting in the aisles. The crowd was excited and chattering away, but when Kirby walked into the room, everyone stopped talking and gave him a huge round of applause.

Kirby is known at the Great Dissenter – he is the judge who always disagrees, respectfully, with the majority decision of other judges on the High Court. As a person who has always followed the “rules,” I found his speech very inspiring. First of all, he has a great sense of humour, “I bet you all curse me because I’m the one who makes your readings longer!” But he was also serious and sincere. He told us that the beauty of common law is that there is room for differing opinions and organic growth of the law. “The law is a noble profession in the protection of human values,” he said. “But a drawback of being a lawyer or judge is that you are at risk of withdrawing into objectivity and losing your emotional abilities.” He advised students to work hard, but also to find someone to go home to at the end of the day and share the personal side of life with.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that experience. I feel like it is illustrative of all the inspiring things I’m being exposed to. I know I’ve been making jokes about not going to school or studying – but maybe being on exchange is more about learning the big lessons instead of the minute details of statutes.

In a few hours, I’m boarding my flight to Cairns…once I find internet access, I will write again about my time in the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef! Lots of love to everyone back home.