SEARCH
Justinian News

Does the NSW Law Society have rules about a solicitor who reposted racist and antisemitic remarks and urged "freedom minded" people to read the "brilliant" Mein Kampf... More >> 

Politics Media Law Society

My Role in Gough's Downfall ... Reporter-at-Large … Scoops that flushed out the deceit behind the Dismissal … Big anniversary chinwag in Canberra on November 11 … The combined forces of Kerr, Ellicott and cousin Garfield … Constitutional manipulation … Maurice Byers to the rescue ... Read more >> 

This area does not yet contain any content.
Free Newsletter
Justinian Columnists

Knit one, purl one ... Iron Lady of legal rectitude endorses Gageler ... The chief justice wants judges on the straight and narrow ... The cardboard cutout model of legislative supremacy ... The evils of judicial activism ... Procrustes on the dance floor with the Legislative-Judicial Foxtrot ... Read more >> 

Blow the whistle

 

News snips ...


 Hard on the heels of Prima Facie comes Inter Alia ... More >>

Justinian's Bloggers

Berlusconi's dream world ... Revenge politics in Italy ... Independence of prosecutors under attack ... Constitutional assault ... The years of lead ... Investigations reopened into old murders ... High drama at Milan's Leoncavallo ... Rome correspondent Silvana Olivetti reports ... Read more >> 

"If we’re only picking people who have got completely lily-white records then we’ll be missing out on a lot of people that can contribute to public life.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, endorsing Mal Lanyon, his pick for Police Commissioner, whose contributions to public life include shouting drunken obscenities at a paramedic who came to his aid, and commandeering a police launch for private entertainment on New Year's eve ... Read more flatulence ... 


Justinian Featurettes

Schmoozing and betrayal ... Judge Water Softener rides into Integrityville mounted high on his horse ... Judicial review of corruption finding ... Intriguing submissions ... Unprecedented assistance to morals monitor ... The scale of the sub-rosa intrigue ... Plenty to think about ... Ginger Snatch reports ... Read more >> 

Justinian's archive

News Desk Special ... Angelic death notices from the bar ... Soapy slips on FOI changes ... Unusual interlocutory costs order for Chris Dale ... Judge ticks off Abbott in letters' page ... Knock About's festive salute to the coppers ... January 19, 2015 ... Read more >> 


 

 

« Dr Matt Collins QC | Main | Concerning Champagne »
Tuesday
Mar202018

Michael Finnane QC

Michael Finnane joins us on the couch to talk about himself and his book The Pursuit of Justice ... In fact, he's concerned whether the courts actually deliver justice ... The sweep of history and experience from Menzies to Turnbull 

Finnane: formed in the furnace of the law, the church, the army and the ALP

 

FORMER NSW District Court judge Michael Finnane QC has just published The Pursuit of Justice, a mighty work that traverses a multitude of topics - his priestly flirtation, prisons in NSW, the Skaf gang rape trials, what it's like to be a judge, social justice, the army, the ALP, Indigenous Australians, and climate change. 

In 1978 Finnane also was appointed to inspect the corporate activities of Ian Sinclair, at the time a minister in the Fraser government. 

It was alleged that the minister and his father had siphoned money from companies in the funeral business. Ian Sinclair was charged with fraud and later, with the help of Murray Gleeson, acquitted. 

To celebrate the publication of The Pursuit of Justice we invited Michael Finnane onto Justinian's couch ... 

Describe yourself in three words

Determined, strong-minded, compassionate.

What are you currently reading?  

Holdsworth's "History of English Law" Volume 1 and "Rather His Own Man" by Geoffrey Robertson. 

What's your favourite film?  

"The Winslow Boy" (black and white version). 

 Who has been the most influential person in your life, and why? 

My mother. She taught me mental toughness. 

When were you happiest?  

When I was growing up at Rose Bay.

What is your favourite piece of music?   

The chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco. 

Why did you think it was important to write The Pursuit of Justice?  

I wanted to tell a story about a life in the law that explained why I was a lawyer and how the court system worked.

 What has been your most memorable case? 

 The Skaf [rape] trials.

Do you think the High Court might have restored your sentences in the Skaf case?  

They did not do so. I could not see that any special leave point was involved. 

What is in your refrigerator?  

Food but no alcohol.

What is your favourite website? 

Austlii

What lessons did you draw from your inquiry into Ian Sinclair MP?  

 • To investigate something touching a powerful political figure, will bring you into conflict with the political establishment;

• The media will pursue you, at times unfairly;

• You will be subject to intemperate and unjust criticism if you ever investigate the activities of anyone who was powerful. 

What words or phrases do you overuse?  

I can't think of any.

What is your greatest weakness?  

I am no good at games involving eye/hand co-ordination. 

Why did you want to be a lawyer?  

Because I wanted to be a barrister. 

What other occupation would you like to have liked to pursue?  

Playwright or novelist. 

If you were on death row, what would you request for your last meal?  

Prawn Laksa with noodles followed by Tiramusu with cream.

If you were a foodstuff, what would you be?  

Mango.

 What human quality do you most distrust?  

Emotional over reaction leading to kneejerk actions. 

What would you change about Australia?  

I would abolish State governments, have one Australian parliament and no States.

Who or what do you consider overrated? 

The notion that the court system delivers justice to all who seek it. 

What would your epitath say? 

He was an eccentric, who tried his best.

What comes to mind when you shut your eyes and think of the word "law"? 

I think of all the barristers, solicitors and judges I have met over nearly 60 years and some of the cases in which I have been involved. 

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.
Editor Permission Required
You must have editing permission for this entry in order to post comments.