Written by Caitlin Picker

The UNE School of Law has been presenting the annual Sir Frank Kitto Lecture since 1995. Sir Frank Kitto (1903–1994), was a former judge and the Chancellor of the University of New England.

Throughout his career as barrister and as a judge, Kitto was involved in several high-profile cases including the 1951 Communist Party case and the 1948-1949 Bank Nationalisation case. Kitto also made significant contributions to private law and equity. In 1950, the Menzies government appointed Frank Kitto as a justice of the High Court of Australia. Kitto claimed his role as judge was ‘not to be defined as a duty to decide fairly, but as a duty to decide correctly.’

When Kitto retired from the judiciary, he became the Chancellor of the University of New England. He was the Chancellor of UNE from 1970-1981. In 1982, Sir Frank Kitto was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the University of New England. Sir Frank Kitto died on 15 February 1994 in Armidale. The annual Sir Frank Kitto lecture at the University of New England is named in his honour.

The judge and student advocates in the UNE moot courtroom after a moot

The first Sir Frank Kitto lecture was in 1995, the year following Kitto’s death. Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, Sir Anthony Mason presented a lecture on equity and contract, for the inaugural Sir Frank Kitto Lecture at the University of New England. A range of prominent law figures have continued to present Kitto lectures every year. Each of the speakers has focused on a diverse range of legal issues. Speakers have included The Hon. Justice James Allsop, President of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM, Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Robert Shenton French, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. As part of the Kitto lecture in 2005, the Sir Frank Kitto Moot Court was officially opened. The Sir Frank Kitto Moot Court continues to be used by UNE law students today. At the most recent Sir Frank Kitto lecture on 18^th May this year, The Hon Michael Kirby, AC CMG presented on the topic ‘Dual Nationality and the Constitution. Do we need to amend the Constitution?’

The Hon. Michael Kirby was also a former justice of the High Court. When he retired in February 2009, he was considered Australia’s longest serving judge. He has been awarded a number of honorary doctorates within Australia and overseas. The UNE School of Law was fortunate to host The Hon. Michael Kirby in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 and earlier this year. This year was Kirby’s fifth lecture and his address related to the contentious issue of dual nationality and section 44 of the Australian Constitution. He spoke about some possible solutions to this issue which were well worth listening to.

In addition to the Hon. Michael Kirby Public Lecture, the University also has the Kirby Seminar Series, which is named in Kirby’s honour. The series began on the 23^rd of March 2001, with the Hon. Michael Kirby presenting at the inaugural seminar. The seminar series include national and international speakers, who speak about a wide range of legal issues. The series aims to stimulate conversation and share ideas about legal scholarship within the UNE School of Law.