Ministerial Statement

Blue, The Hon. M.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:04): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I rise to pay tribute to former Supreme Court Justice the Hon. Malcolm Blue KC, whose death this past weekend will no doubt be felt by many in the legal profession not just in South Australia but indeed around the country. Renowned for his tireless work ethic and almost encyclopedic knowledge of the law, Justice Blue was well-respected by his peers across the profession.

Demonstrating his academic skills from an early age, Justice Blue matriculated in the honours list of the top 50 South Australian students. He received a scholarship that enabled him to study at the Adelaide University Law School. He was admitted to legal practice in 1977, initially working for the commonwealth Deputy Crown Solicitor before moving into private practice, where he worked primarily in commercial law. Early in his career, he juniored a number of leading counsel at the time, including John von Doussa KC, Rod Matheson KC and Ted Mullighan KC. In 1996, he joined Bar Chambers and was subsequently appointed Queen's Counsel.

His innate sense of justice was highlighted by his work in a class action during his time with Fisher Jeffries, where he represented around 550 pensioners who had invested their money in a family security friendly society that subsequently failed. The fund was marketed primarily at retirees, and all investors—one of whom was his aunt—lost their money. He worked tirelessly to secure a favourable settlement for his clients, recouping all of the money they had invested.

His commitment to the law was remarkable, both in and outside of office hours. As a member of the Law Society, he was one of the driving forces behind the capped liability insurance scheme for South Australian practitioners and the state's mandatory continuing professional development scheme.

Justice Blue was appointed to the Supreme Court in August 2011, stepping down from the role exactly 13 years later on his 70^th birthday. When someone says they are leaving a job to spend more time with their family or to pursue their interests, it is a statement that can be often treated with cynicism, especially in political circles. However, you would be hard pressed to find a single person who would question this in the case of Malcolm Blue. The work requirements for a Supreme Court judge can be challenging and all-consuming. His work ethic was second to none.

There is no doubt in my mind that Justice Blue, after serving the state of South Australia as a respected and tireless judicial officer, well and truly deserved some time amongst the vines at his Willunga vineyard and some well-earned rest. The fact that he is now unable to do so is nothing short of a tragedy.

I extend my condolences to his partner, Angela, his daughters Charlotte, Victoria and Alex, and his many other friends and loved ones. His memory will be cherished among all those who knew him and were fortunate enough to work with and alongside him during his time in the legal profession. Vale the Hon. Malcolm Blue KC.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): I also rise to honour the service and contribution of the late Justice Malcolm Blue, who we tragically lost only a few days ago. Justice Blue gave almost 50 years of his life to the law here in South Australia. Serving on the Supreme Court for 13 years, he presided over some of the state's most high-profile criminal and civil cases, including the tragic Hillier triple murder case.

Justice Blue was admitted to legal practice in 1977. He then went on to be appointed Queen's Counsel in 2001 and served as the President of the South Australian Bar Association from 2008 to 2010. In 2011, he was appointed to the South Australian Supreme Court.

Justice Blue was well renowned across the profession not just for his intelligence and demeanour in the court but also for his dedication and contribution to the legal profession and to legal practice in this state.

On behalf of the opposition, I take this opportunity to honour Justice Blue and the significant legacy he leaves. I believe my colleague the member for Heysen, a good friend of Justice Blue's, will also make some further remarks. Our thoughts are with Justice Blue's partner, Angela, his daughters Charlotte, Victoria and Alex, and the rest of his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:09): I am grateful to the house for the opportunity to join with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in expressing the house's deep sadness at the passing of the Hon. Malcolm Blue KC. As has been observed, Malcolm had only just a couple of short weeks ago concluded his time on the Supreme Court, having been appointed to the court, perhaps uniquely, on his birthday, on 12 August 2011, and had served with great distinction over the subsequent 13 years until just in recent weeks retiring at the statutory age of 70. He was on his way back to Bar Chambers, back to continue a mediation practice. The members, I know, were very much looking forward to his return.

We were colleagues together there for five or six years before he was appointed to the bench. I juniored him on a number of occasions and I certainly benefited from his leadership and mentoring, both as head of Bar Chambers for many years and as President of the Bar Association.

There are roles of public significance and service in this state, of which the content, the diligence, the hard work and the dedication involved are not ever fully aired. To say that Malcolm Blue was a man of dedication, of capacity, of great skill, of enormous humanity and of human empathy is in no way a trite phrase. Those are all characteristics that were writ large in Malcolm. He was dedicated in that most vocational way to the law, to looking after his fellow human beings and to devoting the entirety of his capacities in the interests of our system of justice and to the legal profession.

It is a matter of great tragedy and enormous sadness that only weeks after his retirement, at a time when he was both entitled and expected to dedicate what ordinarily ought to have been many happy years to his family and friends, that has been taken from him and his family. We are all the poorer for it.

As a colleague, I did not know Malcolm's family. It is a reflection of the nature of life at chambers, though, that we were more like flatmates than colleagues in many ways in those years. I know how devastated we all are as colleagues; I cannot imagine the devastation of his family and loved ones. I extend my condolences to them in expressing my sadness and the sadness of all of us at the passing too soon of the Hon. Malcolm Blue KC. Vale.