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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-16 Daily Xml
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LEGAL, JUSTICE AND POLICE RETIREMENTS

The Hon. S.G. WADE (17:14): I move:

That this council places on record its appreciation of the exemplary service to the people of South Australia by Chief Justice John Doyle, Commissioner of Police Mal Hyde and Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras, and their contribution to the legal, justice and policing services of the state.

The leadership of the South Australian justice sector is going through a period of extraordinary change. The year 2012 will see three of the most senior leaders step down: Chief Justice John Doyle; Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Pallaras; and Commissioner of Police, Mal Hyde. My motion is focused on these three men, but the change does not stop there. The chief executive of the Attorney-General's department, Jerome Maguire, and the head of the Legal Services Commission, Hamish Gilmore, both leave their roles in 2012.

The roles mentioned in the motion have a decisive influence on the development of our justice system. All have some level of independence from the executive in pursuing those roles. Each of the roles interacts with the others significantly to shape the criminal justice system of our state. Each of the retiring incumbents has served within these roles with great distinction.

Chief Justice John Doyle was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1995. Educated at St Ignatius College and the University of Adelaide, he completed his studies as a Rhodes scholar in Oxford. Appointed a QC at the age of 36, he served as Solicitor-General of this state for nine years from 1986. Since 1995, he has led the Supreme Court as its Chief Justice during 17 years of significant development in the court and the law.

On Monday last, the court held a special sitting to celebrate 175 years of service. Chief Justice John Doyle presided, being only the eighth chief justice to serve the court over those 175 years. Chief Justice Doyle has proven to be an outstanding jurist with a national reputation. He has been a keen supporter of professional development within the judiciary, serving as chairman of the National Judicial College of Australia from 2002 to 2007.

He was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in 2002 on the Queen's Birthday honours list for outstanding judicial and community leadership as Chief Justice of South Australia, and for service to education. He has been a diligent and energetic leader of the South Australian judiciary and legal profession. He is recognised as a man of the highest intellect and integrity, and a man of deep faith. We trust that his successor will be just like him—strong, independent and able.

As he is an avid supporter of the Norwood Football Club, I trust that their unbeaten run in 2012 will be an omen for Chief Justice Doyle to have a long and fulfilling retirement. On behalf of the opposition, I offer Chief Justice Doyle, his wife and family our thanks for his service.

I turn now to the service of former Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Pallaras. Having graduated in arts and law from Monash University, Mr Pallaras served on the Melbourne bar for nine years before a decade of service as senior crown counsel in Hong Kong from 1984 to 1994. A crown prosecutor in Western Australia for seven years from 1994 to 2002, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 2000.

Mr Pallaras was appointed South Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions in 2005. In 2008 he was appointed to the executive committee of the International Association of Prosecutors and in 2010 a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities. Mr Pallaras is clearly a barrister and prosecutor of not merely state quality but national and international standing.

Mr Pallaras has championed a range of issues within our community, such as controlling religious cults, the need for an anti-corruption commission and the control of firearms. Mr Pallaras has demonstrated the finest traditions of independence of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and has advocated for and achieved a significant increase in the resourcing of that office.

Mr Pallaras has engaged the South Australian community, but I was surprised to hear of one strategy that he used in Western Australia that I understand he has not used here. I understand that, during his time in Western Australia, Mr Pallaras was an award-winning radio presenter and accomplished musician. As one half of what was known as Brothers in Law, he broadcast a radio program which was a forum for legal and moral issues to be debated, as well as providing free legal advice for listeners. I think this story highlights the commitment of Mr Pallaras to connect the community with the law. On behalf of the opposition, I offer to Mr Pallaras, his wife and their family our thanks for his service and best wishes for his future endeavours.

I turn now to pay tribute to Commissioner of Police, Mal Hyde. The son of a 37-year veteran policeman, Mr Hyde joined Victoria Police in 1967 at the age of 16, rising to become deputy commissioner of that force from 1993 to 1996. Mr Hyde holds a first class honours degree in law and a Masters in Business Administration. He was awarded an Australia Police Medal in 1996 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008.

Commissioner Hyde has served as Commissioner of South Australia Police for the 15 years since 1997. Commissioner Hyde has become both the longest serving and most highly respected police leaders in Australia. He has led South Australia Police through a wave of changes, including challenges such as the historic sex offences cases, the 'bodies in the barrel' case, and the anti-gangs efforts. Within the force, he has changed processes, such as Focus 21, and the establishment of the new police academy and police headquarters have been major achievements.

Commissioner Hyde has had a particular interest in professional standards for police, innovation and encouraging best practice and new ideas. He, too, operates as a leader on a national level, in his roles as a member of the Board of Management for the Australian Crime Commission, CrimTrac, and as Chair of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Authority for the past three years. On behalf of the opposition, I offer to Police Commissioner Hyde, his wife and family our thanks for his service and best wishes on a long and fulfilling retirement.

In closing, I wish the successors of these men all the best in their roles. They have big shoes to fill. One appointment has already been made: Mr Kimber has been appointed as the new Director of Public Prosecutions. He is highly respected, and his appointment has been warmly welcomed by the legal community. We look forward to similarly high-quality appointments being made to the other roles and assure all the people who are appointed of our ongoing support in their important roles.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. Carmel Zollo.

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