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Legal scholars awarded honorary doctorates
For their “exceptional contributions” and service across law, academia and public service, three legal scholars have been awarded honorary doctorates.
Naomi Neilson
The honorary doctors were awarded to Emerita Professor Robin Creyke AO FAAL, Emeritus Professor John McMillan AO FAAL and Emeritus Professor Dennis Pearce AO FAAL, who all have a long history at the Australian National University (ANU).
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Professor Creyke, who has an academic career spanning more than 40 years, has established herself as a leader in administrative law, according to ANU. Commenting on her decision to join the university, Professor Creyke said she “had to choose a place for myself” after seeing its strengths in administrative and public law.
Professor Creyke has served on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the ACT Civil and Appeal Tribunal and is currently chair of the National Customs Brokers Licensing Advisory Committee and a national reviewer for the Australian Ad Standards organisation. She said she has “always been able to combine policy and public law”.
“To be part of public law and mixing with people like Dennis and John, who are key national figures, has been a real stimulus. I have valued that contract enormously. In various ways, we have all supported each other over the years and that continues,” she said.
Professor McMillan said it was a “natural choice” to study arts and law at ANU, during which he developed a strong interest in administrative law. He is a founding member of the Freedom of Information Campaign Committee and has played a significant role in Australia passing the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
Commenting on receiving the honorary doctorate, Professor McMillan said it was particularly special given ANU has been a “defining feature” of his career.
“I’ve maintained a strong connection with the ANU law faculty for more than 50 years and having that connection marked by an honorary doctorate is a source of immense personal satisfaction for me,” Professor McMillan commented.
Having joined ANU in 1968, Professor Pearce has had an exceptional career in both academia and public service. He has chaired a discipline review of Australian law schools, helped reshape law teaching and the role of law schools, in addition to a role as a Commonwealth and Defence Force Ombudsman for a number of years.
Professor Pearce has also been the founding president of the ACT Racing Appeals Tribunal, chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal, chair of the Attorney-General’s Copyright Law Review Committee, and chair of the Australian Press Council, which regularly hears complaints against press media.
“It’s nice to be recognised for our contributions to the university,” Professor Pearce said. “We’ve been a very close cohort for a very long time and were in the underpinning of the establishment of administrative law in the Commonwealth.”
