Spigelman was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 1 January 1946. He arrived in Australia with his family in 1949[3][4] and attended Maroubra Public School and later Sydney Boys High School. He then went on to study Arts at the University of Sydney, where he attained First-Class Honours in Government and Second-Class Honours (Division 1) in Economics. Subsequently, he studied law, graduating in 1971 with First-Class Honours and the University Medal.[4]
Spigelman participated in and helped organise the 1965 Freedom Ride, a project undertaken by students to draw attention to problems faced by Indigenous communities in NSW. In 1969 he was President of the Students' Representative Council. From 1969-1971, he was the Student Fellow of the University Senate.[4]
Career
Early legal career
Spigelman was admitted to practise as a solicitor in 1972. From 1972 to 1975, he served as Senior Advisor and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime MinisterGough Whitlam. In 1975, he was appointed the Secretary of the Department of the Media.[4][5][6]
In 1976 Spigelman was admitted to the NSW Bar. He did not commence practice until three years later, when he first served for several years as a member of the Australian Law Reform Commission and also spent time overseas. Spigelman's primary areas of practice at the bar included constitutional law, administrative law, and appellate work.
In 1986, Spigelman was appointed Queen's Counsel; and, in 1997, he served as Solicitor-General of New South Wales.[3][4]
On 18 March 2011, Spigelman announced his decision to resign as Chief Justice, effective 31 May 2011.[6][9] Reviewing Spigelman's 13-year term of office, Sydney Morning Herald columnist, David Marr commented that "... the Chief Justice of NSW .... blazed an incomparable trail.... every stage of Jim Spigelman's remarkable career has been like that: briefly surprising and then absolutely convincing".[10] Marr claims that Spigelman's achievements include the renewal of the ranks of the Supreme Court, running a polite and friendly Court, and modernising the Court's business practices and rules. According to Bret Walker SC, Spigelman was renowned for "... showing his decided preference for efficient, better-value-for-money justice."[10]
He was also appointed to the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong as non-permanent judge from other common law jurisdictions in April 2013 and reappointed to a term that was not due to expire until 2022; however, after the Hong Kong chief executive denied the practice of the separation of powers in Hong Kong in September 2020, he became the first foreign judge to resign from the court, citing concerns over the national security legislation recently imposed by the Chinese government on the territory.[11][12]
Chairman of the ABC
On 8 March 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Spigelman would become chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), starting a 5-year term on 1 April 2012.[13] His term finished in March 2017[14] and he was replaced by Justin Milne in April 2017.[15]
Personal life
Spigelman's parents, Gustawa and Majloch, are Holocaust survivors who feature in the graphic novel Maus, by Spigelman's cousin Art Spiegelman. They were 2 of 15 survivors among 72 Spigelman relatives. Spigelman's surname was originally spelt Szpigelman until his parents altered it to Spigelman after moving to Australia after the Holocaust ended.
Spigelman and his two brothers, Mark Spigelman and Allan Spigelman, have often been recognised for their achievements following the Holocaust.[16]
Justice Spigelman became a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2000, for services to law and to the community through leadership in bringing about change in attitudes to the administration of justice for a more fair and equitable society, and to the support of the visual arts.[17]
In 2001, Justice Spigelman was one of over 15,000 Australians to be awarded a Centenary Medal.[18]
^"Government Gazette Appointments and Employment". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 96. New South Wales, Australia. 19 June 1998. p. 4415. Retrieved 3 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
