Sir Kevin Victor Anderson (1912 – 14 October 1999) was an Australian lawyer and judge who served on the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

from 1969 to 1984.

Education and early career

Anderson was educated at

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. Th ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and became a clerk of courts in what is now the

Magistrates Court of Victoria The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is the lowest court in the Australian state of Victoria. The court possesses original jurisdiction over summary offences and indictable offences heard summarily, as well as civil claims up to $100,000. It ...

on leaving school in 1929. He completed a part-time

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in 1937. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was commissioned in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, and served in Operations and Naval Intelligence. Towards the end of the War, he was a liaison officer in the

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

headquarters of General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

, and was present at the Japanese surrender in

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in September 1945. He was admitted to the

Victorian Bar The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The current President of the Bar is Roisin Annesley KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 30 June 2020, there were 2,179 counsels ...

on 24 November 1945 and became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

(QC) on 14 August 1962.

Scientology inquiry

As a QC, Anderson was appointed in late 1963 as a one-man Board of Inquiry into Scientology that sat until April 1965. He concluded that it was "a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception" that was "a serious threat to the community, medically, morally and socially". His report influenced Victoria and other states to enact (or attempt to enact) banning Scientology. It is regarded as controversial by the

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...

, in the context of the recognition of new religious movements in Australia's increasingly

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

society.

Judicial career

Anderson served as Chairman of the

Victorian Bar Council The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The current President of the Bar is Roisin Annesley KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 30 June 2020, there were 2,179 counsels ...

in 1966–1967, and on 29 April 1969 he was appointed to the

. He became a figure of controversy in 1971 when the Victorian Parliament passed the second ''Evidence (Boards and Commissions) Act''. This Act amended the ''Evidence Act, 1958'' to grant retrospective immunity from suit to persons who had been associated with a Royal Commission or a Board of Inquiry, equivalent to the immunity of those associated with an action in the Supreme Court. In his autobiography ''Fossil in the Sandstone'', Anderson quipped that this legislation was known informally as the 'Anderson Protection Act' because its immediate effect was to protect him and his assisting counsel Gordon Just from writs issued in the Supreme Court on 28 April 1970 that charged them with misfeasance, breach of duty and recklessness during their conduct of the Inquiry into Scientology.

Retirement and later life

Anderson was knighted on 14 June 1980 and retired from the bench on 31 August 1984. He was a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and after his retirement argued for the retention of the traditional swearing-in of witnesses in court.Anderson, K.V. (1987) Oaths are as old as a belief in God. ''Law Institute Journal'' May 1987: 502-503. He died on 14 October 1999 aged 87. He and his wife Claire (who predeceased him) had six daughters and 20 grandchildren.

References

* Anderson, K.V. (1986) ''Fossil in the Sandstone: The Recollecting Judge''. Spectrum Publications: Melbourne. 287pp. * Obituary

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: ...

1 Victorian Reports, p xii.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Kevin Victor 1912 births 1999 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria People educated at Xavier College Melbourne Law School alumni Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Australian King's Counsel 20th-century Australian lawyers Australian Knights Bachelor