Bernard George Teague,
AO, was a Judge of 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 compri ...
, in Australia, between 13 October 1987 and 15 February 2008.
Education
Teague was educated at
De La Salle College,
Malvern and then at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1960 and a Bachelor of Laws with honours in 1962.
Career
Teague was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria on 13 October 1987, the first
solicitor
A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
(i.e., non-
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
) to be so appointed. Previously, he had been chief litigation solicitor for the Melbourne law firm,
Corrs, and President of the
Law Institute of Victoria
The Law Institute Victoria (LIV) is a legal society in the Australian state of Victoria. It is the professional association for solicitors in Victoria, making rules to regulate their practice, and representing them to governments and other bodi ...
. He was created an Officer of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
in the
2009 Australia Day Honours The 2009 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2009 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce.
The Australia ...
"for service to the law, particularly through leadership roles with the Law Institute of Victoria, the Parole Board of Victoria and Forensicare, to the judiciary through the development of innovative courtroom practices, and to the community."
On 13 February 2009, Teague was appointed to head the
Bushfires Royal Commission on the
Black Saturday bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria. Saturday, 7 February 2009 was one of Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred ...
.
In February 2014 he was appointed to head an inquiry into the
Hazelwood coal mine fires, which resulted in a lengthy suppression effort while creating a major environmental hazard from the smoke which hung over the
Latrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nestle ...
, particularly
Morwell
Morwell is a town in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland, in South-Eastern Victoria, Australia approximately 152 km (94 mi) east of Melbourne.
Morwell has a population of 14,389 people at the .
It is both the capital and administra ...
, for some four weeks. Public hearings into the fire began on 26 May 2014.
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
University of Melbourne alumni
Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Australian royal commissioners
Officers of the Order of Australia
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