Ian Stanley Palmer (born 1950) is an Australian bishop in the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...

, who served as Bishop of Bathurst from 2013 until 2019. Palmer was born in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He studied theology at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, in 1971, and a post-graduate diploma at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

four years later. He was ordained deacon in 1975 and priest in 1976. After ordination, Palmer served in parish ministry at St Michael's Church, Huyton (1975-78) and Collierley (1983-90) and university chaplaincy at the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

(1978-83) prior to moving to Australia to take up a position as Director of Evangelism in the

Diocese of Newcastle The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne), as well as the area of Alston Moo ...

in 1990. In 1993, Palmer returned to parish ministry in the Newcastle suburb of Belmont and subsequently at

Muswellbrook Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney bas ...

. Prior to being appointed as bishop, his most recent appointment was at

Christ Church, Queanbeyan Christ Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at Rutledge Street, Queanbeyan, Queanbeyan-Palerang Region, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1859 to 1860. The property is owned by the Anglican Church Property Trust. It was added ...

in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn in 2005. During his time in Queanbeyan he also served as Archdeacon of South Canberra and as Archdeacon of Chaplaincies. Palmer was installed as the 10th Bishop of Bathurst on 9 February 2013. During his tenure as bishop, the diocese faced significant financial problems, after the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian States and territories of Australia, State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil law (common law), civil matters, and hears ...

found that the diocese was liable to repay a $40 million loan advanced to a diocesan development fund to fund two schools after it defaulted on the loan. Palmer was responsible for selling church property to fund the debts and, even prior to the judgment, Palmer himself had to take up part-time ministry in

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

in addition to his role as bishop as there were insufficient funds to pay for his role to fund the case. Palmer suffered a heart attack after ceremonially walking from Bathurst to Dubbo to begin his ministry. Palmer had to sell further property to fund compensation schemes for child sexual abuse victims. Palmer retired as bishop in April 2019. Palmer currently conducts a traditional Anglican service at St Wilfrid’s Anglican Church, Mount Duneed. The congregation is a part of the City on a Hill Surf Coast congregation Palmer is married to Liz, a spiritual director, and has two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Ian Anglican bishops of Bathurst 21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia Living people 1950 births