Marcia Ann Neave (born 23 August 1944) is an Australian legal academic and judge, who was appointed to 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 ...

, Court of Appeals division on 22 February 2006. She retired from the bench on 23 August 2014 to become commissioner of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. Before her appointment, Neave was the foundation Chair of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and Professor of Law at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

. She is the only academic to be appointed to the Supreme Court in Victoria's history, with the vast majority of judges practising as

barristers 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 ...

prior to being invited to the bench. In 1985, Neave, then Reader in Law 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 ...

, chaired a board of inquiry into

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, which recommended legalisation of prostitution under defined conditions, removal of most sanctions against prostitutes, and the use of planning controls to control the locations of brothels. Most of the recommendations were accepted by the Cain Labor government, and became law in 1986. In the

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...

of 1999, Neave was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her services to the law, and in 2001, she was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

. She was inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. It was launched by The Hon. Joan Kirner AC as a joint initiative of the Centenary of Federation Victoria Comm ...

in 2006. In December 2016, Neave retired from the bench of the Court of Appeal to chair the Royal Commission into Family Violence. Neave has held a number of distinguished academic positions, including chairs at four different Australian universities, and membership of the Hauser Global Law Faculty of the

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

. She is a fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Aus ...

, and a life member of the

Australian Institute of Judicial Administration Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

, of which she has been a member for more than 10 years. She was educated at Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne.

References

External links

Victorian Woman's Honour Roll
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neave, Marcia 1944 births Living people Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Fellows of the Australian Academy of Law Australian women judges Australian legal scholars New York University faculty Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne Academic staff of Monash University Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Australian women legal scholars

See also

References

External links