Aaron Ronald Castan (29 October 1939 – 21 October 1999) was an Australian

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 ...

and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

advocate.

Legal career

Castan played a leading role in some of Australia's more important cases, such as Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen and the Franklin Dam case. One of his most celebrated roles was that of senior counsel in the Mabo case, which overruled the application of the enlarged doctrine of

terra nullius ''Terra nullius'' (, plural ''terrae nullius'') is a Latin expression meaning " nobody's land". Since the nineteenth century it has occasionally been used in international law as a principle to justify claims that territory may be acquired ...

in Australia, to recognize Aboriginal land rights in Australian common law for the first time. Castan spent 10 years preparing and arguing the case on behalf of Eddie Mabo, for which he received widespread acclaim. In 1985 Castan, along with Uncle Jim Berg, and

Ron Merkel Ronald Merkel is an Australian jurist, who was formerly a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. Education Merkel was educated at Melbourne High School and the University of Melbourne, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws in 1963. Career M ...

, sued 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 ...

and the Museum of Victoria for the return of their collections of Indigenous cultural material and through this act created the Koorie Heritage Trust. He also played a leading role in the legislative discussions on Australian native title law throughout the 1990s, having devised the solution to the standoff in the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The powers, role and composition of the Senate are set out in Chap ...

over the Wik settlement. Additionally, he was a founder of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.Ron Castan AM QC – Photography – National Portrait Gallery
/ref> Although he is most famous for his work in constitutional and human rights law, Castan was an expert in many areas of law. The Castan Centre for Human Rights 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 ...

is named after him, where his daughter, Melissa Castan (herself a human rights scholar), is the centre's director. Castan also committed himself to human rights. For several years he worked as a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner in Victoria.

Personal life

Castan was a member of the Smorgon family and a child of Russian Jewish immigrants who migrated to Australia. He was considered a Jewish community leader. Castan died suddenly at age 59 due to a complication following surgery.Justice Michael Kirby speech at Koori Heritage Trust Dinner, 15 November 1999, to honour the memory of the late A R Castan AM QC
/ref> After his death, tributes flowed from the legal and political community, and he was described by Senator Aden Ridgeway as "the great white warrior against racism".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castan, Ron 1939 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Australian lawyers Australian human rights activists Members of the Order of Australia Melbourne Law School alumni Harvard Law School alumni People educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School Australian people of Russian-Jewish descent Australian company founders Law firm founders

Legal career

Personal life

See also

References