David Bennett (barrister)

David Michael John Bennett AC, QC (born 22 December 1941) is an Australian barrister and former Solicitor-General of Australia.^[1]

Early years

Bennett was born in Amersham, England. He was educated at Hall School (Hampstead), then moved with his family to Australia in 1951 and attended The Scots College, Sydney.^[1] He subsequently attained degrees in Arts and Law (with honours), from the University of Sydney, and an LLM and SJD from Harvard University.^[1]. His father, Louis Bennett, was a distinguished solicitor in Sydney, and as a Provost Major was in charge of the escort that took the German OKW to Nuremburg for trial.

Career

Bennett was a solicitor from 1964–67. He was called to the NSW bar in 1967 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1979.^[1]

He was president of the Australian Bar Association from 1995–96 and of the NSW Bar Association from 1995–97. Bennett was president of the Association of Lawyer Arbitrators and Mediates in 1998 and President of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences from 1999–2001. He was Solicitor-General of Australia from 1998–2008. Bennett was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003.^[1]

He is married to Annabelle Bennett, a judge of the Federal Court of Australia.^[1]

In a September 2011 Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) article, he addressed international agreement-making by writing that: "A non-binding promise by Australia or the US is worth more than a binding undertaking by Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia."^[2] Its Reductio ad Hitlerum character was alleged in a subsequent Letter to the Editor.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Who's Who in Australia: David Bennett
2. ^ Bennett, David (2011-09-12). "Offshore processing still possible despite High Court decision". Fairfax Media. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/offshore-processing-still-possible-despite-high-court-decision-20110911-1k40s.html. Retrieved 2011-09-13. 
3. ^ Stevens, Matt (2011-09-13). "Inadmissible". Fairfax Media. http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/to-rudd-or-not-to-rudd--that-is-the-vexation-20110912-1k65e.html. Retrieved 2011-09-13. 

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Name	Bennett, David
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Date of birth	22 December 1941
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