William Deane

Deane was born on 4 January 1931 in Melbourne. He was the youngest of three children and only son born to Lillian Elizabeth (née Hussey) and Cornelius Aloysius Deane. His father grew up in a large Catholic family in Wahring, Victoria, and won the Military Cross during World War I. He later worked as a patent examiner.[2] The family moved to Canberra in 1933, and Deane grew up in the suburb of Griffith.[3] He attended St Christopher's Convent School in Manuka and later boarded in Sydney at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill. He won an exhibition and Canberra scholarship to attend the University of Sydney, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws and "won numerous scholarships, exhibitions and prizes". He was a member of the staff of the Sydney Law Review and served on the Student's Representative Council and as secretary and vice-president of the Sydney University Law Society. He also trained with the University Air Squadron and attained a pilot's licence. In 1954 Deane won a Rotary Foundation Fellowship to undertake postgraduate studies in Europe.[4] He was awarded a diploma from The Hague Academy of International Law in 1955.[5]

After graduation, Deane worked in the federal Attorney-General's Department in Canberra and at the law firm Minter Simpson (later to become Minter Ellison). He was called to the Sydney Bar in 1957 and also lectured in law at university.

Deane joined the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in the 1950s and served on the party's executive. He later recalled having "very strong views on the threat of communism" at the time. He subsequently became disillusioned by factional disputes and ceased to have any involvement in politics.[6]

In 1977 Deane was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and, in the same year, he was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia and as President of the Australian Trade Practices Tribunal. In June 1982 he was appointed to the High Court of Australia, replacing Sir Ninian Stephen on his appointment as Governor-General. He received a knighthood in August 1982.[7] On the court he formed part of the majority which recognised native title in the landmark Mabo case of 1992.

Deane at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.

In August 1995, the Labor Prime Minister, Paul Keating, announced that Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia had agreed to the appointment of Deane as Governor-General to succeed Bill Hayden. Deane retired from the High Court in November and was sworn in as Governor-General on 16 February 1996.[8] Less than a month later the Liberal/National coalition led by John Howard defeated Keating's government in the 1996 Australian federal election.

Deane was Australia's first Catholic governor-general. He "represented the Catholic social justice position on just about every issue that came forward".[9]

On 28 August 1996, as governor-general, Deane, issued a proclamation that officially established 3 September as Australian National Flag Day.[10]

As governor-general, Deane received praise for his role in publicly mourning the victims of tragedies that took place during his term in office, including the Port Arthur massacre (1996), the Thredbo landslide (1997) the Swiss canyoning disaster (1999) and the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire (2000).[11][12] His speech in Switzerland titled "It is still winter at home" was especially well received.[13][14] He also was asked to deliver the eulogies at the funerals of several prominent Australians, including Sir Donald Bradman, Nugget Coombs, Dame Roma Mitchell, Sir Marcus Oliphant, and Mum Shirl.[15]

Deane's term of office was due to expire on 31 December 2000, but was extended by six months to cover the Centenary of Federation celebrations.[16] Upon leaving office in June 2001, he stated that his main regret as governor-general was that Australia did not achieve Reconciliation by the end of the 20th century as he had hoped. Howard stated he had "displayed an unfailing interest in the place of the disadvantaged within Australian society".[11]

Deane in 2011, at the unveiling of an artwork in Canberra

As of 2023 Deane acted as Patron or co-Patron of a large number of charitable organisations working for the disadvantaged, including Matthew Talbot Homeless Services, Father Chris Riley's Youth off the Streets, the Starlight Foundation and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. He was also a Patron of Reconciliation Australia and of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association.

The A.C.T. Government appointed him as Patron of the National Capital's 2013 Centenary Celebrations.

He is a former Patron and Chair of international aid-organization CARE Australia and a member of its advisory board.

Deane was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 10 August 1982, a few weeks after being appointed to the High Court.[7] On Australia Day 1988, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). He is also a Knight Commander with Star of the Papal Order of St. Gregory the Great and a Knight of the Venerable Order of St. John.[19]

In 2001, Deane was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize "for his consistent support of vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians and his strong commitment to the cause of reconciliation".[20]

Deane married solicitor Helen Russell on 6 January 1965. The couple had one son and one daughter.[5] He was described in 2002 as "a devout Catholic who regularly attends Mass at St Christopher's, Canberra".[15]

• Roberts, Heather (2011). "A mirror to the man – reflecting on Justice William Deane: a private man in public office" (PDF). Adelaide Law Review. 32 (1).
• Stephens, Tony (2002). Sir William Deane: The Things That Matter. Hodder. ISBN 9780733615283.

• Governor General of Australia – Official biography of Sir William Deane and Lady Deane Archived 1 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, published by Government House, Canberra.
• A Mirror to the People, documentary film on the Office of Governor-General of Australia (1999), featuring Deane, Zelman Cowen and Ninian Stephen.
• High Court biography Retrieved 20 August 2014.