People Australia

Lionel Murphy, C. J. Duff, 1967

State Library of NSW, 110000147

Lionel Keith Murphy (1922-1986) barrister, parliamentarian and judge

Birth: 30 August 1922 at Kensington, Sydney, New South Wales, son of William Murphy (1876-1948) a hotel-keeper born at Shanakill, Tipperary, Ireland, and Lily Anne, née Murphy (1882-1956), born at Launceston, Tasmania. Marriages: (1) 10 July 1954 at St John’s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst, Sydney, to a divorcée Nina, late  Morrow, née Vishegorodsy (known as Svidersky) (1921-2006) , a comptomotrist and a Russian migrant. They had one daughter before the marriage ended in divorce. (2) on 19 November 1969 at the Registrar’s Office, Hong Kong, to Ingrid Gee (previously Grzonkowski), a model and a television quiz-show compère, who had been born in German-occupied Poland. They had two sons. Death: 21 October 1986 at his home in Canberra. 

• Educated at Kensington Public School, Sydney High School and University of Sydney (Sc. LL.B.) Admitted to the NSW Bar in 1947 and the Victorian Bar in 1958, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1960. Practised as a barrister specialising in industrial matters.
• Joined the Australian Labor Party in 1946. Elected Labor Senator for NSW in 1961, taking his seat in July 1962.
• Murphy was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in 1967-1972, and Leader of Government in Senate in 1972. He was a member of the ALP Federal executive and Federal Conference from 1967. He was attorney-general in the Whitlam government from 1972 and was responsible for the reform of divorce law, trade practices, legal aid and racial discrimination. He was Minister for Customs and Excise 1972.
• Chairman Senate standing committee on legal and constitution affairs; member of the Senate select committee on foreign ownership and control; Senate representative on the Australian National University Council from 1969; chairman of the ALP arts and media committee; chairman, caucus arts and media Committee; delegate to the United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Teheran 1968. As Attorney-General he helped to gain legislation in the areas of family law, consumer protection, civil liberties and legal aid.
• Member of the Australian executive of the International Commission of Jurists from 1963. Appointed Justice of the High Court of Australia on 10 February 1975. In the High Court, he was noted for his unorthodox and sometimes controversial judgements which continued to reflect his zeal and concern for human rights. In his later years he was dogged with controversy over unproven allegations impropriety.
• Cause of death: colon cancer. 

Sources
Joan Rydon (ed), A biographical register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1972 (ANU Press, 1975); Secular Who's Who; Labor Year Book 1973; Recorder, No. 143 p. .