Royal Historical Society of Victoria VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL ISSUE 287 VOL. 88, No. 1 – JUNE 2017 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia +61 3 9326 9288 VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL VOLUME 88, NUMBER 1, JUNE 2017 www.historyvictoria.org.au ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA VHJ COVER JUNE 2017 DRAFT 1.indd 1 26/05/2017 1:23 PM VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA Th e Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation comprising people from many fi elds committed to collecting, researching and sharing an understanding of the history of Victoria. Th e Victorian Historical Journal is a fully refereed journal dedicated to Australian, and especially Victorian, history produced twice yearly by the Publications Committee, Royal Historical Society of Victoria. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Jill Barnard Marilyn Bowler Richard Broome (Convenor) Marie Clark Mimi Colligan Don Garden (President, RHSV) Don Gibb David Harris (Editor, Victorian Historical Journal) Kate Prinsley Marian Quartly (Editor, History News) John Rickard Judith Smart (Review Editor) Chips Sowerwine Carole Woods BECOME A MEMBER Membership of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria is open. All those with an interest in history are welcome to join. Subscriptions can be purchased at: Royal Historical Society of Victoria 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia Telephone: 03 9326 9288 Email: offi [email protected] www.historyvictoria.org.au Journals are also available for purchase online: www.historyvictoria.org.au/publications/victorian-historical-journal VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL ISSUE 287 VOLUME 88, NUMBER 1 JUNE 2017 Royal Historical Society of Victoria Victorian Historical Journal Published by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia Telephone: 03 9326 9288 Fax: 03 9326 9477 Email: offi [email protected] www.historyvictoria.org.au Copyright © the authors and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 2016 All material appearing in this publication is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher and the relevant author. Design: Janet Boschen, Boschen Design Desktop Production: John Gillespie, Kiplings Business Communications Printer: BPA Print Group Print Post Approved: PP349181/00159 ISSN 1030 7710 The Royal Historical Society of Victoria acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government though Creative Victoria—Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Front cover: 'Melbourne Th e Law Courts c.1900', J.W. Lindt photographer. RHSV Collection: PC-0343 VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL VOLUME 88, NUMBER 1 JUNE 2017 ARTICLES Judging For The People Honouring 175 Years of the Supreme Court in Victoria Editor’s Note 1 David Harris Introductory Remarks 2 Simon Smith Th e Augustus Wolskel Memorial Lecture: Refl ections on the History of the 4 Supreme Court aft er 175 years Hon Marilyn Warren AC William Meek: Melbourne’s First Lawyer 40 Simon Smith From Foundational Case to Footnote: Judge Willis’ Opening Address in the 69 Case of R. v Bonjon Janine Rizetti In the Case of Molesworth v Molesworth 76 Justice Victoria Bennett Flos Greig: Solicitor, Woman, Pioneer 89 Kathryn Miller Judge-Made Law: Th e ‘Menhennit Ruling’ And Abortion Law Reform In Victoria 97 Bronwyn Naylor Sir Leo Cussen—A Brief Note About A Great Jurist 114 Justice Mark Weinberg AO Th e McGarvie Letter: Reforming from the Inside 126 Michael McGarvie Notes on Contributors 139 About the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 141 Guidelines for Contributors 142 Become a Patron of the Victorian Historical Journal The RHSV invites you to become a patron of the journal to guarantee its future for the next 100 years. HOW TO BE INVOLVED We suggest the following levels of pledge for your consideration. Annually: $250 $500 $1,000 Annually for the following periods I year 3 years 5 years (The RHSV is a tax-deductible entity and all contributions from patrons will be tax-deductible). Please reply with your preferred pledge to Richard Broome, Chair of the Publications Committee on [email protected] and you will be contacted regarding payment. If you are unable to become a patron at this time, please consider an RHSV membership, see http://www.historyvictoria.org.au/ and choose the ‘support us’ button on the service bar. CURRENT PATRONS Emeritus Professor Richard Broome, La Trobe University FRHSV, Emeritus Professor Graeme Davison, Monash University, Mr Murray Johns His Honour Paul R Mullaly QC, Professor Lynette Russell, Monash University, Carole Woods, FRHSV Enhance your next book with an Index by Terri MacKenzie Professional Back of Book Indexer Member of Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers Honorary Victorian Historical Journal Indexer [email protected] Editor’s Note Th is special edition of the Victorian Historical Journal contains a selection of the papers presented at the ‘Judging for the People’ conference, an event held on 9 April 2016 in conjunction with an exhibition celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Supreme Court in Victoria. Organised by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria with support from the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre of Victoria University, the conference and exhibition were accompanied by a publication, Judging for the People: A Social History of the Supreme Court in Victoria 1841–2016, edited by Adjunct Professor Simon Smith from the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre. Chief Justice Marilyn Warren accepted an invitation to deliver the Augustus Wolskel Memorial Lecture as an introduction to the conference. Th e Wolskel Lecture, the RHSV’s major biennial oration, has been delivered by a distinguished historian or public fi gure since the 1960s, and we were honoured that the chief justice agreed to be part of that tradition. We hope that you enjoy the collection and we thank the authors for participating in this phase of the commemoration. We also thank Simon Smith for his introductory remarks to this edition of the Journal. David Harris 1 Introductory Remarks Monday 12 April 1841 was a signifi cant day in the history of Victoria. It was the day that the Supreme Court sat in Melbourne for the fi rst time, the irascible Judge Willis presiding. Technically, the court was the Supreme Court of New South Wales sitting in Melbourne, as separation was still ten years way, but let us not allow too much detail to confuse the story. Th e establishment of a superior court in the colony at that time was a signifi cant constitutional milestone. Two years earlier, Charles La Trobe had arrived to provide a gubernatorial presence; this was to be followed in 1842 by the arrival of early representative democracy with the establishment of the Melbourne Corporation. Th e three elements of the doctrine of separation of powers were thus in place. In 2014, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria recognised that the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Court was fast approaching and resolved to ensure it was fully recognised. Th e foundation piece for the celebrations was the publication in 2016 of Judging for the People: A Social History of the Supreme Court in Victoria 1841–2016. Fully and enthusiastically supported by Chief Justice Marilyn Warren AC QC, it brought together contributions from a distinguished group of legal scholars and historians. All participated pro bono. Publication of the handsome volume was made possible by the generous fi nancial support of the legal profession. In April 2016, the RHSV also convened a one-day history conference to further examine key moments in the history of the court and to allow wider community participation. Th is special volume represents a report on those proceedings. Th e chief justice provides context by contributing her refl ections on the role and work of the court aft er 175 years. Simon Smith examines the fascinating life of William Meek, Melbourne’s pioneering lawyer, and Katie Miller traces the determined journey by Flos Grieg to become the fi rst woman admitted to legal practice in Australia. Important court decisions that infl uenced state social policy and impacted the standing of the court in the community are also explored. Janine Rizzetti looks at 1841 case of R v Bon Jon and its impact on the applicability of imperial criminal law to the local Indigenous people; Victoria Bennett and Kevin Summers 2 Victorian Historical Journal, Volume 88, Number 1, June 2017 bring the sensational divorce case of a nineteenth-century Supreme Court judge to life; and Bronwyn Naylor traces the role of judge-made law through the Menhennit Ruling and its impact on abortion law reform in Australia. Finally, Mark Weinberg and Michael McGarvie provide special insight into the contributions of two reforming judges, Sir Leo Cussen and Richard McGarvie. Simon Smith Simon Smith – Introductory Remarks 3 Refl ections on the History of the Supreme Court after 175 years Remarks of the Hon Marilyn Warren AC, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, on the occasion of the Augustus Wolskel Memorial Lecture Royal Historical Society of Victoria Saturday 9 April 2016 Abstract In 2016, the Supreme Court of Victoria marked 175 years since a resident judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales arrived to administer justice in the Port Phillip District. Th is anniversary has provided an opportunity to refl ect on the evolution of the Supreme Court, before those years are greyed from memory. Th e development of the Court since its colonial beginnings has at times happened at great speed with the Court responding to the vexed social and economic issues of the day, from murder to fraud and insolvency. At other times, it seems the pace has been quite glacial. Before the introduction of Court Services Victoria in 2014, the Supreme Court had spent decades tussling with the executive for control over the administration of the courts. Th e executive would assert the need for accountability, the judiciary would respond emphasising the need for the Court’s independence as the third arm of government.