Garfield (later Sir Garfield) Edward John Barwick was born in Sydney on 22 June 1903. He was educated at state schools, including Fort Street High School, and the University of Sydney, from where he gained degrees in arts and law and was awarded a University Medal. Admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1927, Barwick was appointed King's Counsel in 1942 and, in 1945, was admitted to the Victorian Bar. In 1958 he was admitted to the Queensland Bar and appointed Queen's Counsel. He practised extensively in the various jurisdictions, appearing in both the Supreme Court and High Court, and before the Privy Council on several occasions. In the High Court, Barwick successfully challenged the Chifley Government in the Bank Nationalisation case (1948) but was unsuccessful in the Communist Party case (1951). He represented the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation during the (Petrov) Royal Commission on Espionage (1954-55).

In 1958, Barwick entered Commonwealth Parliament through a by-election as Liberal member for Parramatta. He was re-elected at the general elections of 1958, 1961 and 1963, and held two portfolios:- Attorney General (1958-64) and Minister for External Affairs (1961-64). In the former portfolio, he was associated with changes to divorce and anti-trust legislation and was Chairman of the Commonwealth Practitioners Board (1960-64). Less successful as Minister for External Affairs, Barwick nevertheless promoted Australian-Indonesian relations and was Leader of Australian delegations to the 15th, 17th and 18th Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1960-64). He also represented Australia at the inauguration of the State of Malaysia (1963) and attended various key ECAFE, SEATO and ANZUS Council meetings.

Barwick resigned from Parliament to become the longest-serving Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia (1964-81). In this capacity, he supported the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council, the High Court's increased prominence (including the design and construction of its own building in Canberra) and establishment of the Federal Court; and contributed to Australian common law development. His extra-judicial advice was also sought by the Governor-General on two significant occasions:- by Lord Casey following the disappearance of Harold Holt (Prime Minister) in December 1967 and, amid considerable controversy, by Sir John Kerr in relation to the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in November 1975. Barwick was 77 when he retired as Chief Justice.

During his long career, Barwick was also active as a Trustee of Kosciusko National Park (1944-64); a Director of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown (1950-58) and Royal NSW Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (1958-76); first President of the Australian Conservation Foundation (1965-70 and Vice-President 1970-73); first Chancellor of Macquarie University (1967-78); Patron of the Australian National Council for the Blind (from 1968); President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (1972-73); and served as a Judge ad hoc on the International Court of Justice in The Hague (1973-74).

Sir Garfield Barwick was created a Knight Bachelor (Kt) in 1953, appointed to the Privy Council (PC) in 1964, made a Knight Grand Cross in the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1965 and a Knight in the Order of Australia (AK) in 1981. He died in Sydney, NSW on 13 July 1997 aged 94.

A biography, titled 'Barwick', by David Marr was published in 1980 (Sydney, Allen and Unwin) and Sir Garfield's autobiography, 'A Radical Tory', was published in 1995 (Leichhardt, NSW, Federation Press).

Sources:

Who's Who in Australia 1995, p 177Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 42, 1964Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook 1965, p 228Oxford Companion to the High Court (Oxford University Press, 2001), pp 56-58Personal Curriculum Vitae, 1995Sydney Morning Herald, 12 Feb 1981, p 2

Summary heading

  Rt Hon Sir Garfield Barwick (CP 651)

Unregistered links

1944-1964:  Kosciusko National Park - Trustee

1965-1973:  Australian Conservation Foundation - President (1965-70 and Vice-President (1970-73)

1968-1997:  Australian National Council for the Blind - Patron

1972-1973:  Australian Institute of International Affairs - President