William Kearney (judge)

William John Francis Kearney KBE (born 1935) is a retired Australian judge who served on the supreme courts of Papua New Guinea and the Northern Territory in Australia.

Career

William Kearney was born on 8 January 1935, to William John Kilbeg Kearney and Gertrude Ivylene Huston. He graduated in law from the University of Sydney and University College London. He worked as a solicitor in New South Wales from 1959 before moving to Papua New Guinea (at that time a territory of Australia) in 1963, where he was a barrister and solicitor with the Papua New Guinea Government Legal Services 1963-72. He was an official member of the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea and Executive Council 1972-73 and the Secretary of Law 1972-75. He held a dormant commission as High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea from 1973–75 and as Administrator in 1973.

William Kearney was a member of the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea 1976-82. In 1976 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), on the recommendation of the Papua New Guinea government, for his services to the law in that country. He was Chairman of the Parliamentary Salaries Tribunal from 1977–82, and Deputy Chief Justice 1980-82. He was knighted in 1982 for services to law in Papua New Guinea, again on the recommendation of the Papua New Guinea government.

In 1982 he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, serving until 1999. He was also Aboriginal Land Commissioner 1982-87, and chairman of the Northern Territory Law Reform Committee 1982-90. During his time as Commissioner, he had a prominent role in the Kenbi Land Claim.

He was Deputy to the Administrator of the Northern Territory at the opening of the Parliament of the Northern Territory (7th Legislative Assembly) on 27 June 1994.

From 1995 to 1998 Sir William Kearney was an acting judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales under an exchange agreement.