Julian Burnside

Julian Burnside AO QC is an Australian Barrister and an advocate for human rights and fair treatment of refugees. Mr Burnside acted for the Ok Tedi natives against BHP, for Alan Bond in fraud trials, for Rose Porteous in numerous actions against Gina Rinehart, and for the Maritime Union of Australia in the 1998 waterfront dispute against Patrick Stevedores. He was the Senior Counsel assisting the Australian Broadcasting Authority in the “Cash for Comment” inquiry and was senior counsel for Liberty Victoria in the Tampa litigation. His publications include On Privilege, Matilda and the Dragon and Wordwatching – Field Notes from an Amateur Philologist. He also compiled From Nothing to Zero, a collection of writings by asylum seekers in Australia’s detention centres.