CITATION
Chancellor,
The Honourable Peter Applegarth AM KC is an eminent jurist and legal scholar, who, throughout his career has made exceptional contributions to the law, the judiciary and to social justice.
Mr Applegarth completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1978 and a Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours at The University of Queensland in 1980, before undertaking postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1985.
Admitted first as a solicitor in 1983 and later as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1986, he practised for more than 2 decades across a broad range of civil and public law matters.
Notably, Mr Applegarth represented media organisations during the Fitzgerald Inquiry, helping defend press freedom and the public disclosure of evidence of corruption. His work supported the role of investigative journalism and open inquiry processes that exposed systemic police and political corruption in Queensland and contributed to major democratic and legal reforms.
He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000 and a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2008, where he served for 16 years.
From 2020 to 2023, Mr Applegarth served as Chair of the Queensland Law Reform Commission and led several law reform reviews, including its major reference on Voluntary Assisted Dying. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and has advanced legal professional education through publications and lectures for organisations including the Australian Academy of Law and the Selden Society.
Mr Applegarth has also generously contributed to legal education at our University as a lecturer and as Patron of the UQ Pro Bono Centre, where he has supported student learning and access to justice initiatives.
In recognition of his outstanding service, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2020 and awarded an Honorary Doctor of The University by Griffith University in 2021.
Following a distinguished judicial career, Mr Applegarth retired from the Supreme Court of Queensland at the end of 2024.
Chancellor, I present to you The Honourable Peter Applegarth, Member of the Order of Australia, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours of this University, Bachelor of Civil Law of the University of Oxford, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, and Doctor of the University honoris causa of Griffith University, for the award of Doctor of Laws honoris causa, bestowed by the Senate of The University of Queensland.
