Adjunct staff

Adjunct appointees are individuals whose appointment to the academic staff will enhance the teaching and/or research profile of law at Southern Cross University as well as stimulate cooperation between the Faculty and other members of academic, business and professional communities.

Adjunct appointees enrich the Faculty's visibility, networks, research and teaching culture. These positions are reserved for individuals of outstanding achievement and distinction in their academic, professional and industry endeavours and who have been recognised by their peers as pre-eminent in their fields.

Meet our adjunct staff members

Judicial

The Hon. David Ashton-Lewis KC

The Hon. Justice David Ashton-Lewis is Justice of the Supreme Court of Fiji and a Senior Counsel in the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea. He has been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen for Services to the Law in a Developing Nation.

The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG

The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG is one of Australia’s – and the world’s – leading advocates for human rights and social justice. Until his retirement, he was the longest serving member of the High Court of Australia. He is the recipient of the Australian Human Rights Medal, the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education and the Gruber Justice Prize. Southern Cross University's Michael Kirby Lecture Series is held annually in his honour.

The Hon. Margaret McMurdo AC

The Hon. Margaret McMurdo AC is the former President of the Queensland Court of Appeal – and the first woman in Australia to hold such a position. Made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2007, she currently chairs the Legal Aid Board of Queensland and Southern Cross University’s Law Advisory Committee.

The Hon. Justice Brian Preston

The Hon. Justice Brian Preston is Chief Judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court where he made Australian legal history by prohibiting a coalmine on grounds it would contribute to climate change.

The Hon. Justice Steven Strickland QC

The Hon. Justice Steven Strickland QC sits on the Appeal Division of the Family Court of Australia and was Chairman of the Family Law Section, Law Council of Australia.

Politics

The Hon. Janelle Saffin MP, Member for Lismore

The Hon. Janelle Saffin MP has served in both the NSW and Australian parliaments. In 2019, she won the NSW state seat of Lismore, becoming its first female MP and its first Labor member in 50 years. She has also served as a member of Southern Cross’ University Council.

The Hon. Tamara Smith MP, Member for Ballina

The Hon. Tamara Smith MP is the NSW Greens MP for Ballina. She is the first woman to represent the electorate and the first Greens MP to hold a regional seat in any Australian parliament. An alumna of the Law Disciple at Southern Cross University, she sits on the Faculty’s Law Advisory Committee.

Academic

Professor Greta Bird

Professor Greta Bird is a founding member of the Law Discipline at Southern Cross University and a well regarded critical legal feminist and race theorist. The Professor Greta Bird Lecture Series in Legal Theory and Critique is held annually in her honour. Her research interests include multiculturalism and the law, Indigenous studies, law and society, feminist critique, and critical race theory.