Bernard George Teague, AO, was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, in Australia, between 13 October 1987 and 15 February 2008.

Education

Teague was educated at De La Salle College,

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

and then at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1960 and a Bachelor of Laws with honours in 1962.

Career

Teague was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria on 13 October 1987, the first solicitor (i.e., non- barrister) to be so appointed. Previously, he had been chief litigation solicitor for the Melbourne law firm, Corrs, and President of the

Law Institute of Victoria Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

. He was created an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

in the

2009 Australia Day Honours The 2009 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2009 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia D ...

"for service to the law, particularly through leadership roles with the Law Institute of Victoria, the Parole Board of Victoria and Forensicare, to the judiciary through the development of innovative courtroom practices, and to the community." On 13 February 2009, Teague was appointed to head the Bushfires Royal Commission on the

Black Saturday bushfires The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009, and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. T ...

. In February 2014 he was appointed to head an inquiry into the Hazelwood coal mine fires, which resulted in a lengthy suppression effort while creating a major environmental hazard from the smoke which hung over the

Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nes ...

, particularly

Morwell Morwell is a town in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland, in South-Eastern Victoria, Australia approximately 152 km (94 mi) east of Melbourne. Morwell has a population of 14,389 people at the . It is both the seat of local governme ...

, for some four weeks. Public hearings into the fire began on 26 May 2014.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Melbourne alumni Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Australian royal commissioners Officers of the Order of Australia {{Australia-law-bio-stub