Bernard Daniel Bongiorno is an Australian professor who is a former Court of Appeal justice at the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

in Australia. He was formerly a justice of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court, where he served between 2000 and 2009. Prior to that he served as the Victorian

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

, resigning in 1994. Bongiorno grew up in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. His ancestors emigrated to Australia from the

Aeolian Islands The Aeolian Islands ( ; it, Isole Eolie ; scn, Ìsuli Eoli), sometimes referred to as the Lipari Islands or Lipari group ( , ) after their largest island, are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after ...

. Bongiorno was involved with the Italian welfare society Co.as.it., serving as president. In 1999, the Italian government recognised his contribution to the Italian community in Victoria by appointing him a Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking h ...

. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the

2010 Australia Day Honours The 2010 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 2010 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia D ...

"For service to the law, particularly as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, and through leadership roles within the Italian community". As of 2013, Bongiorno worked at

Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school, and offers J.D., LL.M, Ph.D, and LL.D degrees. In 2021-22, THE ...

as a "judge-in-residence."

References

Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Officers of the Order of Australia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Australia-law-bio-stub