Damian John Bugg is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

barrister who served as the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

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 ...

between 1999 and 2007. Prior to this appointment, he was the

Tasmanian ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

from July 1986 to 1999. In 2005, he was appointed a Member 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 Gove ...

(AM) for services to the law. He served as

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

between 2006 and 2012.

Biography

Bugg was born in Tasmania and attended school and university in at the

, where he resided at

St. John Fisher College St. John Fisher University is a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York. It is named after John Fisher, an English Catholic cardinal and saint. It was named St. John Fisher College until July 1, 2022. History St. John Fisher Univers ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1969. He was called to the Bar of the

Supreme Court of Tasmania The Supreme Court of Tasmania is the highest State court in the Australian State of Tasmania. In the Australian court hierarchy, the Supreme Court of Tasmania is in the middle level, with both an appellate jurisdiction over lower courts, and de ...

in 1969 and worked for the Hobart law firm Dobson, Mitchell and Allport from 1970 to 1976 as a lawyer specialising in commercial law and litigation, and as senior litigation partner from 1977 until 1986 when he was appointed as the first Director of Public Prosecutions for Tasmania. He

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1994. Bugg has served as President of the Bar Association of Tasmania, Chairman of the Legal Assistance Scheme and a Member of the Council of the Law Society of Tasmania. He was a Member of the Council of the Australian Institute of Judicial Administration for nine years and is currently a Board Member of the Canadian-based International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. He chaired the Electronic Recording Committee which implemented the program of video recorded Police interviews in Tasmania in 1987, and established and chaired the Forensic Science Services Committee in 1988, has written and spoken about Victims Rights, Pretrial Disclosure, Committals and Procedural Reform. Bugg served as Tasmania's first Director of Public Prosecutions, from 1986 to 2001, during which time he successfully prosecuted

Martin Bryant Martin John Bryant (born 7 May 1967) is a convicted Australian mass shooting, mass shooter who murdered 35 people and injured 23 others in the Port Arthur massacre (Australia), Port Arthur massacre, one of the world's deadliest ...

in 1996 for the murder of 35 people and the attempted murder of 23 others in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. As Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions between 2 August 1999 to 12 October 2007, Bugg determined in July 2005 that there was insufficient evidence on which to base any prosecution of

Steve Vizard Stephen William Vizard AM (born 6 March 1956) is an Australian television and radio presenter, producer, writer, lawyer and businessman. He is an adjunct professor at Monash University and University of Adelaide. Vizard has written for and ...

, granted indemnities in relation to

Schapelle Corby Schapelle Leigh Corby (born 10 July 1977) is an Australian woman who was convicted of drug smuggling, smuggling cannabis into Indonesia. She spent nine years imprisoned on the Indonesian island of Bali in Kerobokan Prison. Since her arrest Corb ...

, and decided in 2007 to discontinue prosecuting Dr

Muhamed Haneef Muhamed Haneef (born 29 September 1979) is an Indian born doctor who was falsely accused of aiding terrorists, and left Australia upon cancellation of his visa amid great political controversy. His visa was later reinstated and he was given som ...

on alleged offences relating to terrorism. At the expiry of his fixed year term in 2007, Bugg was succeeded by Christopher Craigie, . In 1998 Bugg was appointed as a Fellow of the University of Tasmania; and in September 2001, Bugg was appointed to the Council of the university, and served as Chancellor from 2006 to 2012. Upon his retirement as Chancellor In December 2012, the honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

(''honoris causa'') was conferred on Bugg by the university. Following the

2013 Tasmanian bushfires The 2013 Tasmanian bushfires were a series of bushfires which occurred in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia, between November 2012 and late April 2013. The fires burnt approximately of mixed resident land and native forest. It was predicted ea ...

, Bugg was appointed as chairman of the Tasmanian Bushfires Recovery Taskforce.

Personal life

Bugg married Jenny in 1971. They have a son and daughter. In 2003, Bugg was a recipient of the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

, and was later appointed a Member of the

(AM) for services to the law.

References

External links

Tasmanian Director of Public Prosecutions site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugg, Damian Australian King's Counsel Australian prosecutors People from Tasmania Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Tasmania alumni Directors of Public Prosecutions of Australia