Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Paul Le Gay Brereton, (born 27 August 1957) is a Judge of the

New South Wales Court of Appeal The New South Wales Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, is the highest court for civil matters and has appellate jurisdiction in the Australian state of New South Wales. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeal operates pursu ...

and a senior officer in the

Australian Army Reserve The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

. He commanded the 5th Brigade from 2008 to 2010 and Head of the Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support Division from 2010 to 2014. He led an Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force investigation into criminal misconduct on the battlefield by Australian Special forces in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, issuing the '' Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report '' in November 2020.

Early life

Paul Brereton was born 27 August 1957 in

North Sydney, New South Wales North Sydney is a suburb and major commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governme ...

. Brereton's father Russell Brereton (1911–1974), saw military service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo and was later a permanent

Puisne Judge A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...

.Hon. Mr Justice Russell Le Gay Brereton (BA Hons, LLB Hons)

State Records Authority of New South Wales The State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales (commonly known as State Archives and Records NSW) is the archives and records management authority of the Government of New South Wales in Australia. It can trace its history back to the ...

, Retrieved 26 December 2014. Paul Brereton was educated at

Knox Grammar School , motto_translation = The Manly Thing Is Being Done , established = , founder = John Gilmore, William McIlrath, Robert Gillespie and Andrew Reid , type = Independent, day & boarding ...

and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. Brereton graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(Honours) in 1980 and

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 1982. That year, he was admitted as a solicitor in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and moved to Sydney, where he practised as an employed solicitor with

Duncan Barron & Co Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (dis ...

until 1987. He joined the Sydney Bar and was appointed

Senior Counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...

in 1998. In 2005 he was sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He works primarily in the Equity Division.

Army Reserve

Brereton enlisted in the

in 1975 and was commissioned into the

Royal Australian Infantry Corps The Royal Australian Infantry Corps (RA Inf) is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by His Majesty King George VI. At her corona ...

in 1979. From 1977 until 1997 he was also Training Officer of the Knox Grammar School Cadet Unit. His senior appointments have included Second-in-command of

Sydney University Regiment Sydney University Regiment (SUR) is an officer-training regiment of the Australian Army Reserve. Its predecessor, the University Volunteer Rifle Corps, was raised in 1900 as a unit of the colonial New South Wales Defence Force. During the 20th ...

(1994–96), Commanding Officer of the

4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment 4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (4/3 RNSWR) is a Reserve light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 4/3 RNSWR has been deployed on active service on many peacekeeping operations and exercises within Australia and around ...

(1997–99), and as an instructor at the

Australian Command and Staff College The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: * the War College, * the Australian Defence Force Training Ce ...

(2000–01). He was subsequently Colonel, Reserve Policy (2003–04) and then Chief of Staff, 5th Brigade (2005–06), for which service he was awarded a Land Commander's commendation. On 1 January 2007 he was promoted brigadier and posted as Assistant Chief of Staff, Land Headquarters, and on 1 January 2008, assumed his posting as commander 5th Brigade. Brereton was promoted major general and served as Head of the Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support Division from 2010 to 2014.

Honours

Australian_Defence_Medal_(Australia)_ribbon

Australian Cadet Forces Service Medal (Australia) ribbon

Brereton 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 ...

in the

2010 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sain ...

for his "exceptional service to the Australian Army". BRERETON, Paul Le Gay
''It's an Honour''. "For exceptional service to the Australian Army as the Chief of Staff Headquarters 5th Brigade, Assistant Chief of Staff, Land Headquarters and as Commander 5th Brigade."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brereton, Paul 1957 births Australian generals Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Living people Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Knox Grammar School Sydney Law School alumni Military personnel from New South Wales