Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th

governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was

Chief Justice of Queensland The chief justice of Queensland is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Queensland. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court, as well as ...

from 1998 to 2014.

Education

De Jersey was educated at

Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Q ...

(1961–1965) and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. He 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 year ...

and 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 Ch ...

with Honours in 1971. He was part of the Queensland University Regiment from 1966 to 1971 and was commissioned in 1969.

Career

De Jersey practiced law in Queensland and was called to the Queensland Bar in 1971. He took silk in 1981 as a

Queen's Counsel 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 o ...

. At the bar, De Jersey practiced in the commercial field; appeared in constitutional cases before the High Court of Australia, and also appeared before the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

. He was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1985 and was the commercial causes judge between 1986 and 1989. He was the judge constituting the

Mental Health Tribunal A mental health tribunal is a specialist tribunal (hearing) empowered by law to adjudicate disputes about mental health treatment and detention, primarily by conducting independent reviews of patients diagnosed with mental disorders who are det ...

between 1994 and 1996, the president of the Queensland Industrial Court between 1996 and 1997, and the chairman of the Law Reform Commission of Queensland from 1996 to 1997. De Jersey was appointed Chief Justice of Queensland on 17 February 1998. He has been the chancellor of the

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastli ...

since 1991. He was also the vice president of the Australian Cancer Society between 1995 and 1998 and its president between 1998 and 2001, a trustee of the National Breast Cancer Foundation between 1994 and 1999, and the chairman of the Queensland Cancer Fund (now The Cancer Council Queensland) between 1994 and 2001.

Governor of Queensland

De Jersey became the 26th

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

on 29 July 2014. On the retirement of Alex Chernov as

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and th ...

on 1 July 2015, de Jersey became the longest-serving sitting governor of an Australian state and by custom assumed the additional office of Administrator of the Commonwealth who exercises the powers of the Governor-General of Australia in the governor-general's absence or disability. In November 2018, it was announced that de Jersey's original term had been extended by two years through to 29 July 2021. In June 2021, it was announced that he would stay on until November to allow

Jeannette Young Jeannette Rosita Young (born 1963) is an Australian medical doctor and administrator who is the current governor of the state of Queensland. Before being sworn in as governor, Young was the Chief Health Officer of Queensland from 2005 to 2021. ...

, his successor, to focus on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout as Chief Health Officer, before taking up the role of governor.

Personal life

De Jersey married Kaye Brown in 1971. Together they have three children and three grandchildren.

Titles, styles, and honours

De Jersey's style and title as governor in full is: ''His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey, Companion of the Order of Australia, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, Queen's Counsel, Governor of the State of Queensland in the Commonwealth of Australia.'' * As Administrator: ''His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey, Companion of the Order of Australia, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, Queen's Counsel, Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia. *Life Member of the Bar Association of Queensland

Honorary degrees

* 2000: Honorary Doctorate of the

. * 2008: Honorary Doctorate of the

University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with three university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich. It offe ...

. * 2014: Honorary Doctorate of the

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian ...

Honorary appointments

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

28 July 2014-1 November 2021: Regimental

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

Royal Queensland Regiment The Royal Queensland Regiment (RQR) is a reserve light infantry regiment of the Australian Army based in Queensland. Part of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, the regiment was established in 1960 following a reorganisation of Australia's pa ...

. * Order of St John 28 July 2014-1 November 2021: Deputy Prior of the Order of St John. *

Scouts Australia Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with an estimated 55,038 youth participants in 2021, and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movem ...

28 July 2014-1 November 2021: Chief Scout of Scouts Australia QLD * 17 December 2014-1 November 2021: Honorary Air Commodore of No. 23 Squadron RAAF

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Jersey, Paul 1948 births Living people Governors of Queensland Chief Justices of Queensland Companions of the Order of Australia Australian King's Counsel University of Queensland alumni People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School Recipients of the Centenary Medal Honorary air commodores of the Royal Australian Air Force Judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland 20th-century Australian judges 21st-century Australian judges Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order