Dyson Hore-Lacy
Encyclopedia
Dyson Hore-Lacy SC is a Melbourne barrister
, human rights advocate, author and former Fitzroy Football Club
president.
, New South Wales
, Tasmania
, Queensland
, Western Australia
and Northern Territory
and was admitted to Victorian Bar
in 1967. He has had a distinguished career practising in criminal and commercial law, and was made Queens counsel in 1995.
A tireless advocate of human rights
, Dyson has practiced extensively in cases involving human rights abuses in Australia
, including for Aboriginals
in the Northern Territory
and Western Australia
. Mr Hore-Lacy has also worked as Senior Counsel in a high profile complaint to United Nations Human Rights Committee.
alleged that Mr Hore-Lacy helped a man who killed his own wife to manufacture a provocation defence. This defamatory allegation was proven to be false, and a jury chose to award Mr Hore-Lacy $30,000 in exemplary damages to punish Mr Cleary and his publisher, in addition to $600,000 in compensatory and aggravated damages.
faced an existential crisis as the Australian Football League
sought to force a merger of the club. This crisis was brought to a head on 28 June 1996 when the Nauru
Insurance Company sought repayment of a $1.25 million loan.
Mr Hore-Lacy later authored 'Fitzroy', which detailed his experiences during his time as chairman of the club.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, human rights advocate, author and former Fitzroy Football Club
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
president.
Legal career
Dyson was admitted to practice in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and was admitted to Victorian Bar
Victorian Bar
The Victorian Bar is the bar association for the Australian State of Victoria. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 19 January 2006, there were 1627 counsel practising as members of the Victorian Bar. Once a barrister has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court...
in 1967. He has had a distinguished career practising in criminal and commercial law, and was made Queens counsel in 1995.
A tireless advocate of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, Dyson has practiced extensively in cases involving human rights abuses in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, including for Aboriginals
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Mr Hore-Lacy has also worked as Senior Counsel in a high profile complaint to United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Libel Incident
In his book, Getting Away with Murder, author Phil ClearyPhil Cleary
Philip Ronald Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian rules football, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election.-Football playing career:...
alleged that Mr Hore-Lacy helped a man who killed his own wife to manufacture a provocation defence. This defamatory allegation was proven to be false, and a jury chose to award Mr Hore-Lacy $30,000 in exemplary damages to punish Mr Cleary and his publisher, in addition to $600,000 in compensatory and aggravated damages.
Chairman of the Fitzroy Football Club
Dyson Hore-Lacy succeeded Leon Wiegard as Chairman of the Fitzroy board after the Gary Pert contractual dispute in 1991. During his tenure, the Fitzroy Football ClubFitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
faced an existential crisis as the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
sought to force a merger of the club. This crisis was brought to a head on 28 June 1996 when the Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
Insurance Company sought repayment of a $1.25 million loan.
Mr Hore-Lacy later authored 'Fitzroy', which detailed his experiences during his time as chairman of the club.