Owen Walsh
Encyclopedia
Owen Edward John Walsh is the current Administrator of the Australia
n territory
of Norfolk Island
.
Walsh was educated at the University of Tasmania
, from which he graduated with degrees in Arts and Law. He worked as a barrister
and solicitor
for the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
, and as a senior policy adviser and legal officer for the Attorney-General
's department, the Department of Transport and Regional Services, and the Australian Antarctic Division
.
On Norfolk Island
, Walsh was Official Secretary to the Administrator, Tony Messner
, from 1999 to 2003, and again from January 2006 to Administrator Grant Tambling
. When Tambling retired in 2007, Walsh was made Acting Administrator of the island on 7 August. He was officially sworn in as Administrator by the Governor-General
Quentin Bryce
on 2 October 2008.
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...
n territory
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
.
Walsh was educated at the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
, from which he graduated with degrees in Arts and Law. He worked as a barrister
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...
and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
for the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the superior court for the ACT. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters...
, and as a senior policy adviser and legal officer for the Attorney-General
Attorney-General of Australia
The Attorney-General of Australia is the first law officer of the Crown, chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia and a minister of the Crown. The Attorney-General is usually a member of the Federal Cabinet, but there is no constitutional requirement that this be the case since the...
's department, the Department of Transport and Regional Services, and the Australian Antarctic Division
Australian Antarctic Division
The Australian Antarctic Division is an agency of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . The division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean...
.
On Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, Walsh was Official Secretary to the Administrator, Tony Messner
Tony Messner
Anthony John Messner AO is a former Australian politician and minister.Messner was born in Melbourne and educated at a state primary school in Queensland, Pulteney Grammar School, Adelaide and the South Australian Institute of Technology.Messner was elected as a Senator for South Australia at the...
, from 1999 to 2003, and again from January 2006 to Administrator Grant Tambling
Grant Tambling
Grant Ernest John Tambling, AM is an Australian politician and former Administrator of Norfolk Island.Tambling was born and raised in Darwin in the Northern Territory, and studied both there and in Adelaide...
. When Tambling retired in 2007, Walsh was made Acting Administrator of the island on 7 August. He was officially sworn in as Administrator by the Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
on 2 October 2008.