Hon. Neville OWEN

Australia

Retired Senior Judge

Former senior judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, he chaired the Truth Justice and Healing Council created by the Australian Catholic Church in order to respond the crisis of institutional sexual abuse. He is also a member of the Professional Standards Resources Group for the Archdiocese of Perth.

Former senior judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Neville Owen chaired the Truth Justice and Healing Council created by the Australian Catholic Church in order to respond the crisis of institutional sexual abuse. He is also a member of the Professional Standards Resources Group for the Archdiocese of Perth.

Justice Owen has a long and distinguished 40-year career as a judge, barrister, solicitor, advocate and reformer. He has worked closely with many charities and educational bodies advising on governance and reform initiatives.

From 1991 to 2010, he was a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and from 2005 an inaugural member of the Court of Appeal following its establishment as a separate division of the Supreme Court.

In April 2003, he completed the two-year Royal Commission into the collapse of the HIH Insurance group.

He is an adjunct professor of law and visiting lecturer in law at both the University of Western Australia and the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA).

He has been a member of the board of governors of UNDA almost since its inception and served a term as chancellor of the university. He remains on its board of trustees.

He is also actively involved within the education sector and he has extensive experience in schools’ governance and in promoting anti-abuse policies through education and permanent formation.

In 2022, Pope Francis reappointed him a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.