News Archive

To celebrate our Centenary, the Faculty of Law celebrated the life of WA's first Premier, Sir John Forrest.

While he was not a lawyer, Sir John was instrumental in the development of the Australian national constitution, a platform from which our laws are created.

In keeping with the policy of taking our research and knowledge out to regional Western Australia, a contingent from Law presented a lecture and dinner in Mandurah, inviting high school students and community leaders to learn about the man who was known as the Founding father from the West .

Chief Justice Robert French , a UWA Law graduate, delivered the lecture that drew a human picture for the audience of a man who was larger than life in the history of our State, not always well-liked but certainly highly respected and admired.

While he was still a young man in his 20s, John Forrest became one of Australia's greatest explorers.  By his early 30s, he was WA's Surveyor-General, Commissioner for Crown Lands and on the Executive Council  and Legislative Council of the Swan River Colony.

Another 10 years on and he became WA's first Premier, with his remarkable achievements including the introduction of compulsory schooling, the creation of Fremantle Harbour and the establishment of the Perth Mint, which continues to operate to this day.

He led WA into Federation and was appointed the first Postmaster-General in the new national government in 1901, and then Minister for Defence and Minister for Home Affairs. He served five terms as Federal Treasurer, was acting Prime Minister and came close to being elected as Prime Minister on four occasions.

In 1918, Sir John was the first Australian to be made a Baron.  Although he is always known as Sir John, he only had seven months with that title, before dying on the troop ship Marathon on its way to England in September of that year.

He played an important role in colonial constitutional development and Justice French described him as "... of his time and ahead of his time ... a great Australian."