Vale – The Honourable Robert Ellicott AC KC

He was 95.

Bob Ellicott was born in Moree, NSW in 1927, the son of a wool classer. He attended Fort Street High School in Sydney’s Inner West, travelling down from Moree to board on a verandah in nearby Summer Hill during school terms.

After finishing school, Bob studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours in his Bachelor of Laws, and with a Bachelor of Arts.

He served articles of clerkship with Henry Davis York. He was called to the NSW Bar in 1950 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 1964. He signed the Victorian Bar Roll on 12 March 1991. He was involved in numerous landmark decisions as a barrister, including as the Commonwealth Solicitor-General from 1969 to 1973. Bob was appointed as a Judge of the Federal Court in 1981. He returned to private practice in 1983. He had a broad practice across the gamut of public and commercial law, and in international law.

Outside of the law, he had a life-long interest in politics and community causes. He won the seat of Wentworth in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs in the 1974 Federal Election. As Attorney-General he was a central figure in establishing the Federal Court, and in the implementation of significant legislative reforms. In his role as a local member, he was also influential in the establishment of the Inner City Legal Centre in Sydney.

As Minister for Home Affairs (later for Home Affairs and for the Environment) he made a substantial contribution to Australian cultural and sporting life. Bob was a key figure in the establishment of the AIS and ArtBank, and in the introduction of tax concessions to promote the development of the Australian film industry.

Bob played an important role in sports law and administration, including as a Judge of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a member of the IAAF Arbitration Panel, and as the patron of Gymnastics Australia. In 2016 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for his contribution to sports administration.

He was devoted to community service throughout his life. He will be remembered by his family and all those who knew him as a fundamentally decent human being, always willing to hear the other side, and to help those in need. Bob could not have achieved as he did without the love and support of his wife of more than 70 years, Colleen ‘Mary’ Ellicott, who he had missed so dearly since she passed away in 2020.