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Former judge to lead Sentencing Council
The former judge of appeal and chief commissioner of the child sexual abuse inquiry has been appointed as the new chairperson of the NSW Sentencing Council.
Naomi Neilson
Attorney-General Mark Speakman welcomed the Honourable Peter McClellan AM QC as NSW’s newest chairperson of the Sentencing Council, praising the former judge as being one of the “most experienced and respected legal figures in Australia”.
“His work as chair of the Royal Commission [into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse] demonstrated compassion for the survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and was central to recommending law reforms aiming to ensure that these tragedies are never repeated,” Mr Speakman added.”
His honour was admitted to practice in 1974 and appointed to Queen’s counsel in 1985, before becoming a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2001. In 2011, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the judiciary.
As a barrister, he was counsel assisting on the Maralinga Royal Commission into British Nuclear Testing in Australia, an inquiry by the Australian government in 1984 to 1985 to investigate the testing of nuclear weapons. In 1992 and 1993, Justice McClellan served as acting and assistant commissioner of an Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Justice McClellan will serve as chairperson of the Sentencing Council until October 2022, and replaces James Wood AO QC, who is now serving as chair of the compliance review for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“I thank Mr Wood for his service on both the Sentencing Council and as head of the State Parole Authority and wish him all the best in his new role,” Mr Speakman said.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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