An Australian barrister, lawyer, and former politician is named for Bernard Collaery. He was also a member of the Australian Capital Territory's first Legislative Assembly for the Residents Rally party, from 1989 to 1992. He served as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General from 1989 to 1991 in the Kaine Alliance Government. Overall, he is a very talented person.
Witness K to plead guilty to breaching intelligence act as lawyer Bernard Collaery committed to trial
An ex-spy known as "Witness K" has indicated he will plead guilty to breaching the Intelligence Services Act, but his lawyer Bernard Collaery will continue to fight the charge in a case that was today committed to trial in the ACT Supreme Court. Both men were charged last year with conspiring to reveal secret information, relating to allegations Australian Government agents bugged the cabinet room of East Timor during sensitive negotiations between the countries on oil and gas. Witness K and Mr. Collaery were each charged with a single count of conspiring to share information protected by Section 39 of the Intelligence Services Act, which covers secrecy and the unauthorized communication of information. Today, in court, lawyers for Witness K, a former Australian Secret Intelligence Service spy, said the charges related to communications with the East Timorese government. They told the court their client would plead guilty. But his lawyer, former ACT attorney-general Bernard Collaery, will fight the conspiracy charge against him in the ACT Supreme Court. The cases of Witness K and Mr. Collaery were first heard in open court a year ago, and have been slowly progressing through the justice system since. Witness K's plea of guilty and Mr. Collaery's subsequent committal to trial marked the first divergence of the two cases, but outside court, Mr. Collaery said he understood the position his former client was in.
Early Life of Bernard
On 12th October 1944, Bernard was born as Bernard Joseph Edward Collaery in Caversham, England, the UK. His nationality is Australian and his ethnicity is White. He was born to Edward Collaery, his father and his mother. He was educated at the Christian Brothers College in Wollongong, New South Wales and at the Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws. His religion is Christian. As of 2018, he celebrated his 74th birthday. His other early life information will be added soon.
Body Measurements of Bernard
Being at the age of 74, Bernard still looks very handsome. He always carries his charming smile on his face attracting a lot of people towards him. There is no exact information regarding his height, weight, and other body measurements. Overall, he has got a healthy body.
Career of Bernard
- Collaery was a First Secretary in Australia's Embassy in France before his political career.
- He was elected to the Assembly at its first general election, held in 1989.
- He was the leader of the Residents Rally Party, "a community-based urban green party".
- On 5th December 1989, he moved a motion in the Assembly.
- He was subsequently appointed Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General in the Kaine Liberal government with responsibility for welfare and community services; housing; sport and recreation; and youth.
- The debate that followed showed that Collaery had been removed from his position as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney General because he and the two remaining Rally members in the Assembly (Norm Jensen and Dr. Hector Kinloch) could not support planning decisions affecting school sites.
- Amotion of no confidence in Kaine, as Chief Minister, was passed, with Collaery voting in favor on 6th June 1991.
- Rosemary Follett resumed the Chief Ministership, and Collaery sat on the backbenches.
- He was unsuccessful in seeking re-election to the Assembly at the 1992 general election.
- He was an independent candidate for election to the Australian Senate in the 1993 federal election, representing the Australian Capital Territory, but was unsuccessful.
- He is the principal of Collaery Lawyers, a Canberra-based law firm with an international law division embracing international maritime and treaty law, refugee and civil rights law.
- As a barrister, Collaery has represented plaintiffs in a number of high-profile cases, including 1997 Thredbo landslide, 2003 Canberra bushfires, Royal Canberra Hospital implosion and more.
- He has a long association, representing the interests of the people of Timor-Leste.
- He advocated on behalf of Timor-Leste and was the legal advisor to the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) in the critical period up until formal independence in 2002.
- He alleged that two agents from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation raided his Canberra office and seized electronic and paper files in 2013.
- In June 2018 the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions filed criminal charges against Collaery and his client known as "Witness K" in the Australia–East Timor spying scandal.
- He is also accused of sharing information with ABC journalists about the 2004 bugging operation.
- He has written a book which is due to be published by Monash University Publishing in 2019.
- According to the director of Monash University Publishing, Dr. Nathan Hollier, it will raise important questions about "the integrity of systems of government in Australia".
- The Australian Government Solicitor sent Collaery a letter dated 2 March 2018 in which it provided a warning that, if he disclosed secret information about the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) in his book, he could face "a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment".
Marital Status (Married), Wife, Child
Bernard is a married person and he was married to Ann McHugh, his wife. The couple is also blessed with four children named Matthew, Caitlin, Lucy, and Brigid. As of today, the couple is living a happy life without any disturbances.
Net Worth of Bernard
There is no doubt that his earnings will be surely in millions. His present salary and net worth have not been revealed as of today but it will be added soon. Overall, he is satisfied with his earnings.
