FR Frank Brennan

Frank Brennan is a Jesuit priest, professor of law at Australian Catholic University and Adjunct Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture and also at the Australian National University College of Law and National Centre for Indigenous Studies.  He was the founding director of Uniya, the Australian Jesuit Social Justice Centre.  He is presently Gasson Professor at the Boston College Law School.

His books on Aboriginal issues include The Wik Debate, One Land One Nation, Sharing the Country and Land Rights Queensland Style.  His books on civil liberties are Too Much Order with Too Little Law and Legislating Liberty.  His book Tampering with Asylum compares Australia’s asylum policies with other first world countries.  He wrote the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council’s papers The Timor Sea’s Oil and Gas:  What’s Fair? and Time to Draw the Line: Finding a Just Settlement between Australia and Timor-Leste. His book Acting on Conscience looks at the place of religion in Australian politics and law.  At the launch, Kevin Rudd described Frank as “an ethical burr in the nation’s saddle”. His book Voting ‘Yes’ for Aborigines in the Constitution will be published in May 2105

He is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for services to Aboriginal Australians, particularly as an advocate in the areas of law, social justice and reconciliation.  The National Trust has classified him as a Living National Treasure. In 2009, he chaired the Australian National Human Rights Consultation Committee.