Rob Hulls
On the Couch • Thursday, October 10, 2013 Former Victorian attorney general Rob Hulls on Justinian's couch ... The man who brought the Charter of Human Rights to Victoria and introduced judicial tendering ... Now director of the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT ... Training students to be innovative and passionate
Rob Hulls: failed to f***-up (pix: News)
ROB HULLS completed his law degree at RMIT and commenced his working life as a solicitor for the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria.
From 1990-1993 he did a stint in Federal Parliament in the far flung Queensland seat of Kennedy. Later he was chief-of-staff to the Victorian opposition leader John Brumby.
In his state political career Hulls variously was Attorney General. Minister for Manufacturing Industry, Minister for Racing, Minister for WorkCover, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations.
As Attorney General, Hulls instigated significant changes to Victoria's legal system, which saw the establishment of the state's first Charter of Human Rights and reform to the upper house.
He established special courts for Victoria's indigenous community and introduced an open tender process for applicants to Victoria's judiciary.
Following the defeat of the Brumby government Hulls was appointed adjunct professor at RMIT and was invited to establish the new Centre for Innovative Justice as its inaugural director.
The centre's objective is to develop innovative strategies for the delivery of justice.
There's more on the work of the Centre for Innovative Justice here ...
Describe yourself in three words.
Loud and passionate.
What are you currently reading?
"Walter the Farting Dog" series (young kids!).
What's your favourite film?
Shawshank Redemption.
Who has been the most influential person in your life?
My late father Frank.
What is your favourite piece of music?
Difficult to choose between "He ain't heavy he’s my brother" by the Hollies, and "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin.
What is in your refrigerator?
Ham, eggs and beer.
What is your favourite website?
What do you recommend as a hangover cure?
Abstinence.
What words or phrases do you overuse?
"Don't fuck it up!"
What is your greatest weakness?
Swearing.
What have been your most celebrated achievements as Attorney General for Victoria?
Self-praise is no praise at all.
Why did you want to be a lawyer?
To change the world.
What would like to have done had you not been a lawyer and a politician?
Play full forward for the Geelong Football Club.
What is the Centre for Innovative Justice all about?
A centre of excellence for learning, teaching and research in relation to therapeutic and restorative justice, with the aim of delivering a better justice system.
What's your most glamorous feature?
My left side.
If you were a foodstuff, what would you be?
Crayfish - not pretty to look at, hard and spiky on the outside but soft on the inside.
What human quality do you most distrust?
Bullshit artistry.
Whom or what do you consider overrated?
The Footy Show.
What would your epitaph say?
"He didn't fuck it up."
What comes into your mind when you shut your eyes and think of the word "law"?
Conservative.
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