Peter Gutwein,Premier
On behalf of the Tasmanian Government, I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the Honourable Sir Eardley Max (Max) Bingham QC.
Sir Max's full life was one of incredible service and dedication in many different fields including the Royal Australian Navy, as a distinguished legal and parliamentary representative, and through a range of community service roles.
After graduating with Honours in law at the University of Tasmania, Sir Max studied at Oxford University as Tasmania's Rhodes Scholar, worked in private legal practice in Hobart, as well as serving as a Crown Prosecutor, and returned to UTAS to lecture in criminal law and was later appointed Queen's Counsel.
He was first elected as a member for the seat of Denison in the House of Assembly in 1969 and was a member of the Tasmanian Parliament until 1984.
A dedicated member of the Liberal Party, Sir Max served in a number of important roles over the years including as Deputy Premier, Attorney-General on two occasions and a number of other ministries, and as Leader of the Opposition.
After leaving the Tasmanian Parliament, Sir Max was appointed as a founding member of the National Crime Authority and later was a founding commissioner and Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission in Queensland.
In recognition of his "service to the law, crime prevention, parliament and the community", Sir Max was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1988.
Sir Max served in many different community roles including as Chair of the Royal Hobart Hospital Board, on the Tasmanian Bar Association and Criminology Society, as Patron of the Retired Police Association, and was the inaugural Chair of the Board of Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, at UTAS.
Sir Max Bingham was respected by all sides of politics and performed all of his roles with integrity and distinction.
Our thoughts are with Mr Bingham's family during this difficult time.
