Guide to the Papers of John Halden Wootten

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 10619
Creator:
Wootten, John Halden, AC, QC (1922-2021)
Extent:
(47 ms boxes + 1 medium folio box + 1 folder + 1 digital carrier)
Language:
English and English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of John Halden Wootten, National Library of Australia, MS 10619, [class/series/file/item number(s)]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Restricted access: Women’s business and Men’s business – Files 156, 163, 164 and 168 contain description of Aboriginal Australian ceremonial or gender-specific material. and Part available for research; part requires permission for research until 2031; part required permission for research until access conditions have been determined. Not for loan.
Cultural Sensitivity Advisory Notice:

Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other First Nations people are advised that this collection contains names, discussion and images of deceased people and other content that may be culturally sensitive. Please also be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions within these works which reflect the author's attitude, or that of the period in which the works were created, and may now be considered inaccurate, inappropriate or offensive. Other content that may be distressing and/or culturally sensitive includes material relating to The Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody; Background papers on adoption and fostering for the James Savage/Russell Moore case; Reports containing land title issues with details of secret and sacred sites.

Background

Content Summary:
This collection comprises working and personal papers of the late John Halden (Hal) Wootten AC, QC, 1922-2021. Wootten's papers cover his high profile career where he was involved in a wide range of matters of national significance including his years as a barrister, foundation dean of the University of New South Wales Law School, a judge of the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Chair of the Press Council, President of the Australian Conservation Foundation, a Commissioner into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and a Deputy President of the Native Title Tribunal. His papers include notebooks from field-work on Manus Island in 1947, information about the influential LawAsia Foundation from the 1950s, and a folder containing details of the original meetings that established the Aboriginal Legal Service in Sydney in 1970. He acted for both employers and employees in important industrial disputes in the 1960s, out of Chambers he shared with both John Kerr and Gough Whitlam in Sydney. Included in this material on the case of James Savage, aka Russell Moore, a Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wemba man who was incarcerated in the United States of America. Wootten was given leave from the Royal Commission to provide evidence for the trial in California.
Biographical / Historical:

Human rights Lawyer, professor, mediator. John Halden Wootten helped establish the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) becoming its first President (1970-1973), and was one of the Commissioners leading the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1987-91). His role with the commission reflected his lifelong commitment to righting the wrongs suffered by Indigenous Australians. Wootten also served as a Deputy President of the Native Title Tribunal between 1994-97.In 1969, Wootten joined the University of NSW as the founding Dean of the Faculty of Law Justice along with 219 undergraduate students in its inaugural class. Further biographical information available online at: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/07/in-memory-of-hal-wootten--founding-dean-of-unsw-law---justice

Reading Room Access Note:

For preservation reasons, we are unable to deliver digital and audiovisual carriers to the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact (Ask a Librarian) to enquire about access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

This collection arrived at the National Library of Australia in two consignments: the first, which arrived in 2022, comprises 43 ms boxes, 1 medium folio box, 1 folder, and 1 digital carrier; the second consignment, which arrived in 2023, comprises 4 ms boxes.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8633074).
Conditions Governing Use:
Conditions for copying and publishing of this collection may apply, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8633074).
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of John Halden Wootten, National Library of Australia, MS 10619, [class/series/file/item number(s)]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
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