Edward Picton "Ted" Mullighan, QC (25 March 1939 – 15 September 2011) was an Australian judge who was known as an Indigenous rights advocate and protecting vulnerable people.
[2] Mullighan practised law from 1962, when he was working for Roma Mitchell and, at the age of 23, became a partner in the firm, purely to be able to appear in the Supreme Court of South Australia, there being no Bar at that point.
[4] At the time of his retirement, he said:[5]I trust that the community will not always want to pursue the relentless goal of increasing punishment as a way of fixing society's current problems.
I would very much like to work with offenders and help them realise the effects they have had on victims of their crimes.Mullighan served as president of the Law Society of South Australia for two years[4] between 1978 and 1980, during which time he was concerned with the provision of legal aid in the state, and sitting on the (Commonwealth government) Legal Aid Review Committee set up by Lionel Murphy[1] (1972–1974).
[4] In 2011 it was reported that more than 50 per cent of the victims identified in the Mullighan Inquiry had refused to lodge claims for ex gratia payments, and instead sought private settlements from the government.
[4] In June 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Adelaide "for his distinguished creative contributions in the service of society".
[12] Then Attorney-General of South Australia John Rau said that he had left an "enormous" legacy, including inspiring "countless young lawyers"'and "The community owes him a great debt for his painstaking and thorough work".