Margaret Mary Cunneen SC (born 15 January 1959 in Sydney) is an Australian barrister, prosecutor and commissioner of a government inquiry.
[7] Between 1995 and 2009, Cunneen was a lecturer in child abuse and neglect, focusing on the court system, at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of New South Wales.
[2] In April 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Cunneen had been removed as prosecutor in the trial of an alleged gang rapist after the court found there would be a perception of unfairness if she acted in the case.
In 2010, Cunneen as a private citizen, gave character evidence for Brett Stewart, referring to his having campaigned in New Guinea against violence towards women, in Sydney's District Court in his trial after an allegation of sexual assault.
Cunneen was accused of advising Sophia Tilley to fake chest pains to avoid a breath test after the car accident.
The Solicitor General, after obtaining advice from senior counsel in another state in view of Cunneen's prominence in the NSW legal profession, determined that there was no evidence whatever warranting the prosecution of any of them for any offence.
It was reported that Cunneen's advice stated that "the inevitable conclusion from the brief as a whole is that Scott Volkers was a thoroughly disreputable man, given to inappropriate touching and comments towards young swimmers in his charge."
[2] On 9 November 2012, Cunneen was appointed Commissioner of the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to the police investigation of certain child sexual abuse allegations in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
[35] On 18 December 2018, Cunneen was appointed to the panel of experts who will advise Government on the development of the legislation for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission.
[39] The fictional character Janet King, in the ABC TV drama series of the same name, is believed to be loosely based on Cunneen.