03/25/2002 "Friends back Kirby in open letter"

Friends back Kirby in open letter
- The Australian

Some 35 long-time friends and colleagues of Justice Michael Kirby have rallied behind the High Court judge in a public letter of support to a Sydney newspaper.

The letter, signed by former NSW premier Nick Greiner and former federal Liberal minister Jim Carlton among others published.

It states they are proud to be friends of Justice Kirby, with many of them having first met him 30 years ago at Sydney University.

"We regard him as a person of the highest moral character and integrity," the letter said. "We are deeply angered that the reputation of this good man should have been besmirched by an attack made under parliamentary privilege."

It said the attack should not be allowed to reduce Justice Kirby's ability to function effectively on the bench of the High Court.

"He continues to have our confidence, respect and friendship, both personally and professionally."

Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan last week launched an attack on Justice Kirby under parliamentary privilege. Senator Heffernan accused Justice Kirby of using his commonwealth car to pick up male prostitutes in Sydney's Darlinghurst and claimed he was unfit to judge child sex cases.

Justice Kirby rejected Senator Heffernan's accusations as homophobic, false and absurd.

Mr Carlton, a former Fraser government minister and Red Cross secretary-general, said many signatories were members of a University of Sydney club for former student politicians.

"It's the first time I have ever signed a letter of this sort or an advertisement of this sort for a newspaper. I regard him as a friend who I've known all this time," Mr Carlton told the ABC today.

"I have a high regard for him and I am disturbed, as the other signatories are, at the attack on him under parliamentary privilege."

Mr Carlton said there were cases when the private life of a public figure should be publicly scrutinised but there were other ways to pursue it.

"It can be very relevant ... these things have to be looked at individually. It's just a question of the way you go about it," he said.