20 March - Peter Fitzpatrick - Justice Delayed and the Presumption of Innocence for SAS Veterans

Peter Fitzpatrick, AO, AM(Mil), JP, FSAE, GAICD

Peter Fitzpatrick is widely respected and recognized for his leadership at the helm of two peak bodies as the Chief Executive Officer for the legal profession and the motor industry In Western Australia. Prior to this he had a distinguished 20-year military career including a secondment to the British Army and service with the elite Special Air Service Regiment, taking early retirement with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1997 he was a strategic adviser to the then Prime Minister John Howard.

Over the past 40 years he has chaired and been a director on a large number of boards in the for profit, not for profit and government sectors both in Western Australia and nationally. For five years, he was a coach and mentor of a group of 18 high performing CEOs committed to leading profitable and effective companies. Outside of the corporate world, he has held leading voluntary chair and director roles and has been a champion for change in the areas of youth at risk, disability, veteran wellbeing, indigenous education, domestic violence, mental health, and suicide prevention. He was the inaugural chair and Founder of Youth Focus and Wheels for Hope.  In recent times, he has stepped back from corporate roles and spends lengthy periods overseas, mainly in France, where he has interests in family hotel and farming enterprises.

 He is a facilitator with the Australian Institute of Company Directors on the company directors' course, for local government and not for profit organizations in Board Performance, Leadership, Directors Responsibilities, Strategy, Risk and Finance. He is also an adviser to companies on leadership, change management, resilience and strategy and a keynote speaker on a range of topics.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division in the Queens' Birthday Honours in June 2018 and a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Military Division in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 1984. He was a previous State finalist for Australian of the Year.