Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion : The Inspiration of Sir William Deane edited by Frank Brennan SJ

Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion

The Inspiration of Sir William Deane

Edited by Frank Brennan

Foreword by The Hon Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General

Hardback, 302 pages, $65

ISBN 9781023568822

Mid-July 2026 release

Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion brings together the most significant speeches and writings of one of Australia’s most respected public figures, Sir William Deane.

As a High Court Justice and later Australia’s 22nd Governor-General, Sir William consistently championed the values that lie at the heart of a successful democracy: equality before the law, reconciliation with Indigenous Australians, respect for cultural and religious diversity, compassion for the disadvantaged, and a commitment to the common good.

At a time when Australia is once again grappling with questions of national identity, social cohesion and mutual respect, these carefully selected addresses speak with remarkable relevance and moral clarity. Across his reflections on reconciliation, multiculturalism, the Anzac tradition, religious understanding, poverty, homelessness, and national tragedy, Deane’s words reveal a compelling vision of Australia grounded in justice, dignity and inclusion.

Edited and introduced by Frank Brennan SJ, this volume captures the wisdom of a statesman who believed that the true measure of a nation is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It also celebrates the contribution of Lady Helen Deane, whom Brennan describes with her husband as Australia’s “First Couple of Reconciliation”.

A timely and inspiring collection, this book reminds Australians of the enduring values that can unite us as one people and one nation.

Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO, Adjunct Professor at the Thomas More Law School at ACU and Adjunct Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. He chaired the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s Review of the Australian Journalists’ Code of Ethics. He chaired the National Human Rights Consultation for the Rudd Government and was a member of the Turnbull Government’s expert panel which conducted the Religious Freedom Review. The Morrison Government appointed him to the Voice Co-Design Senior Advisory Group to help guide the Co-Design process to develop options for an Indigenous voice to parliament. His Order of Australia was for services to Aboriginal Australians, particularly as an advocate in the areas of law, social justice and reconciliation. He is the author of 17 books.

Sir William Deane AC KBE is one of Australia's most distinguished jurists and public servants. Born in Melbourne in 1931 and raised in Canberra, he served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1982 to 1995 before becoming Australia's 22nd Governor-General from 1996 to 2001. Throughout his career, he was renowned for his commitment to equality, justice, reconciliation and compassion for the disadvantaged. As Governor-General, he became a powerful advocate for Indigenous reconciliation, multicultural inclusion and national unity. Widely respected across the political spectrum, Sir William remains an enduring moral voice in Australian public life.