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John McCarthy QC, KCSG (born 1947), is the current Australian Ambassador to the Holy See. Prior to his ambassadorial appointment, he was a Queens Counsel at the NSW Bar and Head of Chambers, 5 Wentworth, Sydney.

=Early Life and Education= John Anthony McCarthy was born in Parkes in the central west of New South Wales to Anthony and Eileen McCarthy. He grew up in country New South Wales and attended St Bernard’s College, Katoomba. In 1965, he moved to Sydney to study at the University of Sydney as a resident of St John’s College. He graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1968 and Bachelor of Laws in 1971. In 1974, he was awarded a post-graduate scholarship to the University of Virginia and graduated Master of Laws in 1975.

=Professional Career= McCarthy was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1972, as a Barrister of the Supreme Court in 1976 and appointed Queens Counsel in 1988. McCarthy has appeared in the High Court of Australia, Privy Council, Federal Court of Australia, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australian Industrial Relations Commission, NSW Industrial Relations Commission, Family Court of Australia, NSW Land and Environment Court, Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), District Court (NSW) and Magistrates Court (NSW).

McCarthy has had an ongoing involvement with constitutional, electoral and organisational issues relating to indigenous associations, educational institutions and sporting organisations. McCarthy was Senior Counsel for the Dunghutti people in 1996 and participated in the negotiation and settling of the first Deed of Agreement (209 years after the first white settlement) between the Crown in New South Wales and an indigenous people in respect of native title. He then appeared as Senior Counsel in the Dunghutti case in the Federal Court in 1997, in which for the first time on the Australian mainland there was a determination of native title under the Native Title Act. McCarthy has represented Catholic bishops and Catholic agencies and institutions in many cases. He has also acted as Senior Counsel for the National President of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. McCarthy is Senior Counsel for the Church of the Torres Strait, an indigenous church of former Anglicans and for the Anglican Catholic Church of Australia, both of which are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church under the Apostolic (Papal) Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus.

McCarthy has appeared in cases in the High Court on native title, trade practices and electoral matters. He has also appeared in several cases in relation to the NRMA and the University Cooperative Bookshop. He was also Senior Counsel during the revision of their constitutions and rules. Other important cases in which he has appeared include the Maralinga and Voyager compensation cases (1991-95). McCarthy has appeared in ICAC inquiries, a Royal Commission and similar public investigations and inquiries.

McCarthy has been Senior Counsel for the Australian Labor Party in NSW since 1988. He has appeared for the ALP in courts of disputed returns, electoral boundary commissions and supreme court proceedings. He has also advised the ALP National Secretariat on legal and constitutional issues.

Other Professional and Community Service
McCarthy has had extensive engagement in university education and governance, sports administration, arts administration, legal aid and professional committees and international charitable and disaster relief activities.

McCarthy has received a number of statutory and other appointments, including the Legal Aid Commission (Review Committee), Administrative Decisions Tribunal NSW (Legal Services Division), University of Sydney Senate, Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, Australian Law Reform Commission, Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney).

Other offices in which McCarthy has served include Pro-Chancellor University of Sydney (2005-10), President of the St Thomas More Society – the Guild of Catholic Lawyers (1993-05), Board Member of St Margaret’s Hospital, Sydney (1997-99), and Australian Board member of international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (1994-present). Since 2007 he has been a member of the Order of Malta. He is a co-founder of the Chester A. Arthur Society.

McCarthy has been a member of Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 1963. He has been a branch official, NSW Conference delegate, National Conference delegate and a member of ALP policy committees.

In 2006, McCarthy received a Papal Knighthood, being appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great by the Holy See for services to the Catholic Church and the wider Australian community. In 2012, he received an honorary award from the University of Sydney when he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the University.

Ambassador to the Holy See
On April 29, 2012, Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, announced the appointment of John McCarthy QC as Australia's Ambassador to the Holy See.

=Family Life= McCarthy married concert pianist Christine Slattery in 1973. Christine is the National Convenor of the Society for Eucharistic Adoration, serves on the Liturgical Commission for the Archdiocese of Sydney, and has written and lectured extensively on Catholic themes. The McCarthys have three daughters and three sons. Their second daughter, Claire McCarthy is an acclaimed Australian film director. Their second son, Father James McCarthy, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Sydney; he studied for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained in 2009.

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