Crock

Mary Crock was born in 1959 in Perth, Western Australia, but grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. She completed her undergraduate studies in Arts and Law at the University of Melbourne in 1983 and went on to work in a variety of positions ranging from solicitor in the law firm of Corr and Corr (as it then was) to Judge’s Associate and solicitor in a community legal agency. Mary is married to Emeritus Professor Ron McCallum AO, working closely with him in all aspects of their joint professional life. Ron was a foundation member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), CRPD chair 2009-2013 and Chair of the Committee of Chairs of the 10 member UN Treaty bodies (2011-2012). They have three children: Gerard (b 1987), Daniel (b 1989) and Kate (b 1992).

Mary’s interest in migration and refugee law reflects her past involvement in direct advocacy work. Mary Crock helped to establish and run the Victorian Immigration Advice and Rights Centre Inc in Melbourne, now known as the Refugee and Immigration Law Centre (Vic). She has worked with Australian Senators (most notably in 1999-2000 on an inquiry into Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program) and with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (preparing a report in 2000 on the Immigration Detention Centre at Curtin, near Broome in remote Western Australia).

Mary has a long standing interest in the intersections between legal scholarship and legal practice. She has assumed leadership roles as Chair of various migration law related committees for the Law Institute of Victoria, the Law Society of New South Wales and the Law Council of Australia and has served on the Executive Committee of the Refugee Council of Australia. She is head assessor for Australia’s specialist accreditation programs for lawyers in the area of immigration law. Her contribution was acknowledged in 2007 by her appointment as an Honorary Specialist in this field.

Leaving No One Behind – A Mission Impossible?