Kenneth Asprey

Kenneth Asprey
Born15 July 1905
Died28 October 1993
Sydney, Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationNewington College
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
Occupation(s)Solicitor
Queen's Counsel
Judge
Royal Commissioner
Spouses
Margaret
(m. 1935, died)
Mary née Snow
(m. 1977)
Children2 daughters
ParentW Asprey
RelativesSydney Snow (father-in-law)

Kenneth William Asprey CMG QC (15 July 1905 – 28 October 1993) was a judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, the highest court in the State of New South Wales, Australia, which forms part of the Australian court hierarchy.[1]

He came to public prominence as a Royal Commissioner appointed to the second Voyager Royal Commission and on handing down of his review of the tax system in Australia in 1975. Although controversial at the time, the Asprey report on taxation has acted "as a guide and inspiration to governments and their advisers for the following 25 years." The main recommendations of the report have all been implemented and are today part of Commonwealth taxation in Australia.[2]

Professor Gillian Triggs, Dean of the University of Sydney Law School, at the 2011 launch of the Asprey Law Library Collection, described him as being "widely regarded as a leader of the NSW Bar. He was a noted mentor of young barristers, greatly admired by them and by his peers. He was a justice of the inaugural NSW Court of Appeal, and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George was awarded to him in recognition of his services to the law."[3]

  1. ^ Who's Who in Australia 1988 (Melb, 2001988) pp 80
  2. ^ Gittins, Ross (15 June 2009). "A 'light on the hill' for our future tax reformers". The Age.
  3. ^ Asprey Law Library Collection Retrieved 24 August 2012