Barrister and philanthropist Malcolm James McCusker AC CVO KC was born in Subiaco, Western Australia in 1938. He graduated from the University of Western Australia's Law School and was admitted to practice in 1961. Over the course of his career, McCusker has appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court, Federal Court, High Court, and Privy Council. He is recognised for his success in challenging legal cases, including representing wrongfully convicted persons on a number of high profile occasions.
For two decades, until the early 1980s, McCusker lectured at the University of Western Australia. In 1982 he was appointed King's Counsel (at the time named Queen's Counsel), and from 1983 until 2011, McCusker was Chairman of the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia. Awarded Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for services to the legal profession, particularly in the fields of criminal and commercial law, to the business and finance sectors, and to the community through a range of health, church, cultural and sporting organisations. In 2010, McCusker was recognised as both the West Australian Citizen of the Year – Community Service, and the West Australian of the Year.
McCusker was appointed the 31st Governor of Western Australia in July 2011, a position he held until June 2014. In 2012 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, for eminent service to the people of Western Australia, particularly, through the provision of equitable access to legal representation, as an advocate for sustainable development and education, and through significant philanthropic support for a range of medical research, youth and arts organisations. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University, Zhejiang University, and Curtin University.
McCusker has chaired several organisations, including Western Australia's Legal Aid Commission, Constitutional Committee, and Health Translation Network. He is Director and Chairman of The McCusker Charitable Foundation, a charity established with the aim of improving health and education that has provided significant support to a number of organisations across Australia, including the Harry Perkins Institution for Medical Research, Lions Eye Institute, Western Australian Neuroscience Research Institute, Australian Ballet, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Australian War Memorial, and the McCusker Centre for Citizenship at the University of Western Australia.
