Linda Marion Dessau, is an Australian jurist, barrister, and the 29th and current Governor of Victoria since 1 July 2015. She is the first female and the first Jewish holder of the office. She was a judge of the Family Court of Australia from 1995 to 2013.
Early life
Dessau was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 8 May 1953, the youngest of four children. Her father, John Dessau, arrived in Melbourne from Poland in 1929. At first he took on factory work, but later he became a businessman. He married Sybil, who was born in Melbourne. Since 1982, Dessau has been married to Tony Howard, a judge of the County Court of Victoria. They have two sons.
Education and career
Dessau was educated at St Catherine's School, Toorak, matriculating at the age of sixteen. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Melbourne in 1973 as its youngest law graduate. She worked as a solicitor from 1974 to 1978, and as a barrister from 1979 to 1995, specialising in family law and commercial litigation. Dessau was appointed to the AFL Commission in November 2007. She is a supporter of the Essendon Football Club, and in 1997 she started, and was the inaugural chair of, the Essendon Women's Network, which for more than a decade has maintained a strong presence in the grand final week calendar. She was appointed to the board of the Melbourne Festival, of which she became President in 2014.
Governor
Dessau is one of five Jewish people to have served in a viceregal capacity in Australia, after governors-general Sir Isaac Isaacs and Sir Zelman Cowen, and governors Sir Matthew Nathan and Gordon Samuels. In August 2016, Dessau was embroiled in an expenses scandal, which saw her personally repay the expenses of lunches at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant and Harrods, which had originally been paid by the Victorian taxpayer. In 2016, the level of expenses for capital works and ongoing maintenance requested by Dessau were alleged to be excessive, and a former Government House employee told the Herald Sun that the working environment there was "toxic".
Personal life
Dessau is married to Anthony Howard AM QC, a former County Court Judge. They were married in 1982 and have two sons.
Titles, styles and honours
Honours
;Orders
14 June 2010: Member of the Order of Australia "For service to the judiciary, particularly through contributions in the area of family law policy and practice, and to the community."
26 January 2017: Companion of the Order of Australia "For eminent service to the people of Victoria through leadership roles in the judiciary, to the advancement of economic ties and business relationships, and as a supporter of charitable, sporting and arts organisations."
1994: Churchill Fellowship. She travelled to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to study strategies employed to reduce delay within the court system.
