107-487: The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit institution founded in 1910, dedicated to promoting international friendship pursuant to its royal charter , an ethos which binds its global membership. ROSL has a Grade I listed clubhouse in the heart of St James's, London, and a programme of events including a public affairs series which focusses on geopolitical issues, concerts, art exhibitions, and fine food and wine occasions. The extensive heritage Clubhouse includes
214-475: A "College, with the style and privileges of an University", in 1827. The college was reconstituted as the University of New Brunswick by an act of the provincial parliament in 1859. The University of Toronto was founded by royal charter in 1827, under the name of King's College , as a "College, with the style and privileges of an University", but did not open until 1843. The charter was subsequently revoked and
321-962: A boutique consultancy firm, Bespoke Approach. Also in 2008, Downer discussed the possibility of working as a United Nations envoy to Cyprus with the UN Secretary-General to help revive the peace process. The appointment received the support of the Rudd government , via the Foreign Minister Stephen Smith , and it took effect on 14 July 2008. He resigned in February 2014 to take up the post of Australia's High Commissioner in London where he replaced former South Australian Labor premier, Mike Rann . On 10 May 2016, according to The New York Times , Downer and Erika Thompson met with George Papadopoulos in London and information from this meeting caused
428-618: A charter in 1446, although this was not recorded in the rolls of chancery and was lost in the 18th century. A later charter united the barbers with the (previously unincorporated) surgeons in 1577. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland was established by royal charter in 1667 and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , which evolved from the Barbers' Guild in Dublin, in 1784. The Royal Society
535-570: A comeback to the leadership and to serve on the Opposition frontbench, amid widespread speculation that he would resign his seat and seek new employment. He subsequently resigned from Parliament on 14 July 2008 and took a consulting job with Woodside Energy . His resignation triggered a by-election in the seat of Mayo. On 3 July 2008, the University of Adelaide announced Downer's appointment as Visiting Professor of Politics and International Trade in
642-399: A dining room, over 80 bedrooms, events spaces and a beautiful garden overlooking Green Park where members enjoy al fresco dining in the summer. ROSL promotes young musicians and artists, through a widespread arts programme including ROSL's Annual Music Competition which is over 70 years old. The ROSL Foundation, its associated charity, supports music, arts and heritage. ROSL’s Patron
749-561: A few years later, as did Dartmouth's charter. The charter of Rutger uses quite different words, specifying that it may "confer all such honorary degrees as usually are granted and conferred in any of our colleges in any of our colonies in America". Of the other colleges founded prior to the American Revolution, Harvard College was established in 1636 by Act of the Great and General Court of
856-492: A mark of distinction". The use of royal charters to incorporate organisations gave rise to the concept of the "corporation by prescription". This enabled corporations that had existed from time immemorial to be recognised as incorporated via the legal fiction of a "lost charter". Examples of corporations by prescription include Oxford and Cambridge universities. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia , of
963-561: A mission to London by college representatives, these were either provincial charters granted by local governors (acting in the name of the king) or charters granted by legislative acts from local assemblies. The first charters to be issued by a colonial governor on the consent of their council (rather than by an act of legislation) were those granted to Princeton University (as the College of New Jersey) in 1746 (from acting governor John Hamilton ) and 1748 (from Governor Jonathan Belcher ). There
1070-403: A number of supplemental charters, London was reconstituted by Act of Parliament in 1898. The Queen's Colleges in Ireland, at Belfast , Cork , and Galway , were established by royal charter in 1845, as colleges without degree awarding powers. The Queens University of Ireland received its royal charter in 1850, stating "We do will, order, constitute, ordain and found an University ... and
1177-558: A royal charter in 1802, naming it, like Trinity College, Dublin, "the Mother of an University" and granting it the power to award degrees. The charter remains in force. McGill University was established under the name of McGill College in 1821, by a provincial royal charter issued by Governor General of British North America the Earl of Dalhousie ; the charter stating that the "College shall be deemed and taken to be an University" and should have
SECTION 10
#17330857715411284-499: A security threat to the US and other nations. A longtime supporter of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy , Downer has played a leading role opposing moves to replace the Queen with a president . In 2015, he was recommended by British and Australian officials as a possible compromise candidate for Commonwealth Secretary-General but Baroness Patricia Scotland was ultimately elected to
1391-682: A subsequent charter in 1408. Royal charters gave the first regulation of medicine in Great Britain and Ireland. The Barbers Company of London in 1462, received the earliest recorded charters concerning medicine or surgery, charging them with the superintendence, scrutiny, correction and governance of surgery. A further charter in 1540 to the London Guild – renamed the Company of Barber-Surgeons – specified separate classes of surgeons, barber-surgeons, and barbers. The London Company of Surgeons separated from
1498-683: Is Executive Chair of the International School for Government at King's College London . In 2019 and 2020, Downer wrote regular columns for the Australian Financial Review . In his column on 1 November 2020 discussing the forthcoming US election (held on 3 November), he declared that if he was eligible to vote in the US (which, he explained, he was not), although "there's no perfect choice", he would vote for Donald Trump. In 2021, Downer joined ASX-listed mining company Ironbark Zinc as non-executive director. In January 2001, he
1605-586: Is King Charles III . Vice-Patron HRH Princess Alexandra KG GCVO , the President is The Rt Hon The Lord Geidt GCB GCVO OBE QSO PC , the Director General since 2020 is Dr Annette Prandzioch, and its Chairman, Helen Prince. The clubhouse has 83 bedrooms, many with views across the Royal Park or across the skyline of Westminster . Members and their guests enjoy a varied choice of dining, from relaxed and informal in
1712-753: Is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent . Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws , the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but since the 14th century have only been used in place of private acts to grant a right or power to an individual or a body corporate . They were, and are still, used to establish significant organisations such as boroughs (with municipal charters ), universities and learned societies . Charters should be distinguished from royal warrants of appointment , grants of arms and other forms of letters patent, such as those granting an organisation
1819-539: Is a good partner of Australia. Whatever the differences there are between us in terms of our political systems, human rights issues, China is a very important part of the strategic architecture, the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific region and it's important we have good forums to discuss any issues of that kind with them." Following the Howard government 's defeat at the 2007 federal election , Downer declined to make
1926-564: Is also humbly submitted that although our Royal Assent to the Act of Legislature of New South Wales hereinbefore recited fully satisfies the principle of our law that the power of granting degrees should flow from the Crown, yet that as that assent was conveyed through an Act which has effect only in the territory of New South Wales, the Memorialists believe that the degrees granted by the said University under
2033-400: Is also, alongside Brendan Nelson , one of two federal Liberal leaders never to lead the party into an election. On opposition leadership, he said in 2008, "The moment when I wanted to [leave] was just about the first day I started in the job. There was many a time from the first day onwards when I thought to myself, How the hell can I get out of this? " Given choice of cabinet position in
2140-561: Is hereby constituted and founded a University" and granted an explicit power of awarding degrees (except in medicine, added by supplemental charter in 1883). From then until 1992, all universities in the United Kingdom were created by royal charter except for Newcastle University , which was separated from Durham via an Act of Parliament. Following the independence of the Republic of Ireland , new universities there have been created by Acts of
2247-435: The 1993 election to Prime Minister Paul Keating , after the election Downer became Shadow Treasurer replacing Peter Reith who had resigned from the portfolio. During this time, Downer began to be talked of as a possible leader as John Hewson was seen as weak following the 1993 election defeat. In May 1994 Downer succeeded Hewson as Liberal party leader after defeating him in a leadership spill which Hewson initiated. Downer
SECTION 20
#17330857715412354-634: The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to the United Nations General Assembly where it was embraced by most members of the world body. Pakistan , India and North Korea were among those who failed to ratify the treaty and went ahead in developing nuclear weapons capability. In 1999, the U.S. Senate rejected ratification of the treaty. Downer stated It's pretty hard to say on the one hand that we feel very strongly about Pakistani and Indian nuclear testing and on
2461-672: The Division of Mayo in South Australia . He was added to the opposition frontbench in 1987. After the Coalition lost the 1993 election , John Hewson 's position as leader of the Liberal Party came into question. Downer successfully challenged him for the leadership in May 1994, thus becoming Leader of the Opposition . He initially had high approval ratings, but after a series of gaffes resigned
2568-666: The Eden , settling in Adelaide. Downer's father was Minister for Immigration in the Menzies government and later served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom . His paternal grandfather, Sir John Downer , served twice as Premier of South Australia in the late 19th century, and was later one of the inaugural members of the Australian Senate . Downer's maternal grandfather was the businessman and philanthropist James Hay Gosse , whose father
2675-789: The Fibonacci Quartet . ROSL offers many performance opportunities to prize-winners after the competition at major venues such as Wigmore Hall . The organisation has established relationships with many UK festivals and promoters including Brighton, Buxton, Cambridge Summer Music, and North Norfolk. ROSL’s award-winning series of chamber music concerts in Edinburgh is a fixture of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival . These programmes offer this group of young extraordinary talent an artistic “home” with experienced mentorship and advice, networking, promotional support and concert opportunities around
2782-548: The Guantanamo Bay detention camp . Downer later told the US he wanted both released if they were not to be charged. On that basis, Habib was released and Hicks charged. A major challenge for Downer was handling relations with Australia's most important neighbour, Indonesia . Downer negotiated the 2006 Lombok Treaty to put security relations between the two countries on a stable footing, built bilateral co-operation to fight terrorism, people smuggling and illegal fishing . One of
2889-505: The Jagiellonian University (1364; papal confirmation the same year) by Casimir III of Poland ; the University of Vienna (1365; Papal confirmation the same year) by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria ; the University of Caen (1432; Papal confirmation 1437) by Henry VI of England ; the University of Girona (1446; no confirmation) and the University of Barcelona (1450; papal confirmation the same year), both by Alfonso V of Aragon ;
2996-824: The Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). Since 1992, most new universities in the UK have been created by Orders of Council as secondary legislation under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 , although granting degree-awarding powers and university status to colleges incorporated by royal charter is done via an amendment to their charter. Several of the colonial colleges that predate the American Revolution are described as having been established by royal charter. Except for The College of William & Mary , which received its charter from King William III and Queen Mary II in 1693 following
3103-525: The Royal Irish Academy was established in 1785 and received its royal charter in 1786. Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer AC (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2018. Downer
3210-666: The University of Aberdeen ) in 1494. Following the Reformation, establishment of universities and colleges by royal charter became the norm. The University of Edinburgh was founded under the authority of a royal charter granted to the Edinburgh town council in 1582 by James VI as the "town's college". Trinity College Dublin was established by a royal charter of Elizabeth I (as Queen of Ireland ) in 1593. Both of these charters were given in Latin . The Edinburgh charter gave permission for
3317-465: The University of Valence (1452; papal confirmation 1459) by the Dauphin Louis (later Louis XI of France ); and the University of Palma (1483; no confirmation) by Ferdinand II of Aragon . Both Oxford and Cambridge received royal charters during the 13th century. However, these charters were not concerned with academic matters or their status as universities but rather about the exclusive right of
Royal Over-Seas League - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-841: The Worshipful Company of Weavers in England in 1150 and to the town of Tain in Scotland in 1066. Charters continue to be issued by the British Crown , a recent example being that awarded to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), and the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors , in 2014. Charters have been used in Europe since medieval times to grant rights and privileges to towns, boroughs and cities. During
3531-618: The former British colonies on the North American mainland , City livery companies , the Bank of England and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC; see BBC Charter ). Between the 14th and 19th centuries, royal charters were used to create chartered companies – for-profit ventures with shareholders, used for exploration, trade and colonisation. Early charters to such companies often granted trade monopolies, but this power
3638-518: The " Pacific Solution " in which Australia held asylum seekers off-shore in foreign jurisdictions. In 2003, Downer was accused of not passing on intelligence reports he received before the 2002 Bali bombings . He countered that the warnings were not specific enough to warrant their further release to the Australian public. Downer supported Australia's participation in the Iraq War . He argued that Iraq,
3745-451: The 14th and 15th century the concept of incorporation of a municipality by royal charter evolved. Royal charters were used in England to make the most formal grants of various rights, titles, etc. until the reign of Henry VIII , with letters patent being used for less solemn grants. After the eighth year of Henry VIII, all grants under the Great Seal were issued as letters patent. Among
3852-727: The 1960’s which, at the donor’s request, had been restricted to music awards and, later, the fact that the ROSL Centenary Appeal in 2010 was also restricted to support for ROSL ARTS music. Today, the ROSL Foundation continues to support ROSL's arts programme and the stewardship of ROSL's Grade-I listed heritage clubhouse. Alexander Downer is the Chairman of Trustees. 51°30′22″N 0°8′27″W / 51.50611°N 0.14083°W / 51.50611; -0.14083 Royal charter Philosophers Works A royal charter
3959-476: The 81 universities established in pre-Reformation Europe, 13 were established ex consuetudine without any form of charter, 33 by Papal bull alone, 20 by both Papal bull and imperial or royal charter, and 15 by imperial or royal charter alone. Universities established solely by royal (as distinct from imperial) charter did not have the same international recognition – their degrees were only valid within that kingdom. The first university to be founded by charter
4066-604: The British Empire. The University of Sydney obtained a royal charter in 1858. This stated that (emphasis in the original): the Memorialists confidently hope that the Graduates of the University of Sydney will not be inferior in scholastic requirements to the majority of Graduates of British Universities, and that it is desirable to have the degrees of the University of Sydney generally recognised throughout our dominions; and it
4173-566: The British Isles until the 19th century. The 1820s saw two colleges receive royal charters: St David's College, Lampeter in 1828 and King's College London in 1829. Neither of these were granted degree-awarding powers or university status in their original charters. The 1830s saw an attempt by University College London to gain a charter as a university and the creation by Act of Parliament of Durham University , but without incorporating it or granting any specific powers. These led to debate about
4280-522: The Duke of York Bar and Garden, through to afternoon tea in the Drawing Room, to fine dining menus and wines served in the 1910 Dining Room. The art deco dining room was refurbished in 2022. It has a chef team and collaborations with celebrity chefs Irini Tzortzoglou and Cyrus Todiwala . Members and commercial event planners are welcome to host both corporate and private events and celebrations within any of
4387-688: The Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce . In 1984, he was finally preselected and was elected to the federal Parliament as Liberal member for Mayo , in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. He held this seat until his resignation from Parliament in 2008. Downer held a number of positions on the opposition front bench from 1987 onwards. When the Liberals unexpectedly lost
Royal Over-Seas League - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-573: The FBI to open a counterintelligence investigation into Russia's attempts to disrupt the 2016 US Presidential election , and whether there was any involvement by Donald Trump 's associates. Downer told The Australian in a 28 April 2018 interview that "nothing [Papadopoulos] said in their meeting indicated Trump himself had been conspiring with the Russians to collect information on Hillary Clinton". Downer remained as High Commissioner until 27 April 2018 when he
4601-891: The Howard government, including export of uranium to India, and general support for the unilateralist approach of the Bush Administration were seen as undermining the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty . In 1999, Downer assisted the United Nations to hold a referendum in East Timor and in negotiating the entry of the INTERFET peace keeping force into East Timor. In 2003, ASIS installed listening devices in
4708-475: The Iraq government, despite claims by the opposition Labor Party that many warnings had been received by his department from various sources. The Cole inquiry made it clear Downer had been unaware of the kickbacks. In July 2006, it was claimed that six months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Downer had argued that participating in the invasion would be commercially beneficial for Australia. Downer expressed concern that
4815-551: The London clubhouse, or age (under 30s enjoy a reduced rate of membership). To become part of the organisation requires a proposer. ROSL organises a worldwide annual competition for musicians aged under 30. There are two ensemble awards and four solo awards; solo winners then compete for the competition gold medal and first prize. The competition celebrates over 70 years of success in supporting and promoting young talented musicians, past winners include; Jacqueline du Pré , Melvyn Tan , Piers Lane , Juliette Bausor, Jonathan Lemalu and
4922-443: The Massachusetts Bay Colony and incorporated in 1650 by a charter from the same body, Yale University was established in 1701 by Act of the General Assembly of Connecticut, the University of Pennsylvania received a charter from the proprietors of the colony in 1753, Brown University was established in 1764 (as the College of Rhode Island) by an Act of the Governor and General Assembly of Rhode Island, and Hampden-Sydney College
5029-402: The Middle East and the world would be better off without the regime of Saddam Hussein and he defended the claim that weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq . In August 2004, he made the claim based on official assessment reports that North Korea 's Taepo Dong ballistic missile had a range sufficient to reach Sydney, a view disputed by some. In 2005, Australian members of
5136-425: The Palace of Government in Dili , East Timor, and later Downer signed a controversial agreement with the government of East Timor for mining of gas and oil reserves in the Timor Gap . The agreement was criticised as unfair to East Timor and attracted a bipartisan letter of reproach from 50 members of the United States Congress . The reserves were closer to East Timor than Australia but claimed by Australia on
5243-507: The School of History and Politics, including contributions to teaching and research, and work with the University's Institute for International Trade. He was also the vice chairman at Carnegie Mellon University , South Australia. At about the same time, he went into partnership with Ian Smith (a former Liberal Party advisor and husband of former Australian Democrats leader and Senator for South Australia Natasha Stott Despoja ) and Nick Bolkus (a former Labor Senator for South Australia) in
5350-586: The United Kingdom under a Royal Charter or an Imperial enactment. The charter went on to (emphasis in the original): will, grant and declare that the Degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Doctor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine, and Doctor of Medicine, already granted or conferred or hereafter to be granted or conferred by the Senate of the said University of Sydney shall be recognised as Academic distinctions and rewards of merit and be entitled to rank, precedence, and consideration in our United Kingdom and in our Colonies and possessions throughout
5457-414: The University of Toronto, Trinity College , was incorporated by an act of the legislature in 1851 and received a royal charter in 1852, stating that it, "shall be a University and shall have and enjoy all such and the like privileges as are enjoyed by our Universities of our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". Queen's University was established by royal charter in 1841. This remains in force as
SECTION 50
#17330857715415564-418: The assembly rather than risking it rejecting the charter. Rutgers University received its (as Queen's College) in 1766 (and a second charter in 1770) from Governor William Franklin of New Jersey, and Dartmouth College received its in 1769 from Governor John Wentworth of New Hampshire. The case of Dartmouth College v. Woodward , heard before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1818, centred on
5671-447: The authorities in London did not wish to allow this. A further petition for the power to award degrees to women was rejected in 1878 – the same year that London was granted that authority. A charter was finally granted – admitting women to degrees – in 1881. The last of Australia's 19th century universities, the University of Tasmania , was established in 1890 and obtained a royal charter in 1915. Guilds and livery companies are among
5778-401: The authority of the said Act, are not legally entitled to recognition beyond the limits of New South Wales ; and the Memorialists are in consequence most desirous to obtain a grant from us of Letters Patent requiring all our subjects to recognise the degrees given under the Act of the Local Legislature in the same manner as if the said University of Sydney had been an University established within
5885-409: The barbers in 1745, eventually leading to the establishment of the Royal College of Surgeons by royal charter in 1800. The Royal College of Physicians of London was established by royal charter in 1518 and charged with regulating the practice of medicine in the City of London and within seven miles of the city. The Barbers Guild (the Gild of St Mary Magdalen ) in Dublin is said to have received
5992-410: The basis of a treaty made with General Suharto in 1989. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Downer played a role in the diplomatic dispute known as the Tampa affair in 2001 in which Australia denied permission for the MV Tampa to dock at Christmas Island , having picked up a number of asylum seekers trying to get to Australia by boat. Downer also played a role in the subsequent negotiation of
6099-508: The college, also named it as "mother of a University", and rather than granting the college degree-awarding powers stated that "the students on this College ... shall have liberty and power to obtain degrees of Bachelor, Master, and Doctor, at a suitable time, in all arts and faculties". Thus the University of Dublin was also brought into existence by this charter, as the body that awards the degrees earned by students at Trinity College. Following this, no surviving universities were created in
6206-399: The conclusion of the US-India nuclear agreement, the Australian Government said it would export uranium to civil nuclear facilities in India subject to several conditions, one of which was the conclusion of a bilateral safeguards agreement. In April 2006, he appeared before the Cole Inquiry regarding the oil for food scandal and testified that he was ignorant of the huge kickbacks paid to
6313-438: The earliest organisations recorded as receiving royal charters. The Privy Council list has the Saddlers Company in 1272 as the earliest, followed by the Merchant Taylors Company in 1326 and the Skinners Company in 1327. The earliest charter to the Saddlers Company gave them authority over the saddlers trade; it was not until 1395 that they received a charter of incorporation. The Merchant Taylors were similarly incorporated by
6420-405: The end of Downer's leadership was his decision for the Coalition to support the Keating government's sexual privacy legislation. The issue divided the Coalition with several MPs and Senators either voting against the legislation or abstaining from it. On 9 January 1995, internal Liberal Party polling showed that with Downer as leader, the Coalition had a slim chance of holding its marginal seats in
6527-445: The incoming Howard government elected in March 1996, Downer became Minister for Foreign Affairs , a position he held until 3 December 2007. He became the longest-serving Foreign Minister of Australia on 20 December 2004. One of Downer's earliest initiatives as Foreign Minister was to work with New Zealand to broker a peace agreement in Bougainville , Papua New Guinea, which ended a long running civil conflict. In 1996, Downer took
SECTION 60
#17330857715416634-442: The institution replaced by the University of Toronto in 1849, under provincial legislation. Victoria University , a college of the University of Toronto, opened in 1832 under the name of the Upper Canada Academy , giving "pre-university" classes. and received a royal charter in 1836. In 1841. a provincial act replaced the charter, reconstituted the academy as Victoria College, and granted it degree-awarding powers. Another college of
6741-453: The leadership in January 1995 and was replaced by John Howard . He was the first Liberal leader to fail to lead the party to an election, and remains the shortest-serving leader in party history. When the Howard government came to power in 1996, Downer was made Minister for Foreign Affairs. He served until the government's defeat in 2007 , making him the longest-serving foreign minister in Australian history. Downer left politics in 2008, and
6848-427: The next election, let alone of winning government. On 11 January, Downer launched a major policy statement with ten policy commitments and criticised Liberals he saw as undermining his leadership. Downer negotiated in mid-January with now back-bencher Hewson, but this resulted in Hewson publicly declaring he wanted the shadow Treasury portfolio which meant Downer would have to sack deputy Liberal leader Peter Costello from
6955-836: The nine event spaces. Six Park Place is the ROSL commercial venue. The league publishes a quarterly journal called Overseas , which comprises contemporary features written by renowned journalists, members' articles and information about forthcoming events and the arts programme. Membership allows access to various events, including the Public Affairs Series, which is an introduction of intellectual content, discussing geopolitical issues with keynote speakers. Recent speakers include Robert Hardman , Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard , Sir John Sawers , Lord Andrew Roberts , Lord Frost , Baroness Catherine Ashton , and Lord Robertson . ROSL enjoys connections with talented classical music performers such as Joseph Cajella. The ROSL has 11,000 members worldwide. Membership fees are based on proximity to
7062-466: The other hand the U.S. Senate won't ratify the ... treaty ... The last thing the United States wants to see is a resumption of nuclear testing or the proliferation of nuclear weapons – and it is the last thing Australia wants to see. By refusing to ratify this treaty, the United States Senate has done a lot to undermine the arms control agenda that the international community, including Australia, has been working on. However, subsequent policies of
7169-479: The papacy an explicit grant of the ius ubique docendi , but it is generally considered that the right is implied in the terms of John XXII's letter of 1318 concerning Cambridge's status as a studium generale." UCL was incorporated by royal charter in 1836, but without university status or degree-awarding powers, which went instead to the University of London , created by royal charter with the explicit power to grant degrees in Arts, Law and Medicine. Durham University
7276-441: The party's domestic violence policy would accordingly be named "The Things That Batter". Downer also found it difficult to handle the gulf between monarchists and republicans in his own party but resolved the dispute by promising to establish a constitutional convention to consider the issue. By the end of 1994, his approval ratings had dwindled to 34 percent after being as high as 53 percent. Another event in 1994 that would spell
7383-399: The past and present groups formed by royal charter are the Company of Merchants of the Staple of England (13th century), the British East India Company (1600), the Hudson's Bay Company , the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (since merged into Standard Chartered ), the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), the British South Africa Company , and some of
7490-419: The position to give the job to Hewson. On 30 January 1995, he resigned as Liberal Leader and John Howard was elected unopposed to replace him. Downer pledged his support to Howard and said he would " kneecap " anyone who undermined Howard's second attempt at winning the prime ministership. With a tenure of just over eight months, Downer is to date the shortest-serving leader of the federal Liberal Party . He
7597-442: The post at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting . In 2017, it was announced that Downer would join UK think tank Policy Exchange as Chair of Trustees. In June 2018, Downer became the Executive Chairman of the International School of Government at King's College, London. He is a non-executive director of CQS and of Yellow Cake plc. In 2018, he was named to Tilray 's International Advisory Board. As of 2019, Downer
7704-441: The power of universities, including the power to award specific degrees, had always been explicitly granted historically, thus creating a university did not implicitly grant degree-awarding powers. Other historians, however, disagree with Hamilton on the point of whether implicit grants of privileges were made, particularly with regard to the ius ubique docendi – the important privilege of granting universally-recognised degrees that
7811-607: The power to award degrees in theology due to the secular nature of the institute. Sir Charles Wetherell , arguing against the grant of a royal charter to UCL before the Privy Council in 1835, argued for degree-awarding powers being an essential part of a university that could not be limited by charter. Sir William Hamilton , wrote a response to Wetherell in the Edinburgh Review , drawing in Durham University and arguing that
7918-477: The power to grant degrees. It was reconstituted by a royal charter issued in 1852 by Queen Victoria , which remains in force. The University of New Brunswick was founded in 1785 as the Academy of Liberal Arts and Sciences and received a provincial charter as the College of New Brunswick in 1800. In the 1820s, it began giving university-level instruction and received a royal charter under the name King's College as
8025-412: The powers of royal charters and what was implicit to a university. The essence of the debate was firstly whether the power to award degrees was incidental to the creation of a university or needed to be explicitly granted and secondly whether a royal charter could, if the power to award degrees was incidental, limit that power – UCL wishing to be granted a royal charter as "London University" but excluding
8132-556: The recent difficulties which erupted between Australia and Indonesia was when Australia accepted a boatload of asylum seekers from Indonesia's Papua province in March 2006. In September 2007, on the sidelines of the 2007 APEC Conference in Sydney, Downer indicated that Australia planned to launch bilateral ministerial-level security talks with the People's Republic of China. Downer also stated, "China
8239-730: The right to award degrees. However, the Latin text of the charter uses studium generale – the technical term used in the Middle Ages for a university –where the English text has "place of universal study"; it has been argued that this granted William and Mary the rights and status of a university. The Princeton charter, however, specified that the college could "give and grant any such degree and degrees ... as are usually granted in either of our universities or any other college in our realm of Great Britain". Columbia's charter used very similar language
8346-422: The right to use the word "royal" in their name or granting city status , which do not have legislative effect. The British monarchy has issued over 1,000 royal charters . Of these about 750 remain in existence. The earliest charter recorded on the UK government's list was granted to the University of Cambridge by Henry III of England in 1231, although older charters are known to have existed including to
8453-568: The same shall possess and exercise the full powers of granting all such Degrees as are granted by other Universities or Colleges in the faculties of Arts, Medicine and Law". This served as the degree awarding body for the Queen's Colleges until it was replaced by the Royal University of Ireland . The royal charter of the Victoria University in 1880 started explicitly that "There shall be and
8560-702: The spiritual group Falun Gong launched action against Downer in the ACT Supreme Court alleging that his department had unfairly limited their freedom of expression. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under Downer was accused by Chinese diplomat and defector Chen Yonglin of closely collaborating with the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, even to the extent of "giving suggestions to the Chinese Government on how to handle difficult political cases". Downer
8667-595: The status of the college's royal charter. The court found in 1819 that the charter was a contract under the Contract Clause of the US Constitution, meaning that it could not be impaired by state legislation, and that it had not been dissolved by the revolution. The charter for the College of William and Mary specified it to be a "place of universal study, or perpetual college, for divinity, philosophy, languages and other good arts and sciences", but made no mention of
8774-478: The town council "to build and to repair sufficient houses and places for the reception, habitation and teaching of professors of the schools of grammar, the humanities and languages, philosophy, theology, medicine and law, or whichever liberal arts which we declare detract in no way from the aforesaid mortification" and granted them the right to appoint and remove professors. But, as concluded by Edinburgh's principal, Sir Alexander Grant , in his tercentenary history of
8881-493: The universities to teach, the powers of the chancellors' courts to rule on disputes involving students, and fixing rents and interest rates. The University of Cambridge was confirmed by a papal bull in 1317 or 1318, but despite repeated attempts, the University of Oxford never received such confirmation. The three pre-Reformation Scottish universities were all established by papal bulls: St Andrews in 1413; Glasgow in 1451; and King's College, Aberdeen (which later became
8988-454: The university's primary constitutional document and was last amended, through the Canadian federal parliament, in 2011. Université Laval was founded by royal charter in 1852, which granted it degree awarding powers and started that it would, "have, possess, and enjoy all such and the like privileges as are enjoyed by our Universities of our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". This
9095-498: The university, "Obviously this is no charter founding a university". Instead, he proposed, citing multiple pieces of evidence, that the surviving charter was original granted alongside a second charter founding the college, which was subsequently lost (possibly deliberately). This would also explain the source of Edinburgh's degree awarding powers, which were used from the foundation of the college. The royal charter of Trinity College Dublin, while being straightforward in incorporating
9202-529: The war might lead to America taking all of Australia's wheat market. In August 2006, it was claimed by a former weapons inspector, Dr John Gee, that Downer had in 2004 suppressed accurate and provable information that the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was fundamentally flawed. As Foreign Minister, Downer initially supported the United States Government's incarceration of two Australian citizens, David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib , in
9309-399: The world as fully as if the said Degree had been granted by any University of our said United Kingdom . The University of Melbourne's charter, issued the following year, similarly granted its degrees equivalence with those from British universities. The act that established the University of Adelaide in 1874 included women undergraduates, causing a delay in the granting of its charter as
9416-546: The world. The ROSL Foundation (Charity no. 306095) was established on 1 January 1960 to mark the ROSL’s Golden Jubilee and to extend ROSL’s work of ‘furthering and encouraging good relations, friendship, mutual knowledge and understanding amongst the peoples of the Commonwealth’. By the 1990’s the focus was on support for ROSL Annual Music Competition. This was partly due to the accumulation of generous legacies since
9523-586: Was High Commissioner) at Radley College between 1964 and 1970. He subsequently completed a Bachelor of Arts in politics and economics at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne . From 1975 to 1976, he worked as an economist for the Bank of New South Wales , before entering the Australian Diplomatic Service , where he served until 1982. Some of Downer's time in the Diplomatic Service
9630-524: Was accused of pursuing an unduly strong pro-China policy and failing to address human rights violations adequately. In March 2006, Downer said the Australian Government opposed selling uranium to India. Downer was quoted as saying "Australia had no plans to change a policy which rules out uranium sales to countries like India which have not signed the UN's nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)." Following
9737-476: Was born in Adelaide , the son of Sir Alick Downer and the grandson of Sir John Downer . After periods working for the Bank of New South Wales and with the diplomatic service, he was appointed executive director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in 1983. He also served as an advisor to Liberal leaders Malcolm Fraser and Andrew Peacock . Downer was elected to parliament at the 1984 federal election , winning
9844-644: Was concern as to whether a royal charter given by a governor in the King's name was valid without royal approval. An attempt to resolve this in London in 1754 ended inconclusively when Henry Pelham , the prime minister, died. However, Princeton's charter was never challenged in court prior to its ratification by the state legislature in 1780, following the US Declaration of Independence. Columbia University received its royal charter (as King's College) in 1754 from Lieutenant Governor James DeLancey of New York, who bypassed
9951-427: Was considered sufficient for it to award "degrees in all the faculties", but all future university royal charters explicitly stated that they were creating a university and explicitly granted degree-awarding power. Both London (1878) and Durham (1895) later received supplemental charters allowing the granting of degrees to women, which was considered to require explicit authorisation. After going through four charters and
10058-427: Was established in 1660 as Britain's first learned society and received its first royal charter in 1662. It was reincorporated by a second royal charter in 1663, which was then amended by a third royal charter in 1669. These were all in Latin, but a supplemental charter in 2012 gave an English translation to take precedence over the Latin text. The Royal Society of Edinburgh was established by royal charter in 1783 and
10165-479: Was established in 1848 as the College of Bytown. It received a royal charter under the name College of Ottawa , raising it to university status in 1866. The older Australian universities of Sydney (1850) and Melbourne (1853) were founded by acts of the legislatures of the colonies. This gave rise to doubts about whether their degrees would be recognised outside of those colonies, leading to them seeking royal charters from London, which would grant legitimacy across
10272-424: Was established privately in 1775 but not incorporated until 1783. Eight Canadian universities and colleges were founded or reconstituted under royal charters in the 19th century, prior to Confederation in 1867. Most Canadian universities originally established by royal charter were subsequently reincorporated by acts of the relevant parliaments. The University of King's College was founded in 1789 and received
10379-412: Was incorporated by royal charter in 1837 (explicitly not founding the university, which it describes as having been "established under our Royal sanction, and the authority of our Parliament") but although this confirmed that it had "all the property, rights, and privileges which ... are incident to a University established by our Royal Charter" it contained no explicit grant of degree-awarding powers. This
10486-526: Was quickly eroded, however, by a series of embarrassing public blunders. One was the emergence of a 1987 speech to the far-right Australian League of Rights . Another was the sacking of John Hewson from the shadow ministry in August 1994. A damaging incident emerged from a formal dinner attended by Downer. While promoting the Liberal slogan "The Things That Matter", in a reference to abusing husbands, Downer quipped that
10593-691: Was replaced by a new charter from the National Assembly of Quebec in 1971. Bishop's University was founded, as Bishop's College, by an act of the Parliament of the Province of Canada in 1843 and received a royal charter in 1853, granting it the power to award degrees and stating that, "said College shall be deemed and taken to be a University, and shall have and enjoy all such and the like privileges as are enjoyed by our Universities of our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". The University of Ottawa
10700-548: Was restricted to Parliament from the end of the 17th century. Until the 19th century, royal charters were the only means other than an act of parliament by which a company could be incorporated ; in the UK, the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 opened up a route to incorporation by registration, since when incorporation by royal charter has been, according to the Privy Council , "a special token of Royal favour or ...
10807-568: Was spent at a posting in Brussels , where he undertook a French language training course. He then worked as an adviser to the then Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser and subsequent Leader of the Federal Opposition Andrew Peacock . Prior to the 1981 by-election Downer unsuccessfully sought Liberal Party preselection for the seat of Boothby , and in 1982 for the state seat of Bragg . From 1983 to 1984, he also served as
10914-606: Was subsequently named Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus . He held that post until 2014, when he was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom by the Abbott government . The Downer family has a long history in South Australian politics. Their earliest ancestors were Mary Ann Downer (1792–1868) and her son Henry Downer (1811–1870), his great-grandfather, who travelled from England in 1862 aboard
11021-692: Was succeeded by George Brandis. He has had a number of board appointments, including the Advisory Board of British strategic intelligence and advisory firm Hakluyt & Company , merchant bankers Cappello Capital Corp., the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra , Huawei in Australia, and the board of Lakes Oil. Downer has said that Huawei should not be considered a potential national security risk. Downer's comments are at odds with an October 2012 US congressional panel's findings that have deemed Huawei
11128-460: Was the University of Naples in 1224, founded by an imperial charter of Frederick II . The first university founded by royal charter was the University of Coimbra in 1290, by King Denis of Portugal , which received papal confirmation the same year. Other early universities founded by royal charter include the University of Perpignan (1349; papal confirmation 1379) and the University of Huesca (1354; no confirmation), both by Peter IV of Aragon ;
11235-591: Was the defining mark of the studium generale . Hastings Rashdall states that "the special privilege of the jus ubique docendi ... was usually, but not quite invariably, conferred in express terms by the original foundation-bulls; and was apparently understood to be involved in the mere act of erection even in the rare cases where it is not expressly conceded". Similarly, Patrick Zutshi, Keeper of Manuscripts and University Archives in Cambridge University Library, writes that "Cambridge never received from
11342-435: Was the explorer William Gosse . Alexander Downer was born on 9 September 1951 in Adelaide , South Australia , when the family were living in the Adelaide Hills home built by his father, Arbury Park . He is the third of four children born to Sir Alexander "Alick" Downer and Mary Downer (née Gosse); he has three sisters. Downer was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Australia, then in England (while his father
11449-499: Was the first South Australian to lead the party, as well as the first South Australian to lead the non-Labor side since Federation. As Liberal leader, Downer initially attracted record levels of public support, even when incumbent Prime Minister Paul Keating launched a series of attacks on Downer's privileged background. Then aged 43, he was perceived as a fresh-faced alternative to a government in its twelfth year of power. Several months after becoming leader Downer's support base
#540459