Tom Pauling (barrister)

For his father, see Tom Pauling (rugby union, born 1912).

Thomas Ian Pauling AO KC (13 December 1946 – 23 November 2023) was an Australian lawyer and an administrator of the Northern Territory.

The Honourable Thomas Ian Pauling AO KC
8th Administrator of the Northern Territory
In office 9 November 2007 – 31 October 2011
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor‑General	Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC
Preceded by	Ted Egan AO
Succeeded by	Sally Thomas AM
Personal details
Born	(1946-12-13)13 December 1946 Sydney, Australia
Died	23 November 2023(2023-11-23) (aged 76)
Spouse	Judith Therese (Tessa) Wilkinson
Children	Fred Pauling Zoe Pauling
Alma mater	Sydney Law School
Profession	Barrister
Website	www.nt.gov.au/administrator

Career

Born in Sydney, Pauling was educated at Drummoyne Boys' High School, and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the Sydney Law School (Syd). He was admitted to the Bar in New South Wales in 1969, and worked for the NSW Public Solicitor.^[1] In March 1970, he moved to Darwin in the Northern Territory, where he practised as a barrister^[2] and lived in Fannie Bay.^[3]

Pauling was made a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1984, and was Solicitor-General of the Northern Territory from 1988 to 2007.^[4][5]

In September 2007, he was appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory, replacing Ted Egan.^[6] He was sworn in by the Governor-General of Australia, Michael Jeffery, on 9 November 2007.^[7] His term expired on 31 October 2011 when Sally Thomas was sworn in as the first female Administrator of the Northern Territory.^[8]

In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, Pauling was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for service to the Northern Territory through significant contributions to the law, particularly relating to constitutional matters, to the development of legal organisations and the promotion of professional standards, and to the community."^[9]

Pauling died on 23 November 2023, at the age of 76.^[10]