Noel Preston

Noel Preston(1941-2020) was an Australian ethicist, theologian and social commentator and was Adjunct Professor in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law Justice and Governance, Griffith University.

Career

Preston’s undergraduate studies included a major in Political Science (University of Queensland). His thesis for doctoral studies (Boston University, USA) was: "A Christian ethical analysis of Australia’s policies of Immigration Restriction and Development Partnership."[1] In various roles his focus has continued to be on ethics, politics and spirituality.

From 1987-2001 he held senior academic positions at Queensland University of Technology in Applied and Professional ethics. From 2002-2017 he was an adjunct Professor at Griffith University in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance.

Preston was President of the Australian Association of Professional Ethics (1995–97).[2]

In 2004 he was appointed Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the community by raising public awareness of issues involving public sector ethics and governance, as an advocate for accountability and reforms, and as an academic and researcher in the field".[3]

During his academic career he was a regular public commentator on public sector ethics, particularly in Queensland during the decade following the Fitzgerald Commission into corruption in the Queensland Government.[4]

Among twelve books he has sole or co-authored and edited, his textbook Understanding Ethics (Federation Press) was reissued in a revised fourth edition in 2014.[5] In 2006, he published a memoir/social history: Beyond the Boundary: a memoir exploring ethics, politics and spirituality (Zeus Publications).[6] (The full text of this memoir has been republished at www.noelpreston.info).

In retirement Preston was particularly active in researching eco-theology, eco-spirituality and global ethics.[7] His most recent book, (2014) Ethics with or without God (Morning Star Publishing)[8] explores these themes. Its cover explains:

"Preston owns `the Jesus story` as central to his life. Nonetheless, while valuing the Judaeo-Christian heritage, he rejects traditional theism and challenges claims about the uniqueness of Christian Ethics. More broadly, this book is for all those who quest for the common good, and who accept the need to recover and discover a spirituality that supports us in meeting contemporary, personal and social ethical challenges, regardless of religious allegiance.”

Noel Preston was ordained as a Methodist minister in October 1967.[9] He remains a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. He has served in various social justice portfolios including inaugural Convenor of the Uniting Church’s Commission on Social Responsibility (Uniting Church in Australia, Inaugural Assembly Minutes 1977); Queensland Director of the ecumenical movement Action for World Development (1976-79); Executive Officer of the Victorian Uniting Church Synod Division of Social Justice (1980-81).

Across his career he has initiated many social action groups.[10]

  • Concerned Christians (1975-79) as a Queensland advocacy and protest group.
  • People for Nuclear Disarmament Queensland (1983-87)
  • Citizens Against Corruption (1988-89)
  • A founding director of the foundation for Aboriginal Research and Action (1975-79).
  • Earth Charter Australia (commencing 2001)
  • Executive member of the Progressive Christianity Network Queensland.

Noel Preston has also served on several government committees:

  • Social Security Appeals Tribunal (1974-76)
  • Queensland Community Corrections Board (1990-93)
  • Queensland Responsible Gambling Advisory Committee (2004-11).

Academic qualifications

Cert. Teach (KGCAE) (1961)

Bachelor of Arts (1964), Bachelor of Divinity (1967), University of Queensland.

Doctor of Theology (1972) Boston University School of Theology, USA

Master of Education (Hons.) (1988) University of New England.

Personal life

Noel Preston was born in Mareeba, Australia on 15 December 1941, and died in 2020. [11] He was father to Lisa, Kim and Christopher, and grandfather of three grand-daughters and three grand-sons. At the time of his death, Preston was married to Olga Harris, his third wife.

Major publications
  • Preston N (2014) Ethics with or without God Morning Star Publishing
  • Preston N (2014) Understanding Ethics (4th edition) Sydney: Federation Press
  • Preston N (2006) Beyond the Boundary: a memoir exploring ethics, politics and spirituality, Zeus Publications
  • Preston N, Sampford C with Carmel Connors (2002) Encouraging Ethics and Challenging Corruption: reforming Governance in Public Institutions, Sydney: Federation Press
  • Preston N (2001) Exploring Eco-justice: reframing ethics and spirituality in the context of globalisation, St Francis’ Theological College, Brisbane, Occasional Paper No. 13
  • Co-editor with Bishop P (2000) Local Government, Public Enterprise and Ethics, Federation Press
  • Preston N (1999) Engaging Empowerment, Papers to the AHWCA National Conference, QUT
  • Co-editor with Sampford C and Bois C-A (1998) Ethics and Political Practice: Perspectives on Legislative Ethics, Federation Press and Routledge
  • Co-editor (1998) Public Sector Ethics: Finding and Implementing Values, Federation Press and Routledge
  • Preston N (ed) (1994) Ethics for the Public Sector: Education and Training, Sydney: Federation Press
  • Miller S and Preston N (1996) (eds) Ethics in Practice: Proceedings of the Second National Conference of the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics, Charles Sturt University: Keon Press
  • Preston N and Symes C (2000) (2nd ed) Schools and Classrooms: a cultural analysis of education, Longmans

References
  1. Boston University School of Theology; conferred 21 May 1972
  2. "AAPAE".
  3. The investiture at Government House, Queensland was on 16 September 2004
  4. Fitzgerald G (1989) Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities, Queensland Government Printer. A collection of Preston’s newspaper articles is lodged with the Queensland Parliamentary Library.
  5. Understanding Ethics ISBN 9781862879539
  6. Beyond the Boundary ISBN 9781921118319
  7. Several publications on this theme include: Preston, N (2014) "Eco-theology: the main game for religious progressives", in Hunt R and Jenks G(eds.) Wisdom and Imagination: Religious Progressives and the search for meaning, Mosaic Resources. Preston, N (ed.) "Global Ethics" in Social Alternatives Vol 26, No 3 University of Queensland, 2007. Preston, N. Ethics sans frontiers: the vocation of global citizenship. The 2006 Aquinas Lecture, Australian Catholic University (reproduced in the Australian e Journal of Theology, Issue 8, No. 3, 2006).
  8. Ethics with or without God. ISBN 978-1-925208-03-0
  9. Minutes of the Queensland Methodist Conference, 1967.
  10. The detailed story of these groups is found in N. Preston Beyond the Boundary.
  11. https://journeyonline.com.au/queensland-synod-news/obituary-for-rev-dr-noel-william-preston-am/
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