Remembering Ronald Ryan, the last person executed in Australia

On 3 February 1967, the state of Victoria executed Ronald Ryan by hanging at Pentridge Prison. He was the last person to be executed in Australia.

Ryan's execution was strongly protested by lawyers, human rights advocates, media outlets, universities, and religious leaders.

Having been imprisoned for breaking and entering, Ryan escaped from Pentridge Prison with an accomplice in December 1965, during which he was accused of shooting and killing prison guard George Hodson. After 19 days on the run, he was caught and charged. Ryan pleaded not guilty but was convicted of murder.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice John Starke, who presided over Ryan's case, opposed the death penalty. Tragically, murder carried the mandatory death penalty, and he was legally bound to sentence Ryan to death.

At the time, Victoria had commuted all 35 death sentences given since 1951. Despite this, then Premier Henry Bolte refused to consider clemency for Ryan. Having gained success through 'law and order' politics, Bolte's pro-capital punishment stance was one of the issues for which he had garnered attention and votes.

"I doubt that Ryan had any intention to kill, but I am certain that Bolte did… ultimately, all executions are political."

Barry Jones AC, CPJP Ambassador and then spokesperson for the Victorian Anti-Hanging Committee

Australia did not achieve full abolition until almost 20 years after Ryan's execution. Each state and territory abolished the death penalty independently over a period spanning more than 60 years – commencing with Queensland in 1922 and ending with NSW in 1985.

Today, Australia's stance on the death penalty is unequivocal opposition. This was formalised in 2018 in the Australian Government's bipartisan strategy for abolition, which recognises the irreversible nature of the death penalty, its disproportionate impact on marginalised communities, and the lack of evidence that it deters crime more effectively than life imprisonment.

The anniversary of Ronald Ryan's execution reminds us that while Australia has abolished capital punishment, the work of global abolition remains unfinished. A violation of the inherent right to life anywhere in the world is a threat to human rights everywhere. We continue to advocate for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty.