05/06/2026
It is with great sadness that we announce that Fr Michael Tate AO, Parish Priest at South Hobart, died around lunchtime today at Calvary Hospital Lenah Valley.
Please join us in praying for the repose of his soul. We give thanks to God for his life and ministry to the faithful of Tasmania and to the broader community.
Archbishop Tony Ireland administered the “Last Rites” to Fr Michael not long before he died.
“In many ways Fr Michael was one of a kind, gifted intellectually, a powerful communicator, and an extraordinarily generous and faithful pastor who loved his people,” Archbishop Ireland said.
Fr Michael had a long and prestigious career in both law and politics before becoming a Catholic priest later in life.
He was born on 6 July 1945 in Sydney and educated at St Virgil’s College Hobart.
He studied law at the University of Tasmania, graduating with First Class Honours in 1968 and went on to obtain a master’s degree in theology from the University of Oxford in 1971.
He lectured in law at the University of Tasmania from 1972 to 1978 and was the Dean of Faculty from 1977 to 1978.
In 1977 his political career began when he was elected to the Senate representing Tasmania. He served as the Minister for Justice for the Hawke and Keating governments from 1987 to 1993.
In 1994 he was appointed as Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See and to the Hague.
In 1996 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to Australia.
He was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Tasmania and Charles Sturt University.
As he left his diplomatic post at the Vatican, he told Pope John Paul II that he would begin studying for the Catholic priesthood.
He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Adrian Doyle on 19 May 2000 at St Mary’s Cathedral in Hobart.
Fr Michael served as Parish Priest at Bridgewater-Brighton, Sandy Bay, Huon Valley, and South Hobart. He also served the Archdiocese as a Consultor, a member of the Council of priests, and for a time as Vicar General.
In 2010 he was appointed Tasmania's first Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
He was the founder of the popular Way to St James Cygnet, an annual pilgrimage through the picturesque Huon Valley.
Funeral arrangements for Fr Michael will be announced in the coming days.
Rest in peace Fr Michael.
(Photo: Nick Osborne)
