This man didn't regret it at all what he did

What comes up is Senator Heffernan's attack. I regard that as sad and offensive. I hope that one day if his name is Rosetta Stone Googled what will come up is his example of human kindness, support, intelligence and goodness to everyone." Van Vloten himself is less forgiving: he believes Kirby was targeted because he was gay and for political reasons, as a result of court decisions that went against the Howard government. "The Heffernan affair would have been the result of his coming out, plus one or two decisions which were very, very unpopular with the government of the day, particularly the Wik decision ... there must have been a sore spot there." He adds: "I always knew that in the long run these documents would prove to be false because if there was any relevance or truth in that issue you'd be hanged for stupidity." While Kirby won't attack Heffernan directly, his partner makes clear his contempt: "This man didn't regret it at all what he did, only regretted that it went that way." It's an issue Kirby says brings to the fore a key difference between them: he is a lifelong Christian of Anglican faith, while van Vloten is a non-believer. "He's opposed to [religion] and has always been opposed to it. He's always been puzzled, as he puts it, that one of the most intelligent people he's met could still take seriously all that stuff of the old men in turbans. And they were all old men as he Rosetta Stone Software keeps pointing out to me. Not enough women in religion." And when it comes to forgiving Heffernan, Kirby says of his partner: "He comes from an agnostic position whereas I come from a Christian position." Indeed, it is difficult to get Kirby to turn his verbal guns on anybody. Of Tony Abbott, who came under fire earlier this year for saying he felt "threatened" by gay people, Kirby offers a defence of sorts of the Liberal leader. "I think he was just being honest about the journey that he's gone on. I hope that he'll continue on a journey to understand scientific reality ... And he's backed off a bit since then. I've been on a journey, he's on a journey, Mr Rudd's on a journey, we're all on a journey." For Kirby, who retired from the High Court last year, that journey shows no signs of slowing down. He insists this is the beginning of his second act. Indeed, he maintains a startlingly busy global schedule of speaking engagements and other commitments. "My best years lie ahead," he says with a laugh. He describes his working life as a joy, his private life as "a miracle". Which prompts the question: if it were legal, would he and van Vloten marry? The answer is a small surprise. While he supports gay marriage, he wonders if it would be wise to tamper with a partnership that has Italian Learning Software withstood the test of so many years. "We possibly would not," he says. "We have gone through long years and we have, I think, a wonderful relationship. You'd have to be worried about [losing] the magic." Compass: Michael Kirby screens on Sunday, June , at 10.pm on ABC1.