Among his many achievements was heading the royal commission on black deaths in custody. He became its lead commissioner after Jim Muirhead resigned and delivered the inquiry's report in 1991, detailing more than 300 recommendations to improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians.
Colleagues said during his long legal career Elliott Johnston was a champion of equality for all under the law. Chief Justice John Doyle said at a previous Adelaide Festival of Ideas that Elliott Johnston's example had encouraged the best from many lawyers.
"People like Elliott Johnston are few and far between. They leave their mark in what they do. But, more importantly, and certainly in Elliott Johnston's case, they leave their mark by the impact that they have on those whom they may encounter along the way."
"It may be that this is his real gift to us, the influence that his example has had on others, encouraging them to follow in his path," he said.
In her biography of his life, Red Silk, author Penelope Debelle tells of Mr Johnston's life as a communist, activist and working class hero.
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