List_of_the_first_women_appointed_to_Australian_judicial_positions

List of the first women appointed to Australian judicial positions

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This is a list of the first women judge(s) in Australia. The first court was established in 1788,^[1] the first woman to be awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree graduated in 1903,^[2] and the first woman barrister was admitted in 1905.^[3] It was not until 1965 that the first woman was appointed to an Australian judicial position.^[4] These pioneering Australians have been described as members of the FW2 club or First Woman to club.^[5] The list includes positions to which no woman has been appointed as of March 2022^[update]. It does not include abolished courts to which no woman was appointed, such as the Commonwealth Industrial Court.

For a list of the first women lawyers see list of first women lawyers (Australia)

More information Jurisdiction, first woman to be appointed ...

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[FCFCOA-11] Now the Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

[1] [1]
David Collins (1798), An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales

[Evans-2] [2]
O'Brien, Joan M. (1981). "Evans, Ada Emily (1872 - 1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 443–444. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 21 September 2018.

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Campbell, R; Barton (1983). "Greig, Grata Flos Matilda (1880–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 21 September 2018.

[Roma_Mitchell-4] [4]
"Roma Flinders Mitchell", Australian Women Lawyers

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McColl, R (2014). "Celebrating Women in the Judiciary". New South Wales Judicial Scholarship. [2014] New South Wales Judicial Scholarship 2. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[Kiefel_AWL-6] [6]
"Susan Kiefel". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Gaudron_AWL-7] [7]
"Mary Genevieve Gaudron". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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Worthington, Brett (31 March 2023). "Debra Mortimer becomes Australia's first female Federal Court chief justice". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 June 2023.

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"Deirdre O'Connor". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

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"Groundbreaking lawyer was first female Federal Court judge". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2024.

[Evatt_AWL-12] [11]
"Elizabeth Andreas Evatt". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Bryant_AWL-13] [12]
"Diana Bryant". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 6 December 2017.

[FMC_00-01-14] [13]
"2000-01 Annual Report". Federal Magistrates Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Beazley_AWL-15] [14]
"Margaret Beazley". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Mathews_AWL-16] [15]
"Jane Mathews". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[Pearlman_AWL-17] [16]
"Mahla Pearlman". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.

[Glynn_AWL-18] [17]
"Leone Carmel Glynn". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.

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Shiel, Fergus (26 November 2003). "Trailblazing lawyer named chief justice". The Age. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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"New Vic appeal court president appointed". The Canberra Times. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.

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"Susan Kenny". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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"Inspiring trailblazer for women in law". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.

[Schiftan_AWL-23] [22]
"Lynnette Rochelle Schiftan". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Holmes_CJ-24] [23]
"Catherine Holmes named as Queensland chief justice". ABC News. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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"McMurdo, Margaret". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 24 December 2017.

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"The Honourable Justice Margaret J White AO". Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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"Highly respected Judge farewelled". Family Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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"Ill health forces first female South Australia chief magistrate Elizabeth Bolton to resign after eight years". The Advertiser. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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"Shan Eve Tennent". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[McLure_AWL-31] [30]
"Carmel McLure". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[Wheeler-32] [31]
Offer, Kate. "The Judges of Western Australia: Part II" (PDF). (1998) 27 University of Western Australia Law Review 248.

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Quigley, John (14 December 2018). "Three new appointments to the Family Court announced". mediastatements.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.

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"Former judges of the Family Court". familycourt.gov.au. Retrieved 28 March 2020.

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"Past District Court Judges". District Court of WA. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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"Antoinette Kennedy". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

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Inman, Michael. "Introducing the ACT's first female Supreme Court Chief Justice". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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Gorrey, M (6 October 2017). "Justice Hilary Penfold to retire from ACT Supreme Court". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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Cummins, Jamie (1 February 2012). "Canberra Conversations: Lorraine Walker". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 9 March 2019.

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Back, Alexandra (8 March 2019). "Karen Fryar, first woman to the bench in Canberra, retires". Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.

[Thomas_AWL-41] [40]
"Sally Gordon Thomas". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

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Jurisdiction	first woman to be appointed	Name	Date	Comments	Notes
Commonwealth	Chief Justice of Australia	Susan Kiefel	31 January 2017		^[6]
	Justice of the High Court	Mary Gaudron	6 February 1987		^[7]
	Chief Justice of the Federal Court	Debra Mortimer	7 April 2023		^[8]
	Judge of the Federal Court	Deirdre O'Connor	1 July 1990		^[9]
	President of the Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal	Deirdre O'Connor	1 July 1990		^[10]
	Presidents of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission	Deirdre O'Connor	1 March 1994		^[10]
	Chief Justice of the Family Court^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Elizabeth Evatt	11 November 1976		^[11]
	Judge of the Family Court	Elizabeth Evatt	11 November 1976		^[11]
Chief Federal Magistrate ^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Diana Bryant	11 May 2000		^[12]
Federal Magistrate	Norah Hartnett Christine Mead Judy Ryan	28 June 2000		^[13]
NSW	Chief Justice
	President of the Court of Appeal	Margaret Beazley	1 March 2013		^[14]
	Judge of Appeal	Margaret Beazley	29 April 1996		^[14]
	Judge of the Supreme Court	Jane Mathews	7 July 1987		^[15]
	Chief Judge of the Land & Environment Court	Mahla Pearlman	6 April 1992		^[16]
	Judge of the Land & Environment Court	Mahla Pearlman	6 April 1992		^[16]
	Judge of the Industrial Court	Leonie Glynn	14 April 1980		^[17]
	Chief Judge of the District Court
	Judge of the District Court	Jane Mathews	1980		^[15]
Victoria	Chief Justice	Marilyn Warren	25 November 2003		^[18]
	President of the Court of Appeal	Karin Emerton	21 June 2022		^[19]
	Judge of the Court of Appeal	Susan Kenny	25 July 1997		^[20]
	Supreme Court	Rosemary Balmford	6 March 1996		^[21]
	Chief Judge of the County Court
	Judge of the County Court	Lynette Schiftan	1985		^[22]
Queensland	Chief Justice	Catherine Holmes	11 September 2015		^[23]
	President of the Court of Appeal	Margaret McMurdo	30 July 1998		^[24]
	Judge of the Supreme Court	Margaret White	2 April 1992		^[25]
	Chief Judge of the District Court	Patsy Wolfe	1999		^[26]
	Judge of the District Court	Margaret McMurdo	29 January 1991		^[24]
South Australia	Chief Justice
	Judge of the Supreme Court	Roma Mitchell	23 September 1965		^[4]
	Chief Judge of the District Court
	Judge of the District Court	Kemeri Murray	1973		^[27]
	Chief Magistrate	Elizabeth Bolton	February 2007		^[28]
Tasmania	Chief Justice
Tasmania	Supreme Court	Shan Tennent	15 March 2005		^[29]
Western Australia	Chief Justice
	President Court of Appeal	Carmel McLure	November 2009		^[30]
	Judge of the Supreme Court	Christine Wheeler	30 October 1996		^[31]
	Chief Judge of the Family Court	Gail Sutherland	7 January 2019		^[32]
	Family Court	Elizabeth Evatt	5 January 1976		^[33]
	Chief Judge of the District Court	Antoinette Kennedy	1 January 2004		^[34]
	Judge of the District Court	Antoinette Kennedy	15 March 1985		^[35]
ACT	Chief Justice	Helen Murrell	28 October 2013		^[36]
	Additional judge of the Supreme Court	Margaret Beazley	22 June 1994		^[14]
	Resident judge of the Supreme Court	Hilary Penfold	1 February 2008		^[37]
	Chief Magistrate	Lorraine Walker	13 October 2011		^[38]
	Magistrate	Karen Fryar	6 September 1993		^[39]
NT	Chief Justice
NT	Supreme Court	Sally Thomas	30 July 1992		^[40]
Norfolk Island	Chief Justice
Norfolk Island	Supreme Court	Susan Kiefel	16 December 2004

List_of_the_first_women_appointed_to_Australian_judicial_positions

Notes

References

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