Global InformationList of the first women appointed to Australian judicial positions information
| Part of a series on |
| Women in society |
|---|
 |
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)
| 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[a] | Elizabeth Evatt | 11 November 1976 | [11] | ||
| Judge of the Family Court | Elizabeth Evatt | 11 November 1976 | [11] | ||
| Chief Federal Magistrate [a] | 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 | Sarah Huggett | 29 April 2024 | [18] | ||
| Judge of the District Court | Jane Mathews | 1980 | [15] | ||
| Victoria | Chief Justice | Marilyn Warren | 25 November 2003 | [19] | |
| President of the Court of Appeal | Karin Emerton | 21 June 2022 | [20] | ||
| Judge of the Court of Appeal | Susan Kenny | 25 July 1997 | [21] | ||
| Supreme Court | Rosemary Balmford | 6 March 1996 | [22] | ||
| Chief Judge of the County Court | |||||
| Judge of the County Court | Lynette Schiftan | 1985 | [23] | ||
| Queensland | Chief Justice | Catherine Holmes | 11 September 2015 | [24] | |
| President of the Court of Appeal | Margaret McMurdo | 30 July 1998 | [25] | ||
| Judge of the Supreme Court | Margaret White | 2 April 1992 | [26] | ||
| Chief Judge of the District Court | Patsy Wolfe | 1999 | [27] | ||
| Judge of the District Court | Margaret McMurdo | 29 January 1991 | [25] | ||
| 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 | [28] | ||
| Chief Magistrate | Elizabeth Bolton | February 2007 | [29] | ||
| Tasmania | Chief Justice | ||||
| Supreme Court | Shan Tennent | 15 March 2005 | [30] | ||
| Western Australia | Chief Justice | ||||
| President Court of Appeal | Carmel McLure | November 2009 | [31] | ||
| Judge of the Supreme Court | Christine Wheeler | 30 October 1996 | [32] | ||
| Chief Judge of the Family Court | Gail Sutherland | 7 January 2019 | [33] | ||
| Family Court | Elizabeth Evatt | 5 January 1976 | [34] | ||
| Chief Judge of the District Court | Antoinette Kennedy | 1 January 2004 | [35] | ||
| Judge of the District Court | Antoinette Kennedy | 15 March 1985 | [36] | ||
| ACT | Chief Justice | Helen Murrell | 28 October 2013 | [37] | |
| Additional judge of the Supreme Court | Margaret Beazley | 22 June 1994 | [14] | ||
| Resident judge of the Supreme Court | Hilary Penfold | 1 February 2008 | [38] | ||
| Chief Magistrate | Lorraine Walker | 13 October 2011 | [39] | ||
| Magistrate | Karen Fryar | 6 September 1993 | [40] | ||
| NT | Chief Justice | ||||
| Supreme Court | Sally Thomas | 30 July 1992 | [41] | ||
| Norfolk Island | Chief Justice | ||||
| Supreme Court | Susan Kiefel | 16 December 2004 |
- ^ David Collins (1798), An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales
- ^ O'Brien, Joan M. (1981). "Evans, Ada Emily (1872 - 1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 443–444. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ Campbell, R; Barton (1983). "Greig, Grata Flos Matilda (1880–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Roma Flinders Mitchell", Australian Women Lawyers
- ^ McColl, R (2014). "Celebrating Women in the Judiciary". New South Wales Judicial Scholarship. [2014] New South Wales Judicial Scholarship 2. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Susan Kiefel". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Mary Genevieve Gaudron". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Deirdre O'Connor". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Groundbreaking lawyer was first female Federal Court judge". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Elizabeth Andreas Evatt". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Diana Bryant". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ "2000-01 Annual Report". Federal Magistrates Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "Margaret Beazley". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Jane Mathews". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Mahla Pearlman". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Leone Carmel Glynn". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ Doraisamy, Jerome (15 April 2024). "First woman appointed as Chief Judge of District Court of NSW". Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Shiel, Fergus (26 November 2003). "Trailblazing lawyer named chief justice". The Age. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "New Vic appeal court president appointed". The Canberra Times. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Susan Kenny". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Inspiring trailblazer for women in law". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Lynnette Rochelle Schiftan". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Catherine Holmes named as Queensland chief justice". ABC News. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b "McMurdo, Margaret". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "The Honourable Justice Margaret J White AO". Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Patricia (Patsy) Wolfe". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Highly respected Judge farewelled". Family Court of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Shan Eve Tennent". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Carmel McLure". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Offer, Kate. "The Judges of Western Australia: Part II" (PDF). (1998) 27 University of Western Australia Law Review 248.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Former judges of the Family Court". familycourt.gov.au. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "Past District Court Judges". District Court of WA. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Antoinette Kennedy". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Inman, Michael. "Introducing the ACT's first female Supreme Court Chief Justice". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ Gorrey, M (6 October 2017). "Justice Hilary Penfold to retire from ACT Supreme Court". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ Cummins, Jamie (1 February 2012). "Canberra Conversations: Lorraine Walker". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Back, Alexandra (8 March 2019). "Karen Fryar, first woman to the bench in Canberra, retires". Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Sally Gordon Thomas". Australian Women Lawyers. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).