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https://theconversation.com/the-high-court-of-australia-has-a-majority-of-women-justices-for-the-first-time-heres-why-that-matters-191675>
"In appointing Justice Jayne Jagot to the High Court, the Albanese government
has made history: for the first time, the court will have a majority of women
on its bench.
We have come a long way. At the turn of the 20th century, women were not
permitted to practise law in any Australian jurisdiction. And even when those
formal barriers to admission were eventually removed, informal barriers meant
the law remained a man’s world.
For more than 80 years after its establishment in 1903, the High Court of
Australia remained the exclusive preserve of men. It was not until 1987 that
Mary Gaudron became the first woman to serve on the court.
Women have been appointed to the High Court with some regularity over the past
decade. Yet only seven women have been appointed of a total of 56 justices. The
first woman to serve as Chief Justice of the High Court, Susan Kiefel, was
sworn-in in 2017.
Justice Jayne Jagot will replace Justice Patrick Keane on the High Court, which
means four of the seven justices will be women. In announcing the appointment,
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus explicitly acknowledged the historical
significance of the appointment, noting “this is the first time since
Federation that a majority of Justices on the High Court will be women”. He
described the new judge as an “outstanding lawyer and an eminent judge”.
The government is largely unrestrained in making their appointments beyond a
requirement they consult with state attorneys-general and the appointee meets
the minimum qualifications of admission as a legal practitioner. Certainly,
there is nothing that compels the government to consider the value of diversity
in making its appointments. Moreover, there is little transparency and
accountability in the process – the government is not required to shortlist
against publicly available selection criteria or to account for its
decision-making."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
