Mary Gaudron: Australia’s first female High Court judge dies at age 83, tributes flow

Australia’s first female High Court judge, Mary Gaudron, has died at the age of 83.

Ms Gaudron’s death was announced on Sunday, prompting tributes from across Australia’s legal and political landscape to a woman whose career helped transform the country’s judiciary and legal profession.

Born in Moree, NSW, in 1943 to working-class parents, Ms Gaudron grew up witnessing discrimination against Aboriginal Australians. Those experiences would contribute to a lifelong commitment to equality and social justice.

After studying law at Sydney University on a scholarship and initially practising primarily in defamation and industrial law, she became the first woman appointed to the NSW Bar Council in 1972.

In 1987, at the age of 44, she made Australian legal history when she was appointed to the High Court of Australia. She served on the nation’s highest court for 16 years, until her retirement in 2003.

Following her retirement from the High Court, Ms Gaudron continued her international legal work through the International Labour Organization’s Administrative Tribunal, where she served until 2012.

In 2000, she laid bare what she believed were the true views of some powerful men on women’s equality.