The life and legal career of Australia’s first female High Court judge
Mary Gaudron, who grew up in Moree, overcame a working-class background to become the first woman appointed to the High Court of Australia. Her career was defined by a commitment to social justice and a deep understanding of the Australian Constitution.
Why it matters
Gaudron's life serves as a significant historical case study on the evolution of the Australian judiciary and the advancement of women in law.
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When in 1951 Dr H.V. (Doc) Evatt, then federal opposition leader, stood in the back of a utility in Moree to campaign for a “no” vote in the coming referendum to outlaw communism, he encountered an eight-year-old girl who asked: “Please, sir, what’s a constitution?”
The Doc must have had prescience, or astonishing insight, because he took the child seriously, and after a discussion relating the Ten Commandments to government, he sent her a copy of the Australian Constitution. The little girl, Mary Gaudron, was to grow up to become the first woman appointed to the High Court of Australia and rule on matters relating to that very constitution.
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