Life Members

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 A small number of members of the Australian Association of Women Judges have been particularly recognised for their extraordinary contribution to the organisation.

This page has been made exclusively for the purpose of displaying those people who have been awarded Life Membership of the AAWJ.

The Honourable Jane Mathews, AO

In May 2019 the AAWJ Committee voted to confer Life Membership on the Honourable Jane Mathews, AO.  Jane started the AAWJ in 1991 and was its Foundation President.   She also contributed significantly to the IAWJ including as President from 2004 to 2006.

Jane’s history as a trail-blazer for women Judicial Officers is legendary.  She was the first woman appointed to the District Court of NSW in 1980 and to the Supreme Court of NSW in 1987.  Then as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia, and on the AAT, she made a significant contribution on indigenous issues as Deputy President of the Native Titles Tribunal. Her contribution in the field of human rights included a period as the first Senior Judicial member of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal.  She spoke out also for the human rights of another marginalized group between 1993 and 1995 when she was a Trustee of the Aids Trust of Australia.

Outside her judicial role, Jane is much loved within the Arts community, making enormous contributions, especially to music.  She is a well-loved and regarded patron and friend of Opera Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Opera and other musical organisations in Australia.  She generously donates her time too as patron of the NSW Women Lawyer’s Association.

The award was presented to Jane in Sydney on 11th May with the following citation:

In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the Australian Association of Women Judges, including as a foundation member, first President and continual support, the Committee of the AAWJ, on 8 May, 2019, decided by unanimous vote to confer the inaugural Life Membership of the Association on The Honourable Jane Mathews, AO.

Sarah Bradley, AO

Sarah Bradley, then a Judge of the District Court of Queensland, was elected President in May 2006 and had served 8 years when she stood down in 2014. As well as her lengthy voluntary service, Sarah’s legacy in the AAWJ’s membership, profile, and activity on human rights and feminist issues, and her contribution to our colleagues in the region deserve recognition by the conferral of Life Membership.  The following is not a comprehensive account of her Presidency, but illustrates the basis upon which I make this proposal.

Sarah strengthened the AAWJ’s membership and profile.  As President, Sarah was responsible for overseeing an increase in membership of the AAWJ and raising our profile both nationally and internationally.

The AAWJ was well-represented at the Biennial IAWJ Conference in Panama in 2008 and increasingly well represented at every Biennial conference thereafter – Seoul in 2010, London in 2012 and Arusha, Tanzania in 2014.  Each of these Biennial Conferences has created a new contingent of Australian women Judges attending an IAWJ Biennial Conference for the first time and coming away inspired.

Sarah also led reforms to the membership rules to bring the AAWJ into line with the IAWJ by welcoming male members committed to the organisation’s objectives.

Sarah’s term as President saw increased activity regarding human rights debates and feminist jurisprudence.  The AAWJ held its first National Conference in 2011 in Brisbane with a keynote speaker on the topic of human trafficking and the sex trade.  She played a key role in establishing an AAWJ Human Rights Award.

In December 2013 the AAWJ was pleased to host the opening event of the Australian and New Zealand Law and Society Conference at the University of Queensland, which was the launch of a book entitled “Australian Feminist Judgments: Righting and Rewriting Law”.  This book brings together feminist academics and lawyers to present a collection of alternative judgments in a series of Australian legal cases.  It was a sold-out event, with over 250 people attending and addressed by Justice Margaret McMurdo, Chief Justice Diana Bryant and Judge Sarah Bradley.  This function elevated the profile of the AAWJ in the broader legal academic field.

Sarah built strong links in our region.  Under her leadership, the AAWJ mentored women judges in Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Cambodia and facilitated the PNG association being formed. Sarah helped draft their constitution and was the guest of honour at the inaugural AGM. For a number of years, Sarah led the AAWJ to sponsor women judges in Timor Leste, Cambodia and  Papua New Guinea to attend IAWJ conferences. The link between the AAWJ and the PNG women judges has been maintained and we continue to support the organisation’s membership of the IAWJ and their participation in international conferences.

Submitted by Fleur Kingham to the AAWJ Committee meeting held on 4 August 2022 and passed unanimously

Conferral of Life Membership on Sarah Bradley on 2 February 2023 at the Brisbane Magistrates Court
Photo left to right: AAWJ President Fleur Kingham, Sarah Bradley, Judge Robyn Tupman