From the first female Magistrate appointed in 1985 (the Hon. Patricia Crossley), Victoria has made significant progress in gender equality in leadership within justice. Our current Chief Magistrate is the Hon. Justice Lisa Hannan, who has been in the position since 2019. Supporting Justice Hannan in her role are the Hon. Deputy Chief Magistrate Susan Wakeling and Hon. Regional Coordinating Magistrate Tara Hartnett, two of the 86 female Magistrates (56% of total) currently appointed in Victoria.
Court Network reached out to Magistrate Hartnett and Magistrate Wakeling, who each said being appointed Magistrate is one of their proudest career achievements to date. Both saw it as the culmination of many years of hard work and as an opportunity to respond to the justice challenges faced by the community.
“The Court is vastly different to when I started as a young trainee Clerk of Courts in the mid-1980s. I feel very proud and privileged to again be part of the Court,” said Magistrate Hartnett. They both listed communication, collaboration and the ability to work well under pressure as key strengths they bring to their leadership roles.
“I have the ability to make the difficult decisions necessary in my complex role,” Magistrate Wakeling said.
Magistrate Wakeling reflected on the increased diversity of the bench, while also recognising there remains a way to go before “the face of the Australian justice system fairly reflects our diverse and complex community”.
Julie Jones, Executive Director at Court Network agreed.
“Diversifying those who work or volunteer in the courts is critically important to better support and understand the needs of Victoria’s diverse court users,” she said.
As well as an increase in female Magistrates, the Victorian justice sector has also seen a steady increase in female lawyers, CEOs, and leaders across organisations, businesses and services. Lynne Haultain, Julie Jones (Executive Director at Court Network) and Negar Panahi (Principal Managing Lawyer – Balit Ngulu at Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service) are all leaders within their organisations and industries. They agreed that supporting the community to access justice are major achievements in their professional careers, or, as Lynne said, “the law belongs to all of us”.
“What I’m most passionate about is the privilege of working alongside First Nations youth and their families to advocate for diversion opportunities and second chances. I remain committed to working together with young people, their families, and care teams to empower them to change the trajectory of their lives” Negar responded.
“One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is having the opportunity to contribute to initiatives that have made a meaningful difference in people’s lives” answered Julie.
These five impressive female leaders may all work in different areas of the justice sector, but it is clear supporting others and leading positive change is a major driver in their careers and achievements
When asked what some of the key challenges they faced in their career were, Julie, Negar and Magistrate Wakeling said they had been underestimated in male dominated workforces, whereas Magistrate Hartnett and Lynne referenced the challenges (and in Lynne’s case, discrimination) when balancing work and family.
“When I took maternity leave, I lost my job,” Lynne revealed.
“As a lawyer with extensive experience in criminal law and children’s law, one of the challenges I’ve encountered over the years is the misconception about my level of expertise due to my age,” Negar responded.
“As a very young solicitor advocate in the ‘80s I was challenged when I wore pants into court and when I chose to be addressed as ‘Ms’ in court,” said Magistrate Wakeling. “Assumptions were frequently made about my competence and my strength.”
Julie agreed, highlighting the inherent challenges of leadership. “Achieving leadership roles has always been difficult, and even more so for women who strive to succeed while not being judged solely on their gender,” she said.
While all spoke of the immense progress made in terms of gender equality in the workplace, Lynne and Julie both emphasised the need to keep pushing for equity across the board.
“We must remain committed to ensuring that women are not only given a seat at the table but also respected for the leadership they bring,” Julie said.
“We have come so far, but I fear we might be living in a time of regression, and may need to spend more energy defending our gains,” Lynne warned.
Finding supportive mentors and “saying yes when opportunity knocks” (Magistrate Wakeling) were common themes across the advice generously provided from these female leaders. They all encouraged women working towards a leadership position in justice to seek out opportunities to learn, take the time to deeply listen, and to embrace personal leadership styles. And, as Magistrate Hartnett said, “There is simply no substitute for hard work.”
The face of Victoria’s justice system is evolving. As a new generation of leaders emerge, there is much to learn from those who have paved the way and who continue to ‘Accelerate Action’ today and every day.
Court Network would like to thank the Hon. Susan Wakeling (Deputy Chief Magistrate, Magistrates’ Court of Victoria), the Hon. Tara Hartnett (Regional Coordinating Magistrate, Melbourne Magistrates’ Court), Lynne Haultain (Executive Director, Victorian Law Foundation), Negar Panahi (Principal Managing Lawyer at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service) and Julie Jones (Executive Director, Court Network) for the time they took to answer our questions.