Sex Discrimination Commissioner
The Sex Discrimination Commissioner is an Australian federal government position established to oversee the operation of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. The position was created alongside the Act as one of the specialist commissioners of the Human Rights and [Equal Opportunity Commission]. The commissioner also has an educative role, frequently called upon to comment upon gender issues in the workforce.
History
The Office of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner was created by the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. The Hawke government appointed Pam O'Neil, a Labor Party|Labor] MLA from the Northern Territory, as the first commissioner.She was replaced in 1988 by Quentin Bryce, who later became Australia's first female Governor-General in 2008. The fate of the position appeared unclear in the late 1990s, as Susan Halliday, the then-Commissioner, repeatedly came into conflict with the John Howard's Liberal–National Coalition government, despite being a Liberal appointee. Halliday's angry resignation in 2001 led to speculation that the office may be disbanded. Pru Goward, known to be a close personal friend of Howard, was appointed to the position in 2001.
Goward resigned in late 2006 in order to run for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and was replaced in mid-2007 by lawyer Elizabeth Broderick, a former partner with Blake Dawson. Kate Jenkins served as Commissioner from 2016 to 2023, with a focus on the advancement of gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights.
Anna Cody took over the role in September 2023, bringing a focus on the lives and experiences of First Nations women and girls and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.