Pamela Burton

From Moree to Mabo: the Mary Gaudron Story Pamela Burton

This is the remarkable story of Mary Gaudron AC QC, the first female justice of the high court of Australia. Gaudron grew up within Moree's railway community in New South Wales, where she lived as a child in a cottage with dirt floors. Her assent to justice of the high court of Australia is an amazing and empowering tale of strength and courage. With wit, astonishing intellect, and the tool of the law, Gaudron exposed inequality and discrimination in the workforce and campaigned vigorously for women to be accorded equal pay and equal opportunities. Years later, she went on to become one of the justices who ruled on Eddie Mabo's landmark case regarding Aboriginal land rights. From Moree to Mabo is written by Pamela Burton, who is well regarded in the Australian legal community. When Burton faced similar obstacles as one of the few women commencing private legal practice in the 1970s, she received encouragement and support from the brave convention breaker, Mary Gaudron.