Women Lawyers Association

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:34): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney please update the chamber on the 25^th anniversary event held by the Women Lawyers Association of South Australia?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:34): I thank the honourable member for his question, and I would be most pleased to. It was a great pleasure to join the celebration last month with the Women Lawyers Association of South Australia as they celebrated their 25^th anniversary. It was a pleasure to be joined by a number of colleagues from this chamber and another place: the Hon. Emily Bourke, the Hon. Katrine Hildyard and Josh Teague, amongst others who attended that event.

The Women Lawyers Association is a tremendous organisation comprised of many women members from all sectors of the legal profession, ranging from law clerks and associates to partners and judges, each with the collective aim of promoting justice and equality for women both within the law and beyond. The association is well recognised for its efforts to improve the experiences and career prospects for women working in law and supporting women as they navigate the profession at all stages.

The 25^th anniversary was a poignant time for all to reflect on how far the profession has come but, equally and undoubtedly, how far the profession still needs to move. As the Hon. Connie Bonaros has brought to the attention of this place a number of times, harassment in the legal profession is still a significant issue, and we are engaging in a new survey to update the review that was conducted by the equal opportunity commissioner recently.

I would like to congratulate the Women Lawyers Association on the 25^th anniversary of their formation. A special thankyou to the current president of the association, Marissa Mackie, for all the hard work that she does, particularly in reflecting on that celebration of the first 25 years.