Lawyers Weekly Australia reports
Reflecting on the Me Too movement and the “justified disgust” by the public at the allegations hidden in the judiciary, the Honourable Chief Justice Tom Bathurst said it is critical that the profession adopts robust mechanisms to prevent further sexual harassment and bullying against members of the legal profession.
While commending all branches of the profession for being “acutely aware” of the problem the judiciary has with misconduct, the Honourable Chief Justice Tom Bathurst said it still has a “significant problem” as more women are driven from law and more legal workplaces continue to display risk factors, such as power imbalances and men in more senior positions.
In addressing a statistic that almost half of Australians do not trust judges, the NSW Chief Justice said that to the extent sexual harassment within the profession erodes trust in the judiciary, it also erodes trust in the judges who are appointed leaders. It is then only made worse by the culture of silence that exists in the judiciary.
“The pervasiveness of unacceptable workplace behaviour in the profession has stayed hidden for far too long due to the power imbalances inherent in many legal workplaces, the stigma associated with reporting and the importance of reputation in the career of law,” CJ Bathurst said. “Many victims are understandably scared to come forward in fear of jeopardising their career. It takes real courage to do
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