We all know most victims of domestic violence are women.
Twenty-three per cent of Australian women have been sexually assaulted and the incidence is increasing, retired judge Margaret McMurdo told guests at The Zonta Club of Noosa’s International Women’s Day event last Wednesday.
It’s little wonder International Women’s Day theme Women’s Rights are Human Rights has encouraged people to speak out about these issues, she said.
A trailblazer in the world for women, whose legal career which began in 1976 and has been marked with a long list of achievements and accolades, Ms McMurdo sparked hope when she spoke about improvements to the way victims of DV have been treated during her time in the legal system and the crimes against them addressed.
The community’s understanding of women’s issues had improved, she said.
“There have been changes in my court in the treatment of sexual assaults.”
Many have looked to politicians for change, calling for an end to gender violence.
In 1991 Ms McMurdo became the first woman to be appointed a judge of the District Court of Queensland and the Childrens Court of Queensland (1993–98).
She was appointed president of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland in 1998, the first woman appointed as a presiding judge of an appellate court in Australia and in 2001 received a Companion of the Order of Australia for services to the law.
