Queensland’s Chief Justice Helen Bowskill couldn’t help but notice that ‘Mr’ always came up first on forms offering a choice of salutations.
So she decided to “quietly” change things where she could, flipping the salutations on forms issued to those appearing before the court to ensure that ‘Ms’ came ahead of ‘Mr’.
And given Justice Bowskill’s incredible rise to the top of the Queensland judiciary, one should never underestimate the small, quiet moves she makes to get things done.
Justice Bowskill revealed her document tweak when delivering the seventh annual Pride in Law earlier this month, with the comments revealed in an ‘exclusive’ in The Australian today.
She described the change during the speech as a “quiet moment of protest against the patriarchy”.
And she wondered if anyone would have ever actually noticed.
Justice Bowskill also spoke about the need for diversity in state courts and to explore opportunities to better promote inclusion and “substantive equality” during the recent speech, according to The Australian.
She also celebrated changes introduced earlier this year at the court, allowing those filling out court documents to indicate their preferred pronouns. She said the idea was to help make it the “norm” to offer an option for people to identify their preferred salutation or pronoun. The changes meant that those who wish to communicate this information to the court “can do so without having to single yourself out. Your difference is respected, but you don’t have to fight for that respect.”
Justice Bowskill added that the pronoun form changes might be small things affecting only a small number of people, but that for those it does affect it can be significant in providing visibility and an “understated way to express your preference.”
Bowskill was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland in March 2022, having served as a judge of the Supreme Court, District Court, Childrens Court and Planning and Environment Court since 2017.
At the time of her 2022 appointment, her overall leadership was commended, as was her demonstrated interest in mental health issues facing the legal profession, her “trailblazing” work for women, and her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic which ensured Queenslanders continued to be able to access justice.
Earlier this year, Bowskill shared her own story of struggling with mental health, highlighting how she had no idea what she wanted to do as a career when she left school. She started an arts degree, failed some subjects and dropped out after a year. She then started a communications degree, hoping to work in advertising eventually, but lasted just one semester. She then auditioned and was accepted into a drama school, and this time only lasted until the end of orientation week.
Justice Bowskill recently told graduating QUT students that these experiences left her “struggling, lost and frustrated”, but she started getting help for her mental health and worked on trying to get better. As Inside Queensland reported at the time, her parents eventually encouraged her to find a skill that would be useful, so she enrolled in a secretarial college, learnt shorthand and how to type, and gained the practical skills – and confidence – to later work for a legal career. Her first job was in a barrister’s chambers, working as a junior secretary. After a number of similar roles, she decided she wanted to be a barrister – with the only option for applying for a law degree being to ask for special consideration, which involved her writing a letter to QUT to request permission to enrol. She was accepted and not only graduated in 1995, but also received the University Medal. Three years later, Justice Bowskill was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland.