A Wollongong barrister who missed out on selection for a job with the NSW Public Defenders officer has blamed the outcome on her gender, labelling the tax-payer funded organisation a “bastion of white male overrepresentation”.
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In an open letter to Public Defenders’ boss Mark Ierace SC, Cate Doosey said the organisation’s recent appointment of three men to its ranks was “prima facie scandalous” and couldn’t have been the result of a “fair and balanced process”.
She said she did not accept that with 30 years’ experience as a lawyer and the backing of a Supreme Court judge that the decision not to even offer her an interview for one of the three available positions “was a merit-based one”.
“I do not accept that a man of my calibre would have his application dismissed,” she said.
“The gender of the candidate is the most reliable indicator of who will be selected in your organisation.”
Ms Doosey said it was her understanding that three men and four women were interviewed, with the three men appointed.
She claimed women were already poorly under-represented in the industry, making up just 24 per cent of barristers, and now the gender ratio in the NSW Public Defenders fell well short of that figure.
“The Public Defenders seem excellent at discerning and promoting (white) male potential,” she wrote.
“You mostly fail at doing the same for women….I am not suggesting wilfulness or intention; I am suggesting unconscious unchecked bias and a failure to follow best practice.
“Regardless of the reasons, the reality remains that it is overwhelmingly men who are afforded the opportunity to develop and progress in your organisation. Women are rarely given the same opportunity.”
In a letter of response, Mr Ierace, SC, did not address Ms Doosey’s concerns about her own application but did address her comments on gender inequality.
He said nine people were interviewed for the positions – five of whom were women – and that the process had allowed for the appointment of four new Public Defenders, one of whom was female.
He admitted the current ratio of female to male appointees – five out of 29, or just 17 per cent – was “a matter of considerable concern to us” but said it was the lowest it had been for many years and was due to to the recent resignation of three women at the organisation. (Two moved on to other prominent positions, while the other retired.)
“All the members of the appointment committee are acutely aware of the gender inequality at the Public Defenders,” he said.
“I think we would be very surprised if we don’t quickly move past this anomaly and return to being significantly higher than the average.