Justice Jane Dixon: Commitment to human rights and first nations people
50 Years / 50 Voices: Learning law and changing lives is a commemorative volume marking the 50th anniversary of the ongoing Monash Law Clinical Program, a pioneering initiative in clinical legal education undertaken by the Faculty of Law at Monash University. 50 alumni of the Monash Law Clinical Program shared their story with 50 current students of the same program. This is an excerpt from the book.
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
Justice Jane Dixon describes her role as ‘an enormous responsibility, but also an enormous privilege’. Now Principal Judge of the Criminal Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria, when Justice Dixon began her law career, there were no female Justices of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
While Justice Dixon acknowledges her achievement, she is also clear that we need to work hard and understand how to best use responsibility and privilege. Justice Dixon’s commitment to the law is evident beyond her work in the judiciary, in her extra-legal ventures such as co-chairing the Victorian Judicial Officers’ Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Committee.
In the 1980s, at Galbally and O’Bryan, Justice Dixon was the firm’s first female criminal lawyer. A typical week at the beginning of her career featured rushing down to Russell Street Police Headquarters, travelling to suburban watchhouses or visiting clients at Pentridge and then instructing barristers for a criminal jury trial the next day. At this time, Justice Dixon’s ambition to be a defence lawyer was not celebrated, clients did not always want a female solicitor and colleagues commented that it was not ‘the proper work for women’. These kinds of barriers weren’t new to Justice Dixon, who, during her formative years at university, had worked part-time in hospitality, factories and fish-and-chip shops. This was followed by her time at Springvale Legal Service in 1981, where she was mentored by Maureen Tehan and Simon Smith. Justice Dixon found particular inspiration in Tehan, who was a woman committed to justice when clients’ legal matters involved some of life’s harshest realities – ‘It can be hard to see how it may apply in real life to actual people, and when you see the injustice that can occur, it does get under your skin and make you angry and make you want to do something about it, and so that’s motivational.’
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
As a barrister, Justice Dixon defended a diverse range of clients, including Black Saturday arsonist Brendan Sokaluk; Eileen Creamer, a victim of family violence, accused of killing her husband in self-defence; and notorious gangland figure Evangelos Goussis. Throughout the years, Justice Dixon’s understanding of life and the legal realities of systemic injustice strengthened her awareness of, and advocacy for, women and First Nations people.
Over her two decades as a member of the Victorian Bar, Justice Dixon served on the Bar Council, chaired the Pro Bono Committee and helped found the Indigenous Lawyers Committee. Justice Dixon’s commitment to broader human rights in her tenure as President of Liberty Victoria (one of Australia’s leading civil liberties organisations) was marked by supporting the founding of the Rights Advocacy Program (formerly Young Liberty for Law Reform), which has grown into a highly competitive early career development 18-month placement for lawyers willing to tackle grassroots issues. Beyond the bench, Justice Dixon currently serves on the board of the Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO), an entity guided by the principle of equal opportunity, where prison is considered a last resort. Justice Dixon emphasises the unique nature of each person’s story. ‘You have to drill down and get to understanding what that particular person’s background is, who their mob is, where they’re from, how that has shaped them,’ she says.
It was at Springvale Legal Service that Justice Dixon first learned to stand beside her clients, no matter their crime. And her advice for young lawyers? ‘Fight for justice, and fight for your client and hear their story fully. Learn how to listen and really appreciate what they’ve been through, and what it means for them, and learn to communicate that.’
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
Get involved with Monash Law Clinics
Monash Law Clinics combine legal education with real-world impact, supporting access to justice while equipping students with practical, ethical and professional skills.
If you are a student interested in undertaking a clinical unit as part of your studies, explore the available clinical placements and elective options.
Whether you’re an alum, practitioner or organisation keen to support the clinics through hosting placements, partnerships, volunteering or funding, there’s a way to be involved. To learn more, contact Emily Collard, Industry & Alumni Engagement Manager, at emily.collard@monash.edu.