The Australian Women's Register

Summary

The Honourable Sally Thomas was the first woman to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, serving from 1992 to 2009. After retiring from the bench, she was appointed Chief Administrator of the Northern Territory, being sworn in on 31 October 2011 at Parliament House, Darwin, by the then Governor-General of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC.

As well as having a distinguished career in the judicial system, Her Honour was Chair of the Legal Aid Commission from 1990 to 1996, Chair of the Northern Territory Winston Churchill Fellowship Committee from 1992 to 2004 and in 2004 she was appointed Deputy National Chair Fellowship, of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Commenting on her appointment as Chancellor of Charles Darwin University (CDU) on 1 January 2010, Vice Chancellor Barney Glover noted that ‘[h]er strong leadership, coupled with her extensive experience as a committed reformer and contributor to social justice within Australia and beyond will bring a new perspective to CDU.’

Sally Thomas was interviewed by Nikki Henningham for the Trailblazing Women and the Law Oral History Project. For details of the interview see the National Library of Australia CATALOGUE RECORD.