Woman Mitchell, Roma Flinders

AC, DBE, CVO, QC

Occupation
Barrister and Governor

Written by Ann Standish, The University of Melbourne

Roma Mitchell was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1913. She studied law at the University of Adelaide and, in 1962, became Australia's first female Queen's Counsel. She was also Australia's first female Supreme Court judge and the first Chair of the Australian Human Rights Commission. In 1991, she became Governor of South Australia, the first female Governor of an Australian state. She was also the first female Chancellor of an Australian University, holding the post at the University of Adelaide from 1983 to 1990.

Roma Mitchell died in 2000. At her funeral, Governor-General Sir William Deane said she 'blazed a trail for all Australian women , in law, in government, in academic life, in public and philanthropic service' (Australian, 11 March 2000, p. 9).

Published Resources

Newspaper Articles

  • Altmann, Carol, 'Dame Roma "an inspiration for all Australians"', The Australian, 11 March 2000, p. 9. Details

Online Resources