The Australian Women's Register

Jenny Morgan was born in 1954 in Sydney, daughter of Elizabeth ( Betty) Morgan ( nee Taylor), a canteen supervisor and cook, and Rowland Bonner Morgan, an accountant. She has an older sister Ann -Marie. She was educated at the Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School in Darlinghurst and finished her secondary schooling in 1972 at the Anglican girls’ school in Wahroonga, Abbotsleigh. She enrolled the following year at the University of Sydney, originally studying Science and then transferring to Arts, majoring in Psychology and Anthropology. She graduated BA Honours ( first class) in 1977.

After a year in the Federal Public Service she commenced a part-time law degree in 1979, first at the Australian National University and then in Sydney, graduating LLB at the University of New South Wales in 1984. Meantime she held the position of Research Officer at the Law Foundation of New South Wales from 1979 to 1982. The main project she focused on was an evaluation of the system of newly established dispute resolution centres. This was followed by study for an LLM at Yale University from 1986-87, where she read feminist legal theory.

Jenny was appointed to the Faculty of Law at Monash University from 1985 to 1987 as Tutor/Senior Tutor, and to a lectureship in the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne in 1988. The various roles she carried out within the Law School included work on staff mentoring and equal opportunity issues, including during her period as Deputy Dean 2003-2007. She was appointed interim Dean in July 2017 while the search for the new Dean occurred.

She undertook also, a number of tasks across the University, including serving on Arts, Medicine, FBE Professorial Appointments Committees, and Promotions Committees and the University Appointments and Promotions Committee. She served on the University Equal Opportunity Committee and Affirmative Action Committees; drafted the staff-student sexual relationships policy and assisted in various iterations of the sexual harassment policies; and she is currently on the University Appointments and Promotions Committee.

Her external roles have included serving on the Government Bodies: the Social Security Appeals Tribunal; the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; the Australian Law reform Commission (reference on equality for women before the law); Member, Sentencing Advisory Council; Member, Police Registration and Service Board: various committee roles at VicHealth on their violence against women portfolio. She has also served on the management committee or chaired the boards of various organisations including CASA House( Centre Against Sexual Assault); Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service; and the Women’s legal Service.

Her most recent publications include the media coverage of violence against women.

Jenny Morgan lives in Melbourne with her partner Peter Hanks, QC and has two step-children, Tom and Caitlin.