Pamela Tate

Biography

Justice Tate held a Lectureship in Philosophy at Monash University when she enrolled simultaneously in the LLB. Prior to taking up her appointment at Monash, but after completing her postgraduate studies in Oxford, Justice Tate held a Lectureship in the Philosophy Department at Otago. Since taking out her law degree, Justice Tate has transitioned to a very distinguished career in constitutional, administrative, and commercial law.

Since 2010, Justice Tate has been a Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria; between 2003 and 2010, she was Solicitor-General for Victoria. Justice Tate has been a strong advocate for women in the Law; in 1999-2000 she was Convenor of the Women Barristers’ Association, and she continues to be a member of the Australian Association of Women Judges. Since 2018 Justice Tate has been the Patron of Women Barrister’s Association of the Victorian Bar.

Justice Tate’s work in the area of human rights has been significantly influenced by her philosophical training; she was, for example, Special Counsel to the Human Rights Consultation Committee that recommended enactment of Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, and has published on rights and the law.

Justice Tate was a Visiting Fellow at the LSE Centre for Study of Human Rights in 2007. Since 2012, Justice Tate has been Patron of the Australasian Association of Philosophy; she has always been a staunch friend of the humanities, and of philosophy in particular. In 2019 Justice Tate will be a Research Visitor at the Bonavera Institute of Human Rights at Oxford University.