New Board member joins the State’s anti-discrimination authority

Published 25 March 2020

Anti-Discrimination NSW is pleased to announce the appointment of a new member to its Board.

President of Anti-Discrimination NSW, the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, has welcomed Joanna Davidson to the Board for a two and half year term ending October 2022

“Joanna’s extensive experience working in public law will complement the expertise of our Board and I am delighted about her appointment at a time when we are carving a new path for the organisation,” Dr Bennett said.

“Joanna’s distinguished legal career, including her experience working as a barrister and previously as Counsel Assisting the NSW Solicitor General and Crown Advocate, will be of immense value to the organisation.”

Dr Bennett said that it was an exciting time to join Anti-Discrimination NSW, with the recent organisational restructure.

“As Anti-Discrimination NSW continues to evolve and respond to the needs of the diverse communities we serve, our commitment to eliminating discrimination remains the same,” Dr Bennett said. 

“The added professional expertise of our new Board member will ensure we are well supported to achieve our organisational goals and we look forward to working alongside Joanna to oversee the delivery of Anti-Discrimination NSW’s strategic plan,”

Dr Bennett said. In taking up her new position, Joanna said she was thrilled about her appointment to AntiDiscrimination NSW’s Board. 

“It is an honour to join the State’s anti-discrimination authority – promoting principles of equality, inclusion and diversity has never been more important, and I look forward to working closely with the President, the Board and my new colleagues at Anti-Discrimination NSW,”

Joanna said. Joanna joins Dr Bennett and the three other Board members, Melissa Monteiro, Dr Patricia Azarias, and Trevor Robertson.

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For media enquiries, contact: Danna.Diaz@justice.nsw.gov.au

About Joanna Davidson

Joanna is currently a barrister at Sixth Floor Selborne Wentworth Chambers, specialising in public law.

In addition to Joanna’s previous experience working as Counsel Assisting the NSW Solicitor General and Crown Advocate, she has also worked as a solicitor in government and private practice in Sydney and New York. She was previously tipstaff and Research Director to former Chief Justice of NSW JJ Spigelman AC.

Joanna taught Administrative Law at the University of NSW law school between 2009 and 2018. She is a Centre Fellow of the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. Joanna has a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, which she attended on a Menzies Scholarship.

Joanna was a volunteer solicitor in 2006, and from 2009 to 2011 at Inner City Legal Centre. She was also a board member of Inner City Legal Centre for 10 years until December 2019, and held positions of Treasurer and Co-Chair during this period. 

About Anti-Discrimination NSW

Anti-Discrimination NSW is the state government body, within the Department of Communities and Justice, responsible for administering the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. It strives to eliminate discrimination by answering enquiries and resolving complaints through high-quality, free, fair and timely complaint handling services. It is also the State authority that grants exemptions to the Act and raises awareness of discrimination and its impacts.

Previously known as the Anti-Discrimination Board, in 2019 Anti-Discrimination NSW completed an organisational restructure, which included a name change. While the word Board was removed from the business unit’s name, Anti-Discrimination NSW is still governed by an independent statutory Board, the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW. The Board members are appointed by the Governor of New South Wales.

The main functions of the Board are to:

• carry out investigations, research and enquiries relating to discrimination
• raise awareness about discrimination and the achievement of equal rights  
• consult with stakeholders to improve service delivery to diverse communities 
• review state legislation.