Newman rejects anti-women bent

• 4 hours ago March 25, 2014

Queensland Labor is demanding Jarrod Bleijie be sacked for revealing details of a chat with a judge. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman says his government doesn't have a problem with women, despite claims that unconscious bias is preventing their rise in the judiciary.

Court of Appeal President Margaret McMurdo gave a speech last Friday criticising Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie for only choosing one woman in 17 appointments to judicial office in the past two years.
While only two of the government's 19 ministers are women, Mr Newman has pointed out he appointed Queensland's first female speaker and under treasurer.
The premier also accused Justice McMurdo herself of denying women the opportunity to rise in the judiciary, during a meeting she had with Mr Bleijie almost a year ago.
"We will appoint on merit," Mr Newman told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
He said the attorney-general had, during that meeting, proposed appointing women to vacant judicial posts.
"He has and he will do so in the future," Mr Newman said.
"Men were proposed as nominees by her, and indeed I understand there was also a conversation when a female candidate was discussed and rejected, not by the attorney-general but by the president of the Court of Appeal."
Mr Newman said there was no truth to Justice McMurdo's claims the government was somehow opposed to appointing women to high judicial office.
"I reject that and defend the attorney-general."
Mr Bleijie also hit out at Justice McMurdo, who he said had recommended men, including her husband, for recent appointments.
Walter Sofronoff, who last week quit as Queensland's solicitor-general, has called on Mr Bleijie to resign for betraying the trust of Justice McMurdo.
He's accused Mr Bleijie of behaving unethically by revealing details of a private conversation he had with Justice McMurdo about an appointment to a court vacancy.
After Justice McMurdo's speech about bias against appointing women, Mr Bleijie revealed aspects of that conversation, including that she'd pushed for two men to be promoted to the appeal court, including her husband Phil McMurdo.
Mr Sofronoff has accused the government of setting out to discredit Justice McMurdo instead of addressing the real issue.
"He undoubtedly defamed her," Mr Sofronoff told ABC Radio.
"He has implied that, for family advantage, she put her husband forward as a potential appointee.
"All the president of the Court of Appeal did was raise something we've been debating for a long long time, that is the status of women."
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Mr Bleijie's position was now untenable.
"The state's first law officer has lost the respect of the judiciary across this state," she told reporters.
She said IT Minister Ian Walker would be a suitable replacement, given his long and successful legal career.
"Remove this incompetent bungling Attorney-General and replace him with someone who is respected in the legal profession, and that person is clearly Ian Walker," she said.
"The premier needs to show leadership."