This is a transcript of a recorded conversation between the Honourable Elizabeth Evatt AC; the Honourable Mary Gaudron KC; and the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG about their years of service as Deputy Presidents on the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. Elizabeth Evatt was appointed in 1973; Mary Gaudron was appointed in 1974; and Michael Kirby was appointed in 1975. All of them went on to serve in different judicial posts, both nationally and internationally. In their conversation they describe the years of their service as presidential members of the Arbitration Commission; the importance and challenge of their appointments; and strengths and challenges of the Commission and of later activities they undertook. Mary Gaudron was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia in 1987 (the first female Justice); Elizabeth Evatt served as Chair of the ALRC and AHR & EOC; and Michael Kirby was appointed to the High Court of Australia in 1996-2009. The interviewer was Commissioner Mark Perica AM of the Fair Work Commission. The interview took place on 15 December 2025.
