5 Minutes With Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody
A career in human rights led this lawyer to her role as Australian sex discrimination commissioner and shaped her understanding of what it means to be a powerful leader.
My first job was working in my friend’s parent’s factory when I was 11. I’d go there in the school holidays and do a few days’ work on the line, stuffing plastic bags full of promotional materials. It was really boring work but what made it enjoyable was the other people. All my life, I’ve worked in jobs that are for purpose so if I didn’t have a similar commitment to the same values as the people I work with I’d find that really hard.
The first time I felt really out of my depth was on a coffee-picking brigade in Nicaragua. I was 20, one of the youngest in the group, and we lived in very basic conditions. There were long-drop toilets, no bathing facilities, beans three times a day. Some in the group really struggled. I wasn’t the obvious leader but I moved into a leadership type of role and supported others. I was definitely out of my depth but I was also surprised at myself.
The first time I stood up for something I believed in was when I was studying law. The lecturer, who was highly regarded, made racist comments about a guest lecturer and also made comments about women enjoying rape. It was appalling behaviour but I was only fairly young at that point. Now I understand that you do have some power as a law student. I drafted a letter to him, copying in the dean and head of the law school. Most of the class signed the letter. I was fearful of the impact it would have on me and the rest of the class as he was marking our final assessments but when something wrong happens you need to speak up. It ended with him retracting his comments and apologising.
The first time I took a risk was when I volunteered to go to El Salvador after graduating and teach disadvantaged women about their legal rights. I thought, “All my peers will get great jobs and I’m going to be left behind.” But I learnt to think creatively about the law. Those women knew the law didn’t relate to them and I had to translate legal concepts into things they could understand. Being able to make complex ideas simple is something that has been absolutely fundamental to the way I work. It also taught me that fearlessness is okay. I took a risk; it paid off. I’ll take another one.
My first experience of good leadership was at the Kingsford Legal Centre at UNSW Sydney, working with Frances Gibson. She was very inclusive, she wanted to hear everyone’s points of view and she created a great team environment. Leadership is all about power but that means “empowering” rather than “power over”. Frances was very much about creating a team approach to the workplace, which meant we achieved a huge amount.
Defining moment
“When I was dean of the School of Law at Western Sydney University in 2019, I was working with a lot of migrant refugee students and culturally and racially marginalised staff. Having diverse voices involved in decision-making and a diverse management team really does change the way in which decisions get made. Being in an environment where that was a norm and everyone was committed to it was really exciting.”
