Guide to the Papers of Judith Cohen, 1938-1996

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9302

Creator:

Judith Cohen

Extent:

0.73 metres and (4 boxes, 6 folio items)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Judith Cohen, National Library of Australia, MS 9302, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The collection includes business as well as family papers. The bulk of the business papers document Cohen's career from the time of her appointment as a Commissioner of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission in 1975.

The collection comprises several folders of Commission judgments, certificates of appointment, correspondence, speeches, photographs, educational records, newspaper cuttings and family birth, death and marriage certificates.

Biographical Note:

Judith Jacqueline Cohen (neé Selig) has had a distinguished career in Australian law. Born on 7 February 1926, she married Sam Cohen in 1953, and has two daughters.

Cohen was educated firstly at the Presbyterian Ladies College, Pymble (Sydney) and then at Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Laws Degree at Sydney University, and a Diploma of Education at Melbourne University.

In 1950 Cohen was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and practised in that State in 1950-53. In 1953 she was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, and practised as a solicitor in Melbourne for the periods 1953-55, 1962-66 and 1970-75. In 1975 Cohen accepted an offer of appointment from the Whitlam Labor government as a Commissioner of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (from 1989 the Australian Industrial Relations Commission). She was appointed a Deputy President of the Commission in 1980, and remained with the Commission until her retirement in 1991.

From 1991 to 1996 Cohen was Chair of the Insurance Council of Australia's Claims Review Panel. The role of the three-person panel was to review the complaints of consumers who disputed the way insurers had dealt with their claims.

In 1992 Cohen was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for her services to industrial relations.

During her career Cohen was involved with a number of organisations. These include:

Provenance:

The papers were donated to the Library by Judith Cohen in April 1997.

Arrangement:

The papers have been grouped into series by the Library.

Indexed terms

Names:

Judith Cohen

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1524284).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Judith Cohen, National Library of Australia, MS 9302, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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