Barrister, author reflects on human rights book success

Former Griffith woman Lucy Geddes says the book is trending well with readers and institutions alike, so popular that a second print-run is now underway.

While the book, 50 Human Rights Cases That Changed Australia was released last year, official launches in Sydney and Melbourne occurred in December 2023.

They included discussion forums with experts from both the human rights and legal fields, with managing partner of Gilbert and Tobin and former Griffith man Danny Gilbert part of the talks.

Ms Geddes co-authored the book with her former colleague, Fitzroy Legal Service human rights lawyer Hamish McLachlan, and the collection spans Australian cases between 1922 and 2022.

While the idea of the book came about in 2018, the pandemic in fact afforded the two the opportunity to bring it to life.

"I thought this was a book that should have already existed," Ms Geddes said.

"As a student in law who was interested in human rights, it seemed to me it would have been great to have something like this looking across the spectrum of cases and offering commentary on each.

"But we didn't just want it to be a useful book for students and lawyers; we wanted it to be something anyone could dip into and I think we managed to do that," she said.

"We discussed the idea but it went on the back burner when I went overseas.

"It was during the pandemic that we decided it would be a good opportunity to lay the ground work," she said.

"We wrote a proposal which The Federation Press was intrigued with.

"After some deliberations, we signed a contract to produce the book and wrote it in 2022," Ms Geddes said.

Being part of panels in Sydney and Melbourne to launch the book was one of her favourite parts of the process.

"It was wonderful to reflect on the work, share insight into it and chat with a number of incredible people with a background on these issues," Ms Geddes said.

"The book highlights how law can create real pathways for change.

"Even though we've chosen what we think are the best cases - where there were victories - that doesn't necessarily mean we think adequate human rights exist," she said.

"That's because while there are successes in the courts, the process of litigation can be both stressful and difficult.

"Sometimes the individual who began a case can pass away before justice is even handed down."

She said the messages of support and admiration since the books release has been plentiful.

"General feedback has been really positive; it's wonderful that so many people have commented on how useful the work is and many have noted they wished they had thought of the idea themselves," Ms Geddes said.

"We've seen lots of great messages from mentors, judges, and senior counsel who have said they found the book useful, clear, and engaging."

50 Human Rights Cases That Changed Australia is available from the Griffith City Library, Federation Press, and in e-book format.

There are hopes it could also become available at Collins Booksellers in the Griffin Plaza.

Ms Geddes is an advocate for women's rights and safety, appearing alongside her sister Hilary as part of last year's Soroptimist International Griffith 11th annual International Women's Breakfast.

She was also a supporter of the yes vote in last years Voice to Parliament referendum.