Rate My Professor Belinda Smith

Associate Professor Belinda Smith is a leading scholar in the Law faculty at the University of Sydney, specializing in anti-discrimination law. She earned her Bachelor of Economics (Social Science) with First Class Honours in 1993 and Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours in 1995 from the University of Sydney. She further obtained a Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD) from Columbia Law School in 2006. Smith's professional journey began in legal practice with the Industrial Law Group at Blake Dawson Waldron and service at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. She commenced her academic career as a teaching fellow at Columbia University Law School in New York, before joining the University of Sydney Law School in 2002 as Senior Lecturer in Anti-Discrimination Law, advancing to her current position as Associate Professor.

Smith's research centers on anti-discrimination law, gender equity, and work-family conflict, advocating for innovative regulatory approaches to promote equality in employment. Her scholarship addresses critical workplace issues including sexual harassment prevention through work health and safety laws, the role of anti-discrimination measures for victims of domestic violence, pregnancy as a basis for equality pathways, mental health care rights, and engendered human rights in social security. She co-authored the influential textbook Equality and Discrimination Law in Australia: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2016) with Beth Gaze. Selected peer-reviewed articles include "Bearers of rights, not just babies: Pondering pregnancy as an impairment to explore pathways to equality" (2024, Alternative Law Journal), "Missing in action: the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health care" (2022), "Preventing Sexual Harassment in Work: Exploring the Promise of Work Health and Safety Laws" (2021, Australian Journal of Labour Law), "Domestic Violence Victims at Work: A Role for Anti-Discrimination Law?" (2012, Australian Journal of Labour Law), "It's About Time—for a New Regulatory Approach to Equality" (2008, Sydney Law Review), and "From Wardley to Purvis - How Far has Australian Anti-Discrimination Law Come in 30 Years?" (2007). Additionally, she contributed chapters such as "Anti-discrimination Law" to Macken's Law of Employment (7th ed., 2011). With 132 citations and 23 publications documented on ResearchGate, Smith's work has made a notable impact on Australian labour law and equality policy debates. She teaches courses in anti-discrimination and employment law and engages in public commentary.