In December 1972, Evatt was appointed as the first female Deputy President of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and retained this position until 1989.
Between 1974 and 1977, Evatt chaired the Royal Commission on Human Relationships, producing recommendations which ultimately led to the enactment of the Family Law Act 1975 where no-fault divorce and the single ground of irreconcilable differences evidenced by twelve months separation were introduced into Australian family law.
The Act also established the Family Court of Australia, and Evatt was appointed as its inaugural Chief Justice holding this position from 1976 until 1988.
[1] Between 1998 and 2007, Evatt served two consecutive, five-year terms as a judge of a tribunal of the World Bank that determines staffing disputes.
[3] She was also critical of the then Howard Liberal government's anti-terrorism legislation, particularly provisions relating to control orders and preventive detention, saying that "These laws are striking at the most fundamental freedoms in our democracy in a most draconian way.
[1] The latter citation was awarded "in recognition of service to the law, social justice and to the promotion of human rights worldwide, particularly in the areas of equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation and practice".