Anne Warner describes the process by which the Director General Ruth Matchett was appointed. Anne Warner notes how Ruth Matchett had distinguished herself within the department with reports such as Beyond these walls. Anne Warner details her relationship with Ruth Matchett and notes the context of their working relationship in the post Fizgerald Inquiry era, so that processes were set up and adhered to. She notes that Ruth Matchett was very good at setting up these processes.
Ruth Matchett describes how she returned to social work at the Children's Court, which sparked her interest in juvenile justice. Main achievements were practical changes as the government was not interested in legislative change in this era. She discusses her involvement in the Domestic Violence Taskforce and how this led to a higher public profile and involvement in the development of social policy. In 1989 she was taken 'off-line' to develop the Women's Policy Unit when Beryce Nelson (1989) was the Minister.
