38. Fighting Through the Barriers
When signing up as a detective, Lillian Armfield was required to sign an indemnity, agreeing that the police department was neither responsible nor liable for her safety and welfare. This, despite the fact that she was sent to track down some of Australia’s most dangerous criminals, armed with nothing more than a handbag.
Unlike her male colleagues, Lillian was not only denied a weapon and uniform, she was also denied overtime and compensation for ancillary expenses. She was also discriminated against in terms of compensation for workplace injuries suffered on the job. The final insult came at the end of her three-decade career as a police officer when, again unlike her male colleagues, she was not given a pension. None of the hurdles stopped her from being one of the country’s most badass cops.