retirement age. Gaudron's early retirement was lamented by all areas of the legal profession. Justice Michael Kirby, who was a close friend of Gaudron, has stated many times that her absence left the court with a different character and turned it into "a more blokey place". In March 2003, Gaudron joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2004 she was a member of an inquiry into trade union rights in Belarus. She was also appointed as a judge of the ILO's Administrative Tribunal. From July 2011, she has been appointed as President of the Tribunal. Criticism Gaudron has occasionally been criticised throughout her career. At the time of her appointment to the High Court in 1987, the New South Wales legal magazine Justinian published anonymous remarks stating "a melancholy catalogue of sins of omission and commission as well as the better claims of others" ought to have weighed against her appointment, and that she held "an emotional disposition inappropriate in a holder of judicial office". Jack Waterford in The Canberra Times observed that her appointment would likely be controversial as she was "strongly identified with the Labor Party, and despite a formidable career, has not generally been regarded as in the front rank of the legal profession". When she announced her retirement, an anonymous academic said that Gaudron had failed to achieve the expectations set by her supporters, and that among the other High Court Justices, Gaudron was "erratic" and "certainly not among the court's greats". Another anonymous academic said that Gaudron's Labor connections had delivered her unearned promotions. Approbation Despite this anonymous criticism, Gaudron also received much praise. Former President of the New South Wales Bar, Ruth McColl, described Gaudron's contribution to Australian law as "an extraordinarily humanising effect ... the strong views she expresses in cases involving discrimination and like issues, are very influential and important in the development of the law in those areas". The Anti-Discrimination Commissioner of Tasmania, Jocelynne Scutt, said that "her contribution has been outstanding both as a jurist and as an advocate. And it has been profoundly significant in terms of her being a woman, too." Former Chief Justice Anthony Mason remarked that Gaudron's "contribution just can't be described as symbolic", but rather she had "made a very significant and genuine contribution" to Australian law. Gaudron described herself in 2005 as privileged "to be a bit player in the maintenance