Jackie Fristacky came to Camberwell High in 1965 from Swinburne Technical School. Known at Camberwell by her first name, Miriana, Jackie was Vice-Captain of MacArthur House and Prefect in 1966. She represented CHS in softball.
Jackie’s two years at Camberwell High were very important for her subsequent career for, after leaving school, she attended Melbourne University where she graduated BA (Hons) in 1967, LL.B 1973, and LL.M 1976. As a post-graduate student Jackie was a Tutor in Political Science at Melbourne in 1972, and then Tutor, Senior Tutor and Lecturer in Legal Studies at Latrobe University, 1974-9. Whilst she taught in most areas of the law, her main teaching was in the fields of industrial law and relations. During 1973-4 Jackie was an articled clerk with the Melbourne Solicitors, Mallesons, and President of the Victorian Association of Young Lawyers. In 1977-8 she spent six months sabbatical at the School of Industrial and Labour Relations, Cornell University, New York, USA.
In 1979 Jackie Fristacky joined the Australian Public Service Board. For five years she was and Industrial Advocate for the Board’s Pay and Classification Division. Her important work here involved her in a range of national wage, work value, anomaly, health and safety, industry allowances and equity cases before both the reference and appeal benches of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. In 1985 she became Senior Adviser, Hearings, in the Office of Merit Protection of the Victorian Public Service Board, a position responsible for the resolution of the grievances of public servants. Jackie was Acting Director of the Office in 1987.
Since 1988 Jackie has been Manager of the Work Environment Branch of the Victorian Public Service Board where she is in charge of three sections responsible for the terms and conditions of employment of officers of the Service, policy advice on WorkCare claims and risk management, and preventive services and occupational rehabilitation for administrative units. In 1990 she was appointed Senior Member of the WorkCare Appeals Board.
Jackie has undertaken extensive writing and research in Australian, Victorian and comparative labour law. Between 1974-87 she was a member of the Executive Committee of the Society of Labor Lawyers and a Committee Member of the Law Institute of Victoria, 1974-7. Having been formerly Assistant Secretary and Vice President, Jackie is currently (1991) President of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria. She has attended many international conferences and seminars and has authored a number of articles and papers on industrial relations and equal employment opportunity in professional and academic journals. In 1978 she was editor of Victoria’s Industrial System: the Future.
Jackie Fristacky is proficient in three languages other than English: German, French and Indonesian. She has retained close links with a number of interest and community groups including the Carlton Association, the National Council of Women and the Women Lawyers’Association.
The Ex-Students Society congratulates Jackie who was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday 2018 Honours List for her significant service to local government, and to the community of Melbourne.