Three female lawyers will seek compensation from the High Court of Australia and former Judge Dyson Heydon after a court-initiated investigation found he had sexually harassed six women employed by the court.

The High Court commissioned Vivienne Thom – a former Inspector-General of Intelligence Security – to investigate allegations of sexual harassment following complaints last year.

The investigation found six former judges' associates at Australia's highest court were harassed by a former judge, the court said in a statement. The court has now confirmed that the subject of the investigation is indeed Heydon.