What inspires you about teaching and interacting with students in Law?
Law students are society’s future change makers. Many of our students come into their Law degree with a vision for a better world and, all going well, they leave it with a set of tools and skills that empower them to work towards that vision. I love Law students’ curiosity about the world, their sense of justice and their willingness to engage in rigorous discussion and debate.
What do you believe to be the most important skills and attributes that Law graduates must acquire for a contemporary legal career?
A legal career today requires sound analytical skills, a strong work ethic, adaptability, and a sense of compassion and empathy. Arguably, these are the skills and attributes required in most contemporary careers. Today’s Law graduates are living in a time of rapid change and profound challenges, including climate change and growing inequality. Yet, change also brings opportunities. New technologies, increased mobility of people, goods and ideas, and a better understanding of what inclusion and diversity require can all help us to deal with today’s challenges. Our challenge is to learn how to harness these for their benefits while remaining alert to their limitations and potential pitfalls.
How long have you been with the University of Tasmania and what are your career highlights so far?
I have been involved with the University of Tasmania in various roles since moving to Hobart in 2018, and recently re-joined the Faculty of Law as a Senior Lecturer. My career highlights so far include working on the drafting of the world-first Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility, establishing the Climate Mobility Africa Research Network and delivering legal training to more than 200 refugee law judges and decision-makers at the International Association for Refugee and Migration Judges. In 2024, I am looking forward to the publication of my monograph, Refugee Status in Africa (Cambridge University Press).
What is your area of research expertise and why is it important?
My research focuses on the protection of people on the move. This includes legal protection for refugees and others forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, disasters and insecurity. It also includes enhancing regular migration pathways for those who move pre-emptively – before a disaster strikes. In the context of climate change, the need to ensure that those who move can do so safely and with their fundamental rights protected is more pressing than ever. Yet, governments around the world are increasingly restrictive in their approaches to displacement and migration. My research aims to identify and highlight the opportunities that exist within this nuanced political and legal landscape, and to explore how such opportunities could be better harnessed to help ensure that all people, regardless of where they are born, can pursue their lives and dreams in safety and with dignity.
Find out more about Law courses at the University of Tasmania.