Grants
Total Funding
$2,907,000
ARC Fellowship
In 2024, a project led by the Centre for Law and Social Justice Director Associate Professor Amy Maguire was awarded a $1.14m ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowship. With a commitment to human rights reform – including the development of a world-class national human rights index –The project seeks to address core challenges for human rights reform identified by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). It aims to deliver new knowledge about law reform in Australian and international systems, and a first ever study of human rights indices – forming the evidence base for Australian policy and law-making.
Along with the world-class national human rights index to measure Australia's human rights performance, the project will deliver best-practice human rights education programs, and an AHRC Research Alliance to promote continuing cross-sector collaboration. The project aims to enhance protections, especially for the most vulnerable, and help establish a more preventive approach to rights, making Australian society fairer and more cohesive.
Industry partner: Australian Human Rights Commission
Global Experience Support Fund
In 2023, Associate Professor Kevin Sobel-Read in collaboration with the Centre for Law and Social Justice successfully received $42,000 to support governments of small Pacific Island nations (Cook Islands and Samoa) in policy development. This project solidifies the position of the University of Newcastle as the leading university supporting and impacting the Pacific Islands.
External Collaboration International
In 2023, Associate Professor Amy Maguire successfully received $10,000 via the External Collaboration Grant Scheme, to compare the human rights infrastructure of Australia and New Zealand to produce law reform recommendations. Part of the external collaboration includes delivering a seminar at the University of Canterbury on developments in Australian human rights law.
Pilot Scheme: The Human Right to Education in the Australian Context
In 2023, The Centre for Law and Social Justice successfully received $5,000 via the internal Pilot Scheme at the University of Newcastle. In 2022, the Centre commenced collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), Australia's peak human rights law firm. This research project will extend collaboration with the HRLC, to research that creates an evidence base to enable better understanding of the human right to education in the Australian context.
Research Support Program (RSP) Funding Allocation
In 2021, the Centre for Law and Social Justice was awarded $250,000 as part of the Federal Governments Research Support Program (RSP) stimulus. The Centre used this funding to employ three post-doctoral research fellows - Samuel Blanch, Ana Goncalves, and Aloka Wanigasuriya whose efforts greatly enriched the Centre's research and engagement agendas. Several students of the School of Law and Justice made contributions as research assistants. The Centre successfully hosted 20 events in its first year of operation with the support of the RSP funding.
Older Person Legal Clinic
The Older Persons Legal Clinic (OPLC) commenced in 2019 following a grant of around $720,000 made by the NSW State Government. In 2022, the NSW State Government made a further grant of around $740,000 to the OPLC to conduct the clinic for a further period of 3 years. The OPLC provides much needed free assistance, advice and representation to seniors in a wide range of legal matters. These include planning ahead documents, matters concerning aged care facilities, debt, family law, dealing with Centrelink and traffic and criminal matters. Further details about the OPLC available here.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.