Josephine joined the Human Rights Law Centre in July 2019, working to defend the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Having worked as a senior lawyer and legal network coordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Josephine brings a wealth of experience in refugee law, strategic litigation and law reform advocacy. She led much of the ASRC’s complex litigation work including judicial review of government decisions on protection visa refusals and cancellations, and claims on behalf of critically ill clients in offshore immigration detention. As well as acting for clients at all stages of the refugee determination process, including before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Immigration Assessment Authority, Josephine contributed to parliamentary inquiries and cross-sector lobbying efforts to advocate for fairness and due process for people seeking asylum. She also worked closely with pro bono partner firms to grow the skills and capacity of the corporate sector to contribute to vital refugee law work.
In addition to her experience in the refugee sector, Josephine has worked as a civil lawyer with the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, providing advice and representation to Aboriginal clients in remote regions of the Northern Territory in matters relating to police misconduct, coronial inquests, and victims of crime assistance. She also worked as a commercial litigation lawyer with Ashurst Australia, where she undertook a range of pro bono work including representing young people in the Magistrates’ Court Special Circumstances List and advising Aboriginal community controlled corporations on consumer law matters. She was part of the legal team which brought a Constitutional challenge to police powers of arrest in the Northern Territory, together with the Human Rights Law Centre.
Josephine has previously volunteered for human rights and community organisations including the Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre and the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.
Josephine holds a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours and a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University.