Who the hell are you? 

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Chuffed you asked the question. 

I'm Maddy.  

 

I am a policy lawyer and legal researcher, that has intermittently reported on legal and human rights issues.  I am currently undertaking my LLM (specialising in the Law of the Sea).   

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I am endeavouring to fuse my two passions - the rule of law and communication.  

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I want people to understand on a deeper and more sophisticated level, decision making processes, perceived injustices, and law reform.  I want the law and the courts to be accessible to everyone. 

 

My career path has evolved considerably from my 10 yo determination to be a jillaroo and my 15yo dream of being a professional sprinter - although I have recently re-ignited my sprinting regime in the hope that dream isn't over. 

 

I grew up on a sheep farm in regional NSW.  I had an incredible childhood but it was also marred by the millennial drought.  I struggle to explain the impact drought has on the psyche, even that of a child. I am terrified of the consequences of a warmed planet. 

 

I went on to study a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts at ANU.  In Arts I majored in Anthropology.  I travelled to Maluku, a remote part of Eastern Indonesia, to conduct field research. I also studied Indonesian in Java.  I minored in Arabic and studied at Qatar University.  In my law degree, my electives entailed a vast range of International Law. I studied the Laws of War, Human Rights, International Refugee Law, International Law, Advanced International Law, European Union Law, International Indigenous Law, the Law of the Sea and International Trade Law. 

I worked as a legal research assistant within the ANU College of Law's International Law school. My research related to ASEAN policy, asylum seekers, food security and disaster management.  I also conducted research into cases before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. 

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In 2014 and 2015 I was shortlisted for the JB Fairfax Award for Rural Journalism. 

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I was a research officer at the Law Council of Australia within the International Division and International Law Section.  I went on to work as a Legal Policy Officer for federal government.  I also spent a month volunteering at the Aboriginal Legal Service in criminal law as a paralegal. 

 

I was a part of the Australian election observer team that attended the 2017 Timor Leste presidential elections.  

 

I have freelanced for Middle East Eye, the New Arab, Crikey, the New Matilda, the ILA Reporter and Central News.

 

I am passionate about reporting on the rule of law, transparency, democratic accountability, preservation of the natural world, and social justice.