Gavin Choong - 2024 winner of the Sir John Monash Medal

The Sir John Monash Medal for Outstanding Achievement is awarded annually by the Faculty of Law to a graduating Bachelor of Laws (Honours) student who pairs exceptional academic performance with a deep, sustained commitment to justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability.

Gavin Choong receiving the Sir John Monash Medal at graduation.

Gavin Choong graduated from Monash Law in 2024 with first-class honours, completing a double degree in Law and Biomedical Science. His academic excellence was reflected in the outstanding mark awarded for his honours thesis, which examined the international legal implications of climate change-induced sea level rise for the sovereignty of small-island developing states. Gavin also received a Winter Vacation Research Scholarship at the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, where he examined cases before the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the supervision of Professor Melissa Castan.

Gavin Choong presenting his Honours Thesis.

Gavin’s commitment to social justice and human rights was evident throughout his studies. He began his journey in the Monash Law Students’ Society Just Leadership Program, where his team developed an early-intervention risk assessment tool to help young people navigate healthy relationships, developed in response to the Royal Commission into Family Violence. This experience sparked a passion for advocacy that would shape his time in law school.

Outside his studies, Gavin volunteered as a paralegal at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, providing pro bono legal support to refugees, and worked with Amnesty International on campaigns such as Raise the Age and the Australian Climate Case. His advocacy also extended to global forums. In 2022, Gavin was named a Young Australian Space Leader for his policy work on using satellite technology to combat climate change and enhance disaster response, presenting his findings internationally in Paris and Oslo.

In 2023, Gavin played a pivotal role in the Voice to Parliament referendum campaign. He collaborated with the Monash Law Faculty to lead educational initiatives, spoke on panels hosted by the Castan Centre and the MSA Indigenous Department, and advised student organisations on how to support the referendum. Beyond Monash, Gavin supported Dr Shireen Morris in coordinating the Multicultural for Yes campaign and mobilised nearly two hundred volunteers in his local electorate in support of constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians.

Gavin Choong with colleagues, working in the Castan Centre Clinic on the Voice to Parliament.

Gavin’s leadership has also extended to the global stage. Selected as a New Colombo Plan Scholar, he studied at the University of Hong Kong before being appointed as Australia’s Youth Representative to the United Nations - the 25th person to hold the role. In this capacity, Gavin led a national listening tour, consulted thousands of young Australians, and presented their views to global leaders at the UN General Assembly. He also served as a member of Amnesty International’s global youth leadership group, helping advance reforms to strengthen diversity, sustainability, and governance across the movement.

Gavin Choong with colleagues on the New Colombo Plan scholarship.

Currently, Gavin serves as an Associate to Judge Burchell, Head of the Commercial Division at the County Court of Victoria, and continues to advise organisations including the Victorian Multicultural Commission,Teach Us Consent, Asialink, and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. His journey reflects an unwavering dedication to creating meaningful change through legal advocacy, policy development, and grassroots activism.

Gavin Choong exemplifies the spirit of the Sir John Monash Medal, combining academic excellence with visionary leadership and a profound commitment to justice, human rights, and sustainability at local, national, and global levels.