Law Reform in the spotlight with the Hon Justice Mordecai Bromberg

Monash Law has highlighted the importance of law reform at the Monash Law Gala Dinner 2023. The main focus of the night was a keynote address from the president of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC), and Monash Law alum, the Hon Justice Mordecai Bromberg.

In the company of the Monash University Chancellor, members of the Monash Council, senior members of the Judiciary, prominent alumni and donors, members of the Bar, Law academics and students, Justice Bromberg spoke about the role of the ALRC. He described his vision for the independent Australian Government agency, and likened his role in law reform to that of a ‘designer’ approaching a ‘renovator’s delight’.

The Hon Justice Mordecai BrombergThe Faculty of Law has a long commitment to supporting law reform through Clinical Legal Education for our students and research by our academics and Higher Degree Researchers.

Two of our students hosted the Monash Law Gala Dinner 2023 and reflected on the value of law reform through the lens of their time at Monash University.

Lucy Foster is a 2022 Supreme Court Exhibition Prize Winner for Best Honours thesis. As co-host, Ms Foster recalled the support of her thesis supervisors Professor Becky Betagol and Jenn Lindstrom - support that continues even after she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) in May 2023.

“For example, earlier this year, a bill was introduced to parliament to amend the Family Law Act.”

“Professor Betagol, along with Dr Jess Mant, was kind enough to invite me to contribute to Monash's submissions to Parliament in relation to the Bill. The submission quoted my research, and my suggestions for reform to the Family Law Act to better prevent legal systems abuse,” recalled Ms Foster.

That bill was passed just days before the law reform event, introducing significant reforms that aim to simplify the Act but also make family law processes safer for children and victims of family violence.

Monash Law Gala Dinner 2023 co-hosts Lucy Foster and William LiuThe second co-host was William Liu, who’s in his final year as a Law/Arts student majoring in Philosophy and Literary Studies and someone who has excelled in the Moot Court. As a result, Mr Liu’s been awarded a stipend to visit Vienna in December 2023 to watch the UN Commission on International Trade Law make cross-border insolvency laws.

“We often think of law reform as, say, environmental law, sentencing law, refugee law, or other areas of public law. But the reformation of private law also has immense consequences on people’s economic well being.”

“I’ve learnt that there are diverse policy considerations of labour rights, trade and tax embedded in international insolvency law and I’m looking forward to learning more about that in Vienna,” enthused Mr Liu.

One of the highlights of the Monash Law Gala Dinner 2023 was a live cross to the University of Oxford in England to speak to two Monash Law alumni who are Rhodes Scholars.

Rhodes Scholars Nick Young and Harrison JonesHarrison Jones is the 2023 Victorian Rhodes Scholarship winner and Nick Young is a 2021 Australia-at-large Rhodes Scholarship winner.

In a conversation with Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Bryan Horrigan, Mr Jones and Mr Young reinforced Lucy Foster’s message of academic support. They recalled the mentorship and guidance they received from Monash Law academics and the opportunities available to them with overseas study, the Monash Law Students Society and the clinical guarantee.

As part of their studies at Oxford, both Mr Jones and Mr Young are focussing on international environmental law. In future we may see the outcomes of their hard work in the form of law reform to help correct the injustices created by climate change.

Rhodes Scholars Nick Young and Harrison Jones with Executive Dean of Law Bryan HorriganCapping off a successful night devoted to law reform, the Monash Law Gala Dinner 2023 presented a video celebrating Monash Law’s contribution to law reform. Alumni the Hon Marilyn Warren AC KC and Jon Faine reflected on how their time at Monash Law had instilled in them the importance of law reform. Meanwhile, Dr the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG assured viewers that Monash Law alum the Hon Justice Mordecai Bromberg will be a fantastic president of the ALRC.

The video highlighted Monash Law’s active role in more than 100 law reform projects in the past 5 years including, but not limited to:

Youtube Screen from Law Reform in the spotlight video

With alumni like Lucy Foster, Nick Young, Harrison Jones and current student William Liu, Monash Law expects to continue to make a positive contribution to law reform in the years ahead.