Lawyer

The career of internationally-renowned human rights lawyer and humanitarian Dr Alice Edwards was recognised with the presentation of the University of Tasmania Foundation Graduate Award. 

Dr Edwards matriculated from Fahan College before graduating from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Arts and Laws, with Honours in Law in 1997.

She completed her legal articles in Victoria, becoming admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Victorian Bar in 1998.

During her 20-year career, Dr Edwards has successfully led cases in international courts to protect the rights of refugees, created mechanisms to rescue the thousands of trafficked women and girls in the Balkans, and initiated and galvanised support for the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) global strategy to end the detention of asylum seekers.

She is currently the Head of the Secretariat for the Convention Against Torture Initiative (CTI), in Geneva, Switzerland – an initiative dedicated to achieving the universal ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture.