Tuesday, 12 September 2023
ACT Law Society welcomes new Human Rights Commissioner
The ACT Law Society congratulates Professor Penelope Mathew on her appointment as President and Human Rights Commissioner of the ACT Human Rights Commission. Professor Mathew takes over the role from Dr Helen Watchirs, who has served the ACT community as Commissioner since 2004 and as Commission President since 2016
Professor Mathew is currently Dean of the University of Auckland Law School and brings experience in legal academia across several jurisdictions, research expertise in international refugee law, and previously worked with the ACT Human Rights Commission in Canberra and as a consultant to the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“On behalf of the ACT legal profession, we congratulate Professor Mathew on her new appointment. The ACT has a long history of championing local human rights, including as the first Australian jurisdiction to enshrine a Human Rights Act. We look forward to seeing the further advancement of human rights issues under Professor Mathew's leadership,” said Law Society President Farzana Choudhury.