Katie Robertson

Overview

Katie Robertson is the Associate Director of the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and Assistant Director of the Melbourne Law School Clinics at the Melbourne Law School. She is also the Director of the Stateless Legal Clinic, which she established in 2021 with support from the Hiam Chalouhy Grant (The Cameron Foundation). She is proud to lead the Clinic’s work in assisting stateless children to obtain Australian citizenship.

Katie brings over 10 years practical legal experience to her role at the Melbourne Law School in human rights, public interest litigation and the community legal sector both in Australia and overseas. Prior to joining the Melbourne Law School, Katie worked at the Human Rights Law Centre, in Maurice Blackburn’s Social Justice Practice, the Aboriginal Legal Service in Central Australia, and at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. She also has policy and political experience, having worked at Oxfam Australia and as an advisor to a Federal Senator. She has extensive strategic litigation experience and has represented clients from diverse backgrounds including victims of war crimes, refugees and people seeking asylum, Aboriginal clients living in remote communities and victims of corporate misconduct and asbestos disease.

Through her work on behalf of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia, Katie developed a particular interest in the rights of stateless children.

Katie is also co-chair of the Stateless Children Australia Network, a network aimed at developing knowledge regarding stateless children in Australia and increasing pathways to legal assistance.

Publications:

• Katie Robertson, ‘The Stateless Legal Clinic: Innovative Models for Addressing Unmet Legal Need in Australia Through Clinical Legal Education,’ Vol 31 No 1 (2024), International Journal of Clinical Legal Education 5 (view here)
• Robertson, K. (2022) ‘Practical Measures to Meaningfully Implement Article 1(1) of the 1961 Convention in Australian Law and Practice,’ Statelessness and Citizenship Review, 4(1), 204 – 212 (view here).
• Robertson, K. & Foster, M., The Conversation, ‘I Have No Rights: What Happens to Stateless People in Australia after the High Court’s Ruling?’ (November 2023) ( view here)
• Robertson, K. & Foster, M., SBS World News, ‘Why the UK Shouldn’t be looking at Australia’s rulebook for this key issue,’ (March 2023) (view here)
• ‘A Place to Call Home – Shining a Light on Unmet Legal Need for Stateless Children in Australia (March 2021) (view here)
• SBS News, ‘We need to do more to help stateless children realise their right to Australian citizenship,’ (K Robertson & S Dale) 25 March 2021 (view here)
• Pursuit, ‘What about those left out of the stimulus package?’ (K Robertson) 7 May 2020 (view here)
• Pursuit, ‘Detention increases Covid-19 Risk,’ (K Robertson & M Foster) 17 April 2020 (view here)
• The Guardian, ‘Stateless is a TV show – but it’s also the harsh reality behind the wire in Australian detention,’ (K Robertson & M Foster) 3 March 2020 (view here)