

393 Dr Hannah Tonkin: Law, Leadership, and Lasting Change for Family Safety
My guest this week is Dr Hannah Tonkin - lawyer, international human rights advocate, and the inaugural NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner.
Dr Tonkin took up the role in February 2023 and now leads efforts across the NSW government to strengthen responses to domestic, family, and sexual violence. Her work focuses on fostering collaboration between government, non-government organisations, and the broader community, ensuring victim-survivors have a meaningful voice in shaping policy and programs.
Prior to this appointment, she worked as an international human rights lawyer with the United Nations, served as Director of Disability Rights at the Australian Human Rights Commission, and practiced as a barrister in London and Adelaide. She also brings exceptional academic credentials, holding a PhD in International Law and a master’s in civil law from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, along with law and science honours degrees from the University of Adelaide.
In this episode, we explore whole-of-government leadership in reducing gendered and family violence, how human rights principles can inform safety policy, and Dr Tonkin’s journey from international advocacy to becoming NSW’s foremost advocate for women’s safety.
🔗 Explore more from Dr Hannah and her work here:
https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/legal-and-justice/our-commissioners/womens-safety-commissioner.html
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CREDITS
Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.