Simon Rice

Professor of Law; Director of Law Reform and Social Justice, Australian National University

Simon has worked and researched extensively in anti-discrimination, human rights and access to justice issues. He is currently Director of Law Reform and Social Justice at the ANU College of Law, Chair of the Australian Capital Territory Law Reform Advisory Council ands external legal adviser to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.

After a period in private commercial practice Simon worked at Redfern Legal Centre in Sydney and co-founded Macarthur Legal Centre. He was Director of Kingsford Legal Centre while director of clinical legal education programs at the University of NSW. He has been a board member of Macarthur Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, the Communications Law Centre, the Disability Discrimination Legal Centre, the Intellectual Disability Rights Centre, and the ACT Welfare Rights and Legal Centre.

He has been Director of the NSW Law and Justice Foundation, President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, a Board member of the NSW Legal Aid Commission, a consultant to the NSW Law Reform Commission, and a judicial member of the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal.

Simon has practised extensively in poverty law in community legal centres, particularly anti-discrimination law, has trained and advised a wide range of businesses, agencies and NGOs, and has consulted to NGOs on organisational management and strategic planning.

Simon was a lecturer in the UNSW Law Faculty 1989-1995 where he was director of clinical programs, and taught at Sydney University Law Faculty in 2000 and 2001. He was a senior lecturer in the Division of Law at Macquarie University from 2005-2007.

He was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for legal services to the economically and socially disadvantaged, and has received a UNSW Alumni Award. In 2008 Simon was an invitee to the Australian Government's 2020 Summit.