Alison Ryan

1994 - 1996

Human rights lawyer Alison Ryan has built a career dedicated to advancing fairness and protecting the rights of vulnerable people. She lived at John XXIII College from 1994 to 1996 while studying Law and Arts (Asian Studies) at the Australian National University, where the friendships and confidence she developed helped shape her commitment to working across cultures and communities.

After graduating in 1998, Alison began practising as a refugee and migration lawyer in Australia, focusing on cases involving asylum seekers and people seeking protection. Over the following decade she worked internationally across a range of legal and human rights programs in Palestine, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Somaliland, Uganda and Sri Lanka, supporting initiatives that strengthened access to justice and legal protection in complex political and humanitarian contexts. Alongside her professional work she completed a Master of Laws, further specialising in international and migration law.

Alison’s work has been recognised within the legal profession, including being named Migration Partner of the Year by Lawyers Weekly in 2017. Driven by a belief in fairness and the power of personal connection to overcome prejudice, she continues to advocate for systems that protect human dignity and expand access to justice.

Quote

"Compassion is an unstable emotion. It needs to be translated into action, or it withers."

- Susan Sontag

All photographs © Bronte Morel 2026 and not to be reproduced.