Kathryn Johnson

1989 - 1992

Public sector lawyer Kathryn Johnson has played a significant role in shaping government policy and legislation across Australia. She lived at John XXIII College from 1989 to 1992 while studying a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws at the Australian National University, graduating in 1993 before commencing a career spanning more than two decades in senior legal roles.

Kathryn has worked across both Commonwealth and Victorian governments as a Senior Executive Service (SES) legal officer, contributing to the development of major legislation and public policy. Her work has included drafting privacy and health legislation, as well as leading legal responses during complex and high-pressure periods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when an international posting to Myanmar was no longer possible, she played a key role in Victoria’s emergency legal response, co-leading the Department of Health’s legal function and contributing to the drafting of Stay at Home Orders. Earlier in her career, she also worked internationally as an Australian Volunteer International in South Africa, supporting the public release of records from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Kathryn is currently the legal lead for administrative law and litigation at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), overseeing legal responses to thousands of matters before the Administrative Review Tribunal. In 2018, she became the first Senior Executive in Victoria to provide a Direct Personal Response under the National Redress Scheme. Alongside her formal roles, she is committed to developing the next generation of lawyers, creating pathways for students and graduates through mentoring, placements and practical legal training opportunities.

Quote

"The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future."

- Abigail Scott Duniway (Women's Suffrage 1834 - 1915)

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