Abi Rajkumar
2023
Rio Tinto John Monash Scholar
Mid-career Master in Public Administration
Harvard University
United States of America
Abi is a Crown Prosecutor in the Northern Territory who believes the law should be used to change lives for the better. She has worked as an Adviser to federal and state politicians in communications and policy and has travelled across the country exploring communities and identifying opportunities for change. Abi is passionate about making a significant and lasting impact through new approaches to justice systems and evidence-based progressive policy. She uses the power of film to tell stories of experience and to highlight the importance of recognising our shared humanity. Abi runs a volunteer-led boxing and wellbeing program for youth at risk of entering the Northern Territory's youth justice system where police officers, lawyers, young professionals, athletes, and psychologists work together to give young people an opportunity that has not existed in the Territory before. Abi was awarded a Tuckwell Scholarship to complete her dual undergraduate degrees in Law and Development Studies at ANU and scholarships to support exchange programs at Yale and the National University of Singapore. Following her Master of Laws at Columbia University as a John Monash Scholar, she plans to return to Australia and use the law as a tool for social change and to use her new knowledge and experiences to be able to have a significant impact on justice policy reform, making a tangible difference to the lives of victims and offenders.