Researcher spotlight: Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson is a socio-legal scholar who joined the Faculty of Law & Justice in 2023. Prior to her academic appointment, Althea worked as a prosecutor at the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a solicitor at Sparke Helmore Lawyers.

She later worked at the Australian Law Reform Commission, where she was involved in inquiries into the sentencing of federal offenders, privacy laws, secrecy laws, family violence and royal commissions. Althea’s current areas of research interest include state responses to domestic and family violence, evidence law, policing and the intersection of the criminal legal and child protection systems.

Was there a defining moment that shaped your research interests?

My time at the Australian Law Reform Commission was particularly formative. I enjoyed the challenge of working on large-scale projects aimed at improving how laws operate in practice. I learned a lot about rigorous legal research and the craft of legal writing from my colleagues during that time, and remain motivated to always consider how laws, policies and practices can be reformed to ensure that legal systems function in ways that are consistent, fair and just for everyone. 

What project are you working on that excites you?

I’m currently leading an Australian Institute of Criminology-funded project examining the criminalisation of women’s resistance to domestic and family violence (DFV). It’s a multi-stage, qualitative study that is being conducted in partnership with the Community Restorative Centre and draws upon the lived experiences of victim-survivors of DFV who have had contact with the criminal legal system. The research has a strong focus on diverse victim-survivors and is being guided by an Aboriginal Reference Group. I’m excited to be working on a project that will help decision-makers across the legal system to more accurately recognise and interpret the strategies that women use to resist violence. It is also great to partner with a leading community provider of support services to people in contact with the criminal legal system, and I hope to engage in more partnership research in the future. 

What do you hope to achieve with your research/impact & engagement in the next year?

In the next year, I hope to see the NSW Government implement the Common Approach to Risk Assessment and Safety (CARAS) framework that I have helped to develop. In 2024, my colleague Emma Buxton-Namisnyk and I consulted with over 100 stakeholders before designing a framework to support consistent, coordinated and effective responses to victim-survivors of DFV by government and non-government service providers. We are now working on a project to expand the CARAS to incorporate responses to people who use violence. The delivery of the framework is a commitment under the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Plan 2022–2027, and I hope to see it rolled out across NSW so that it can strengthen and improve responses to DFV across the service sector.

What research/impact & engagement achievement are you most proud of and why?

One of the achievements I am most proud of is my role as a senior researcher on the Family is Culture review, an independent inquiry into the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) in NSW. Led by Professor Megan Davis, the three-year project included a review of the case files of 1,144 Aboriginal children and young people in OOHC and its recommendations set out a comprehensive roadmap for reform of the NSW child protection system. I consider it a real privilege to have contributed to such a groundbreaking project that led to a range of legislative reforms and continues to have a meaningful impact on child protection practice and policy today. 

What do you enjoy most about being part of the Faculty of Law & Justice?

I really enjoy the sense of collegiality within the Faculty and am continually inspired by the important and impactful work happening around me. It’s wonderful to be part of a community where ideas are regularly shared and discussed, and colleagues actively support one another’s scholarship and teaching. 

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

I love books and will happily read almost any genre, except for non-fiction. After a day of research and writing, I prefer to unwind by escaping into fictional worlds!