Mr Jason O'Neil
Bachelor of Laws, UNSW
Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours), UNSW
Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage, Charles Sturt University
Jason O'Neil is a Lecturer in the School of Global and Public Law in the Faculty of Law and Justice, and a Scientia PhD Candidate in the School of Social Sciences. His research interests span Indigenous Studies, public law, and public policy, with an emphasis on Indigenous peoples' cultural resurgence and rights to self-determination as peoples. Jason's PhD project is focused on redefining Indigenous self-determination in Australian public policy, with an emphasis on reconfiguring public policy to respond to Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination and cultural authority. Jason teaches into the public law curriculum.
Jason was previously the Director of Indigenous Legal Education (2021-24) in the Faculty of Law & Justice, where he was responsible for convening and teaching into faculty's Indigenous Pre-Law Program and Foundations Enrichment courses; providing academic, employment, and pastoral care and advice for Indigenous students within the faculty; and leading the Faculty's Indigenous content curriculum review and Indigenous student recruitment initiatives. Jason is deeply passionate about supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to pursue legal education and enter the legal profession. He is currently the Executive Director of Ngalaya Indigenous Corporation, the peak body for First Nations lawyers and law students in NSW and the ACT, and has driven the revitalisation of Ngalaya since 2019. Jason was an Academic Co-Lead of the UNSW Teaching for Equity and Diversity Community of Practice while an Education Focussed Academic (2021-24).
Jason is admitted as a Lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Prior to working at UNSW Law & Justice, he worked as a Research Assistant at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, at the inception of the Towards Truth Project, mapping the impact of Australian law and policy on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout history. He has also previously worked at Legal Aid NSW, Gilbert + Tobin, and Redfern Legal Centre.
Jason is a Wiradjuri man from Central West NSW, with a strong interest in Wiradjuri language revitalisation and the resurgence of Indigenous languages across Australia.
Jason is a Fellow of the Australian Human Rights Institute, and an Associate Fellow of Advance HE.
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- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Jason's research is interdisciplinary, spanning public policy, public law and Indigenous Studies. At the heart of his research is Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination, and Indigenous resurgence through assertions of people and nationhood.
My Teaching
Jason teaches Principles of Public Law and Indigenous Peoples and the Law.
Jason previously convened and taught into UNSW Law and Justice's Indigenous Pre-Law Program, in collaboration with colleagues from the Law Faculty and Nura Gili. Pre-Law is an alternative entry pathway with a focus on developing Indigenous student's core legal thinking skills, and an overview of the Australian legal system and elements of negligence law. He also taught the faculty's Foundations Enrichment courses.