About the RAP Program

The RAP Program is an 18-month program, running from late April 2022, until approximately September 2023.

Each program cycle we recruit between 15 to 20 early-career lawyers and law students, activists and emerging advocacy leaders and provide them with intensive training and capacity building to equip them with the skills, knowledge and tools to undertake strategic advocacy and law reform. Each program advocate is placed in one of three or four teams. Each team is focused on a particular area of law or rights issue. Working in these teams, program advocates will have the opportunity to tackle social justice issues they are passionate about, under the supervision and guidance of two experienced human rights thinkers and leaders.

What will you learn?

Our program offers an introduction to all aspects of social change - from strategic advocacy to political and stakeholder engagement, campaigning, messaging and media strategy. Over 18 months, as part of the program, program advocates will have the opportunity to develop, research and deliver a law reform campaign across criminal justice reform, refugee and asylum seeker rights or equality and government accountability. The project provides program advocates with the opportunity to be part of strategic law reform and impact-driven advocacy. 

Our program encourages program advocates to:

• clearly identify the problem and the proposed solution;

• ensure their project idea is unique, and adds value;

• think strategically about how they might achieve change on their chosen social justice issue; 

• develop key messages about the problem they want to solve;

• think creatively about how to communicate those messages to a particular target audience, through a variety of platforms; and

• ensure that they are inclusive of people with lived experience and affected communities of the issues they work on.

In the past, our program advocates have:

• Been part of the campaign that successfully saw the Victorian Parliament vote to establish a spent convictions scheme.

• Advocated for fairer bail laws in Victoria which see a disproportionate amount of women and Indigenous people kept in remand unnecessarily.

• Lobbied State and Territory governments to reform the unpredictable, disparate and often conflicting access to essential services for refugees and people seeking asylum living in Australia.

• Presented at conferences in Tasmania and Queensland about the problems with prosecutorial discretion in Victoria's diversion scheme.

• Called on the Victorian Mental Health Minister to make mixed mental health wards safer for women and non-binary folk.

• Sought to curtail the Immigration Minister's broad, discretionary God-like powers.

• Developed a website which allowed commuters to understand their rights when faced with $75 on-the-spot fines, which resulted in on the spot fines being abolished.

• And will soon be launching our latest report calling for menstrual leave in the workplace.

Read more about our work on First Nations justice, criminal justice reform, refugee rights and equality and government accountability.

Through our program, we also hope to build a community that will extend beyond the project, a community that continues to reimagine legal practice and our role as lawyers and activists and uses the law as a tool for social change.

What is the program structure?

The program runs for 18 months from late April 2022, until approximately September 2023.

We are recruiting program advocates for the following teams:

• criminal justice reform (with a focus on race and police powers to stop and search);

• refugees and asylum seeker rights;

• equality and government accountability 

Each team will comprise four to six volunteers, two supervisors and a project coordinator from the RAP Steering Committee. The teams are largely self-directed and program advocates are responsible for producing their project work.

Supervisors will provide guidance, direction and advice in the development of the project, and will review and provide feedback on project work. A project coordinator from the RAP Steering Committee acts as the key contact point and team support throughout the program. Liberty Victoria is also involved in providing regular feedback and signing off on projects.

What is the time commitment of the program?

The RAP Program is an intensive training and skills building program.

We expect program advocates to commit to the program from late April 2022, until approximately September 2023. We expect that program advocates will spend on average at least 5 hours per week on their project.

All workshops and webinars are compulsory. 

The key dates for the 2022-2023 program are listed below. There are three full-day workshops throughout the program and two evening webinars. This training is compulsory. Before you apply, please make sure you can attend all workshops and evening webinars. We cannot accept applications where an applicant is unable to attend all compulsory training.

The key dates for the program are:

Currently, full day training workshops will be held in person in the Melbourne CBD, and weekday webinar sessions will be held online in the evenings outside of work hours. There is flexibility for the workshops to be transitioned online as needed because of COVID-19. The RAP Steering Committee will be responsive to the current situation.

We expect teams to meet at least monthly throughout the program. Monthly (optional) working bees are scheduled throughout the program. This time is set aside for teams to use as needed.

We expect teams to provide three reports to the Steering Committee on their progress: a proposal for their project at project update night (at 3 months in July 2022), a halfway progress report (at 6 months in October 2022) and a final report (at 18 months in September 2023). 

The week-to-week time commitment can vary over the 18 months of the program. We expect that program advocates will spend at least on average 5 hours per week on their project. The project is designed for program advocates to work on their project in their own time.  In the first few months of the program, where teams are developing their project, it can be particularly intense. The final months of the program can also be intense as teams gear towards launching their law reform campaign. The program is designed to be self-directed, and requires program advocates who are self-motivated and work well in teams. We encourage teams to finalise their projects within 18 months, however projects may extend beyond this time. 

Who are the organisers?

Our program is facilitated by a dedicated Steering Committee with support from our Rights Advocacy Project Officer. The Steering Committee is in charge of recruitment, liaising with Liberty Victoria, monitoring team progress, and assisting with projects as needed. Meet our Steering Committee.

Workshops and training sessions are taught by human rights leaders and thinkers with diverse expertise and skill sets in strategic advocacy and law reform.

Who is the program for?

Any law students, early career lawyers, activists, policy and emerging advocacy leaders interested in learning how to use law to create social change.

We are looking for people who are committed to social justice, are enthusiastic, are motivated, enjoy group work, have a demonstrated ability to engage in analysis of law or policy, can respond quickly to changes in the political and media landscape and can think strategically and creatively about law reform.

Some legal knowledge or experience is essential. 

Experience in human rights advocacy, writing law reform submissions, managing events, producing publications, running social media campaigns or making educational videos is desirable, but not essential. 

We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as First Nations, Black or a person of colour, members of the LGBTIQA+ community, persons with disabilities, people from low income backgrounds and people who have lived experience of the criminal justice system. This space is for you. We value lived experience and strongly believe communities impacted by the laws and policies we seek to change must be centred in the work we do. If you meet most but not all of the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply.

What does the program cost?

The program is free. 

We make a lot of change on a small budget. If you can make a donation to help us cover the costs of the program, your contribution will have a big impact. Would you like to make a donation? All donations are separate to the application process.

How to apply?

Applications for the program have been extended and will now close at midnight on Sunday 13 March.

Shortlisted candidates will be notified in late March. We will conduct 10-15 minute phone or video interviews with shortlisted candidates between the end of March and early April. Successful applicants will be notified by email mid-April.

Do you want to know more? Did you miss out on our info night in February? Register for our final session before applications close.

We’re running a second info night on Monday 7 March from 6:30pm to 7:30pm via Zoom to answer all your questions about the program. You’ll get the chance to hear from our recent alumni and meet some of the Steering Committee crew.

Can’t attend the session? Send us an email at rap@libertyvictoria.org.au with your questions.

I missed out on being selected for the RAP Program. What can I do?

RAP is run by a volunteer Steering Committee of about 10-15 people, most of whom are former RAP program advocates. We’re currently on the lookout for a Treasurer and a Fundraising Manager. Apply here if that’s you!

Liberty Victoria is also always on the lookout for volunteers to contribute to the organisation. Liberty Victoria is one of Australia’s leading civil liberties organisations and has been working to defend and extend human rights and freedoms in Victoria since 1936. Liberty is an independent non-government organisation that is run primarily by volunteers who are barristers, academics or civil liberties advocates and who contribute to advocacy and law reform on human rights issues. For more information, see: www.libertyvictoria.org,au. If you’ve got some spare time and would like to know more about ways you can help, please register your interest with info@libertyvictoria.org.au. 

Also note that we would welcome your application to the RAP program next time around, in early 2024!