Dr Justin McCaul knows what it’s like to have a career change. A descendent of the Mbarbarum Traditional Owners of far north Queensland, Justin graduated from his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Law at The Australian National University (ANU) in July.
“My thesis examined the link between native title, deliberative democracy and democratic participation for Aboriginal people. I examined how the recognition of native title in Australia created an unintended ‘deliberative democratic’ space for Aboriginal people to contest public policy, enter into agreements with governments and rebuild Indigenous governance,” says Justin.
Following his graduation, Justin is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the ANU College of Law, focusing on native title, Indigenous rights as well as legal and political theory.
However, a PhD wasn’t always the plan. Before commencing his doctoral studies at ANU in 2019, Justin had 20 years of work experience in Indigenous policy, advocacy and international development. He also found the time to complete a Master of Global Media Communication at the University of Melbourne in 2018.
Over his expansive career, Justin has worked with both the Australian Conservation Foundation and Bush Heritage Australia managing environmental and cultural heritage projects, mostly in northern Australia with native title holders in areas such as Cape York Peninsula, Arnhem Land and the Kimberley.
Justin was also the National Manager of Oxfam Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strai Islander Peoples Program focusing on policy and advocacy in relation to Indigenous health and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.
Internationally, Justin has also worked with both UNDP and the World Bank in Cambodia on rural development and biodiversity conservation projects with Indigenous groups in northeast Cambodia.
Before commencing as a PhD candidate in 2019, Justin was a researcher at the National Native Title Council looking at the challenges registered native title bodies corporate face in utilising their native title rights for economic development.
“I’d just finished my master’s degree at the University of Melbourne and felt that I wanted to go further and complete a PhD. The idea of doing a PhD had been with me for some time but it was a matter of when I could do it really. I’d always been interested in research and ideas even in my time as a public policy advocate, so it was very appealing to think that by doing a PhD, I could get to follow my own research ideas.”
Like all doctoral candidates, Justin faced some inevitable challenges along the way.
“My biggest concern was trying to tie all my thoughts together as I got closer to submission. A PhD is a long time to work on a single piece of work and your thinking can frequently change and be influenced by other ideas and scholars. I found that bringing my PhD to a conclusion rather than introducing new ideas and arguments was definitely a challenge.”
Nonetheless, Justin enjoyed the challenge of his PhD. A firm highlight for him was receiving the support of his colleagues and seeing them be genuinely happy for him as he finished his PhD.
None were more supportive than his supervisor, Professor Ron Levy.
“My supervisor Professor Levy was the most influential in both helping me to articulate my ideas and arguments and helping me manage my nerves and concerns as I got closer to submission.”
As a proud Indigenous man, Justin encourages Indigenous students and working professionals to consider postgraduate study.
“Given I am Indigenous, my advice to Indigenous students would be to think about doing postgraduate study because there are many gaps in knowledge that need to be filled to better explain the experiences of Indigenous people with law, governance and democracy.”
Looking to upskill, grow professionally or seek a career change? Download our Postgraduate Law Guide.
Article written by Pamela Hutchinson.
