Kim Rubenstein
Kim Rubenstein (pronounced "ruben-steen") FAAL FASSA, born 1965, is an Australian legal scholar, legal practitioner, professor, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Rubenstein won the 2013 Edna Ryan award for Leadership for "leading feminist changes in the public sphere" and is a gender equity advocate. In 2020 she became the inaugural Co-Director, Academic of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation at the University of Canberra and a Professor in the University's Faculty of Business, Government and Law.
Rubenstein is one of Australia’s leading experts on citizenship, having written the major text, Australian Citizenship Law, acting as a consultant to government including being appointed a member of the Independent Committee that reviewed the Australian citizenship test in 2008 and appearing as legal counsel in citizenship matters before the Administrative Review Tribunal, Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia. She comments on citizenship and gender matters in print, radio and TV media.
At the 2022 Australian federal election, she was an independent candidate in the Australian Capital Territory for the Australian Senate.
Career
Rubenstein spent 13 years (1993-2006) teaching at the University of Melbourne in constitutional and administrative law, migration law and citizenship law, promoted to Associate Professor in 2005, before moving to the Australian National University to take up a professorship in 2006. During her tenure at the Australian National University Rubenstein taught citizenship law and administrative law, and from 2006-2015 was Director of the Centre for International and Public Law in the ANU College of Law.
In 2011 she was appointed the inaugural Convenor of the ANU Gender Institute, a role she held for two years in addition to her Directorship of the Centre for International and Public Law. In 2012 she was appointed an ANU Public Policy Fellow. Rubenstein became an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University in 2020 after her move to the University of Canberra to take up the position of Co-Director, Academic of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation.
Early life and education
Rubenstein grew up in Melbourne and attended Presbyterian Ladies' College, becoming School Captain in her final year. She completed a Bachelor of Arts/Law (Hons) at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1989 and worked as a solicitor at Corrs from 1989 to 1991. In 1991-1992 Rubenstein undertook an LLM at Harvard University with the support of the Sir Robert Menzies Scholarship, a Fulbright award, and a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Trust award.
Kim For Canberra
On 17 August 2021 Rubenstein announced her intention to run as an independent senate candidate for the Australian Capital Territory in the 2022 Australian federal election and established the Kim for Canberra party.
In January 2022 the Australian Electoral Commission approved Rubenstein's application to form the political party called Kim for Canberra.
Professor Rubenstein ran on a platform of Climate Action, Integrity, Gender Equality, Territory Rights & Uluru Statement from the Heart, with a view to changing the way politics is conducted in Australia.
With thousands of members and supporters, the Kim For Canberra campaign gained much public attention, getting major media coverage as part of a historic attempt to break the major party duopoly in the ACT.
While unsuccessful, the Kim For Canberra party received 12,622 primary votes and a further 30,349 second preference votes.