Anika Baset (she/her)

Anika holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University, where she graduated with a university medal, and a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne.

Before joining CPI, Anika was a practising lawyer focusing on human rights and public law. She has worked on advancing the rights of people with disabilities and mental illness, on economic and social rights as a legal aid lawyer, on children’s rights in the United Kingdom, at a war crimes trial in Cambodia, and on environmental rights and conflict resolution in the Middle East.

With experience working across various levels of government in Australia throughout her career, Anika has developed a nuanced understanding and sound judgment of the contexts in which government operates and the communities they serve. She approaches her work with empathy, compassion and a longstanding dedication to social justice and equity.

Anika is passionate about CPI’s mission to reimagine government so that it works better for everyone. She says that “everyone” is the critical word, as we need to challenge existing assumptions about whose voices are included and whose are not.

In her leisure time, Anika enjoys hiking, meditation, writing, travel and rummaging through vintage stores with her partner.

Anika’s works include:

• “Concerning trends on Australia’s compliance with the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”, Australian Journal of Human Rights, October 2023
• “Addressing climate change through the right to an adequate standard of living, Open Global Rights, August 2023
• “No penalties for slavery”, Law Institute Journal, December 2018
•  “Facing a double ceiling”, Law Institute Journal, March 2018
•  “Time to reflect the community”, Law Institute Journal, April 2017