Lizzie O'Shea

Lizzie O’Shea is an Australian lawyer, activist and writer. Her 2019 book, Future Histories, looks at radical social movements and theorists from history and applies them in service of a more democratic digital tomorrow. It was shortlisted for the Premier’s Literary Award in Victoria.

Lizzie is a founder and the current chair of Digital Rights Watch, which advocates for freedom and fundamental rights online. She has worked with lawyers, journalists and activists to establish a Copwatch program in Australia, for which she was a recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Prize. In June 2019, she was named a Human Rights Hero by Access Now for her work defending encryption.

As a lawyer, Lizzie has worked for many years on strategic public interest litigation. She was proud to represent the Fertility Control Clinic in their battle to stop harassment of their staff and patients by anti-abortionists, as well as the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of Muckaty Station, in their successful attempt to stop a nuclear waste dump being built on their land. At present, she is representing 8,000 clients in a class action against Uber, which is set to be the largest case of its kind in Australian history.