ANU Team 1 came out on top in the grand final of the 2023 ANU Gender Identity + Sexuality Moot. Photo credit: Chloe Hosking
Mooting gives an applied approach to legal reasoning, as well as confidence and humility.
Two teams from The Australian National University (ANU) have battled it out in the grand final of the ANU Gender Identity + Sexuality Moot.
This was the third edition of the mooting competition, which is the first of its kind to focus on the legal issues faced by LGBTQIA+ people and lays bare the law’s ability to mitigate and compound inequality, marginalisation and injustice.
ANU Team 1, comprising of Sophie Quoyle, Chloe Hosking and Florence Yao, took victory overall, with Ms Yao being awarded best speaker. Their nominated charity for the competition’s prizemoney was The Equality Project, a national LGBTIQA+ charity.
A high-powered field of judges oversaw the grand final including: The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, retired justice of the High Court of Australia; Associate Professor Wayne Morgan, Associate Dean (Education) at the ANU College of Law and architect of this year’s problem; and Caitlin Holloway, Associate at Aulich, the sponsoring Canberra law firm. Managing Partner Peter Woodhouse took part in judging of the semi-finals of the moot.
ANU College of Law's Director of Moots and Competitions, James Fisher, said the competition was a great success.
“Mooting gives an applied approach to legal reasoning, as well as confidence and humility. All sorts of things we want emerging jurists to have before they enter practise,” he said.
“[The competition] offers something quite distinct in mooting, particularly in Australia. It is the only moot that focusses on the law as it relates to queer experiences in Australia specifically.”
Mr Fisher said the grand final problem involved the international human rights implications of commercial surrogacy for same-sex couples.
“Thank you to Aulich, the kind sponsors of the competition; Associate Professor Wayne Morgan who is chiefly responsible for a fascinating moot problem; our student volunteers (Michelle and Nirmidha) who shouldered most of the organisational burdens; and all the judges (including The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG) for once again offering their time to assist and inspire the next generation of advocates,” he added.
