Madeleine Perrett

Madeleine Perrett

Higher Degree by Research Candidate

Adelaide Law School

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Available For Media Comment.

Madeleine Perrett is a PhD Candidate at the Adelaide Law School whose research explores federalism as a constitutional pathway for Indigenous structural reform and political empowerment in Australia. She is particularly focused on treaty federalism - a model that integrates treaties within federal systems - and is critically assessing its viability in the Australian context, where no pre-existing treaties exist. Her work engages with comparative experiences in Canada and the United States to inform discussion on Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and nationhood.
 
Madeleine was awarded the Law Foundation Fellowship (2025) to undertake the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Arizona, United States of America, deepening her comparative analysis of Indigenous constitutional design and governance. She also holds the Zelling-Gray Supplementary Scholarship, supporting her throughout her candidature.
 
Alongside her research, Madeleine is an Associate Teacher in the School of Law. She teaches across Aboriginal Peoples and the Law, Constitutional Law, Public Law, Criminal Law, Foundations of Law, and Statutory Interpretation. She also serves as the International Student Support Tutor for the Adelaide Law School, supporting academic success for diverse cohorts. She was awarded the Adelaide Law School's Excellence in Sessional Teaching Award in 2025.
 
Madeleine also served as the HDR Representative for the Adelaide Law School (2024 - 2025), earning the Outstanding HDR Student Representative (2024) and Student Leadership Influence Award (2025) for her contributions to student advocacy and leadership. 
 
Madeleine was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2022. Her professional experience includes roles as Counsel at the Australian Government Solicitor (Office of General Counsel) and Judicial Associate at the District Court of South Austsralia, as well as positions at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (SA) and Piper Alderman (SA).
 
She contributes to the profession and academia through committee and research roles, including the John Bray Alumni Network, where she leads the Continuing Legal Education Subcommittee, the South Australian Chapter of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law, and University research units: Public Law and Policy Research Unit (PLPRU) and Environmental and Natural Resources Law Research Unit (ENREL).
 
Madeleine graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide, was named Valedictorian for the Faculty of Arts and Professions (2021), and received the MF and PJ Manetta Prize for her Honours thesis on federal coordination during COVID-19.

Madeleine is a public law scholar with a keen focus on the impact of government powers on marginalised and vulnerable groups of society. She has interests in all aspects of public law, constitutional law, and criminal law.

Her PhD research explores federalism as a pathway to realising Indigenous aspirations for structural reform and political empowerment in Australia. It contributes to broader conversations on how states governing Indigenous Peoples' traditional lands can respond to their distinct aspirations. Focusing on sovereignty, self-determination, and nationhood, her research engages directly with Indigenous scholarship to identify and analyse these aspirations, considering both areas of agreement and divergence. Federalism is then used as a theoretical framework to evaluate whether treaty federalism, or a combination of treaties and federal structures, can provide a viable pathway for reform. Through this analysis, the paper assesses federalism’s capacity to accommodate Indigenous governance systems and distinct identities.

Prizes and Awards

  • Madeleine was awarded a University Student Award (2025) - Student Leadership Influence Award.
  • Madeleine was awarded the title of Teaching Associate in the School of Law (2025).
  • Madeleine was awarded an Adelaide Law School Award (2025) - Excellence in Sessional Teaching Award Semester 1, 2025.
  • Madeleine was awarded an ABLE HDR Excellence Award (2025) - Education Excellence.
  • Madeleine was awarded a University Award (2024) - Outstanding HDR Representative.
  • Madeleine was a Finalist for a University Award (2024) - Research Excellence and Impact: Outstanding Mentorship.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - 2025 Research Assistant University of Adelaide
    2024 - ongoing Higher Degree by Research Representative (Adelaide Law School) University of Adelaide
    2024 - ongoing International Student Support Tutor University of Adelaide
    2024 - 2025 Research Assistant University of South Australia
    2024 - ongoing Sessional Teacher University of Adelaide
    2024 - ongoing Sessional Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2023 - 2024 Counsel Australian Government Solicitor
    2022 - 2023 Judicial Associate District Court of South Australia
    2021 - 2022 Summer Law Clerk Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
    2021 - 2021 Research Assistant University of Adelaide
    2020 - 2021 Law Clerk Piper Alderman

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2018 - 2021 The University of Adelaide Australia LLB (Hons)

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    2022 Admission to Legal Practice Supreme Court of South Australia Australia
    2022 Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice College of Law Australia

  • Research Interests
    Constitutional Law Criminal law Public law Comparative Law Political Science & Public Administration Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the law Administrative Law

Madeleine received the Law Foundation Fellowship 2025 ($25,000) to undertake the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Arizona, United States.

In support of her PhD research, Madeleine received the following grants:

  • Zelling Gray Supplementary Scholarship (2024 - 2027) ($24,000)
  • Baker Scholarship in Law (2025) ($10,000)

 

Current courses

Madeleine currently teaches into the following courses at the University of Adelaide:

LAW 3505 Aboriginal Peoples and the Law

LAW 1504 Principles of Public Law

LAW 1501 Foundations of Law

Previous courses 

Madeleine has previously taught into the following courses at the University of Adelaide:

LAW 2501 Constitutional Law

LAW 2599 Criminal Law

LAW 2566 Statutory Interpretation

LAW 3505 Aboriginal Peoples and the Law

LAW 1504 Principles of Public Law

LAW 1501 Foundations of Law

  • Mentoring
    Date Topic Location Name
    2023 - 2024 Fourth and Fifth Year Law Courses John Bray Alumni Network Mentorship Program Atiu Madut
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