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Hear Me Out, a UNSW-developed legal self-help tool, has been recognised by the Australian Web Awards as 2025’s Most Innovative Website.

A legal platform that UNSW’s Kaldor Centre created in partnership with the National Justice Project and Portable Australia has won Most Innovative Website at the .

The category is judged by leading practitioners and acknowledges experimentation and transformation in web technology.

is one of the world’s first generative AI legal self-help tools. The free, user-friendly website helps people understand and exercise their legal rights to lodge a formal complaint. The platform is an initiative of the non-profit human rights legal firm , and was developed in partnership with the and .

Increasing access to justice

The Director of UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Professor Daniel Ghezelbash, said he hopes the award would increase awareness of the platform.

“Direct to the public legal self-help tools like Hear Me Out are game changers,” Prof. Ghezelbash said. “They empower people to effectively navigate the legal system, helping them understand what sort of legal problem they have and where they can go to get assistance.

“What underpins this whole project is this really collaborative approach that we have,” Prof. Ghezelbash said. “The more people we can get on board to work with us – and to use the platform – the more impact we're going to have.” 

There are more than 300 complaint bodies Australia wide, including the Human Rights Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and various federal and state ombudsmen, making it complicated and time-consuming to lodge an issue and seek resolution. Hear Me Out enables users to access a conversational, AI-powered platform to check where to make a complaint and how.

Most complaints lodged through the app so far relate to human rights, police, legal, and discrimination complaints, along with consumer rights.

National Justice Project’s CEO George Newhouse said the award recognised the powerful work of the platform. "This award is welcome validation for the Hear Me Out project,” he said. “Especially the importance of having a user-friendly website to help people gain access to justice."

Expanding legal services

Hear Me Out launched in New South Wales in March, and plans are in place to expand into Victoria by the end of the year, with other locations to follow. Work is also underway to offer the platform in languages other than English and increase user functions.

“The one I'm most excited about is the actual complaint writing tool,” Prof. Ghezelbash said. “So, not only will the platform find or help to direct you to the appropriate complaints body, but it will also leverage the power of generative AI to help you draft a complaint that meets the specific requirements of each complaint body.”

The Principal Product Strategist at Portable, Luke Thomas, said the Australian Web Award was an honour. “It is proof that when you listen deeply and design with care, you don’t just make good digital services – you create something that empowers, informs, and makes a difference in people’s lives. That’s what we’re here to do," he said.

AI is increasingly prevalent in the legal sector, and Prof. Ghezelbash said it’s important ensure equal access. “At the heart of what I'm focusing on with Hear Me Out and across other projects, is, how do we leverage technology to make it open to everyone?”

Disclaimer: Hear Me Out is owned and operated by the National Justice Project. UNSW is not responsible for any legal information provided by the platform.