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Dr Lisa Ewenson

Dr Lisa Ewenson

Research Associate

BA (Hons 1st) / LLB (Hons) - University of Melbourne
BSW - Charles Sturt University
MA SocSci (IntDev) - RMIT
PhD - RMIT

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Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
School of Built Environment

Dr Lisa Ewenson is a researcher within the HowWeSurvive initiative and has a professional background in both law and social work. Prior to academia, her work centred around the protection and promotion of human rights, including within youth justice and immigration detention settings. Lisa's doctoral research involved narrative inquiry with children and young people recently released from youth justice detention in NSW. Lisa's current research is concerned with disaster recovery for marginalised groups across Australia, including a focus on the right to adequate housing for older women impacted by disasters, as well as the role of social work in disaster recovery processes.

Lisa is Chief Investigator of theÌýSocial Workers and Disaster Management across AustraliaÌýproject (UNSW HREC#7331). In collaboration with the Yuwaya Ngarra-li team (UNSW), and as led by the Dharriwaa Elders Group and the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, LisaÌýis Chief Investigator (with 10 other Investigators) of theÌýWalgett Disasters Response and Recovery ProjectÌý(NSW AHMRC HREC#2311/24).
E-mail
lisa.ewenson@unsw.edu.au
Location
Level 3 Anita Lawrence Building
  • Book Chapters | 2023
    Ewenson L, 2023, 'Contemporary Youth Detention Experiences in New South Wales', in Clancey G; Lulham R (ed.), Youth Crime, Youth Justice and Children's Courts (in NSW), LexisNexis, Sydney,
  • Journal articles | 2025
    Ewenson L; Corby C; Hickey V; Spencer W; MacGillivray P; McCausland R, 2025, 'Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations and disaster response.', Alternative Law Journal,
    Journal articles | 2025
    Ewenson L; Sanderson D, 2025, 'The Right to Adequate Housing in Australia: Community-Based 
Disaster Management and Social Work Advocacy', The International Journal of Community and Social Development,
    Journal articles | 2025
    Ewenson L, 2025, 'Law & Culture, Book Review of: A Children's Rights Assessment of Juvenile Detention in Australia, by Anita Mackay', Alternative Law Journal,
    Journal articles | 2025
    Ewenson L, 2025, 'Why is social work under-recognised by the disaster management sector within Australia and what can be done about this?', Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 40, pp. 7 - 11,
    Journal articles | 2025
    Ewenson L, 2025, 'Women and Housing After the Lismore Floods (Australia)–A Relational Rights-Based Approach', Affilia,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Human rights tools are a key lever to address climate change-accelerated disasters', Australian Journal of Emergency Management, pp. 138 - 139,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Learning from disaster inquiries and other reporting: How top-down responses erode community recovery', Alternative Law Journal,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Lived experiences of youth justice detention in Australia: reframing the institution in a decarcerated state.', Australian Journal of Human Rights,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Research With Young People Released From Youth Justice Detention in Australia: Ethical Tensions and Practical Limitations During a Pandemic', Youth Justice,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Teaching human rights-based social work in Australia–drawing from practice experiences in diverse environments', Social Work Education, ahead-of-print, pp. 1 - 9,
    Journal articles | 2021
    Ewenson L; Naylor B, 2021, 'Protecting human rights in youth detention: listening to the voices of children and young people in detention', Australian Journal of Human Rights, 27, pp. 97 - 119,
  • Conference Presentations | 2025
    Ewenson L, 2025, 'Women and Housing after the Lismore Floods: A Relational Rights-Based Approach.', presented at Australasian Housing Researchers Conference, University of Sydney, 19 February 2025 - 21 February 2025,
    Conference Presentations | 2024
    Ewenson L, 2024, 'Enablers for Attaining the Right to Adequate Housing in an Australian Disaster Recovery Context - A Macro EcoSocial Work Approach', presented at 10th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia, 19 November 2024 - 22 November 2024,
    Other | 2023
    Ewenson L, 2023, Children's Rights and Participation in Youth Justice Systems: An International Perspective - Webinar Panelist, ,
    Conference Presentations | 2022
    Ewenson L, 2022, 'Narrating the youth detention experience in NSW, Australia', presented at Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology, Darwin, 28 November 2022 - 30 November 2022,
    Theses / Dissertations | 2022
    Ewenson L, 2022, Children Must Be Heard When They Cannot Be Seen. An Analysis of Youth Justice Detention in Contemporary Australia - External Oversight Mechanisms, Children's Rights and the Capabilities Approach., Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT,
    Conference Presentations | 2021
    Ewenson L, 2021, 'An analysis of youth justice detention in contemporary Australia.', presented at 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Social Work Conference, Brisbane & on-line, 11 November 2021 - 13 November 2021,
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Ewenson L, 2019, 'Children must be heard when they cannot be seen. An analysis of youth justice detention.', presented at The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Sydney, 25 November 2019 - 29 November 2023,
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Ewenson L, 2004, 'Discussion Paper on the Ethics of the Use of Motivational Interviewing with Involuntary Clients', presented at Global Social Work Congress - Reclaiming Civil Society, Adelaide,, 02 October 2004 - 04 November 2004,

Australian Government Research Training Program. PhD Scholarship 2018 - 2022
Persia Porter Award. Australian Red Cross 2015
Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Research Grant Award 2025
Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Seed Funding Research Grant 2025
School of Built Environment, Conference Support Funding Award 2025

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Admitted as a legal practitioner to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.Ìý
Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
Editorial Board member, the Alternative Law Journal.
Member of the National Research Committee for the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Lisa is a peer reviewer for theÌýAustralian Journal of Human Rights, the Alternative Law Journal,ÌýtheÌýAustralian Journal of Emergency Management,ÌýSocial Work Education-The International Journal, QUT's Centre for Justice Briefing PapersÌýandÌýAustralian Social Work.
Wellbeing Co-Champion - Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (UNSW).
Associate of the Australian Human Rights Institute.

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