Dr Ben Gauntlett

Dr Ben Gauntlett commenced his 5 year term as Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission on May 7, 2019. As Disability Discrimination Commissioner he hopes to change the way people with disability are perceived in Australia, remove barriers to people with disability participating in society and ensure people with disability’s human rights are respected.

Prior to commencing as Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Ben worked as a barrister in Western Australia and Victoria with a broad ranging practice, which included a significant amount of pro bono work. He has also worked as an associate to the Honourable Justice Kenneth Hayne AC at the High Court of Australia, as Counsel Assisting the Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth, a solicitor for a large commercial law firm and taught law in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Ben initially studied Medicine after high school but changed into Law. He holds undergraduate degrees in Law (Hons) and Commerce from the University of Western Australia, and was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship for Western Australia in 2003. He also holds a Master of Laws from New York University and a D.Phil. in Law from the University of Oxford.

In 2015, Ben completed the Perth to Rottnest swim in a team with three friends.