Monash University Notable Alumni

Former finance minister of Malaysia Lim Guan Eng was no stranger to politics as a child, being the son of politician Lim Kit Siang. Educated in Malaysia and Australia, Eng had initially begun his career as a banker. He has faced a number of legal issues, including charges of corruption.

Australian actor Timothy Conigrave began his career performing on stage and later wrote plays such as The Blitz Kids. He is remembered for his United Nations Award for Non-Fiction award-winning memoir, Holding the Man, which documented his 15-year love affair with John Caleo. Conigrave later died of AIDS.

Daniel Andrews is an Australian politician who is currently serving as the premier of Victoria. He has been the leader of the Labor Party in Victoria since 2010. Prior to this, he worked as a research and political officer. He is a popular politician, and he received praise for his leadership during the 2019–20 Victorian bushfires and the Covod-19 pandemic. 

Bill Shorten is an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 2013 to 2019. He was also the Leader of the Opposition during this period. He is considered a senior figure in the right faction of the Labor Party. He studied law at Monash University and pursued a legal career before joining politics. 

Tim Flannery is an Australian paleontologist, mammalogist, environmentalist, explorer, conservationist, and public scientist. Tim Flannery is credited with discovering over 30 mammal species. He is also credited with co-founding Climate Council, a non-profit organization that aims at providing accurate information on climate change to the Australian public. In 2007, Tim Flannery was named Australian of the Year.

Peter Costello is an Australian former politician and lawyer. From 1996 to 2007, Costello served as the Treasurer of Australia, becoming the longest-serving Australian Treasurer in history. Costello had an illustrious political career; from 1990 to 2009 he was an important member of the House of Representatives and from 1994 to 2007, he served as the Liberal Party's Deputy Leader.

A qualified engineer, David Williamson taught mechanical engineering and then social psychology, before he took up writing full-time. The famous playwright and screenwriter gained recognition with the absurdist film The Removalists and plays such as Heretic. He has won multiple Australian Film Institute Awards for his screenplays.

Apart from being a successful barrister, Melbourne-based Julian Burnside, now a Living National Treasure, is also a famed human rights activist. A lover of the arts, he is a passionate collector of paintings and sculptures and has also chaired Chamber Music Australia. An author too, he has penned a children’s book.

Mick Dodson is an Aboriginal Australian barrister and academic. He is a member of the Yawuru people of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1974, he became the first Indigenous person to graduate with a law degree in Australia. He has worked as a criminal solicitor and is a legal adviser in native title and human rights. 

Paul Leyden is an Australian actor, screenwriter, and producer best known for his portrayal of Simon Frasier in the popular American television soap opera As the World Turns. He has also appeared on popular shows like The Young and the Restless.

Linden Hall is an Australian athlete who specializes in middle-distance running events. Hall represented Australia at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. In the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Linden Hall qualified for the final of the 1500 m race, finishing sixth with a personal best time. She has also represented Australia in other international competitions, including the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Udaya Gammanpila is a Sri Lankan politician, computer engineer, and lawyer. He is best known for his service as the Minister of Energy from 12 August 2020 to 3 March 2022. A prominent political figure, Udaya Gammanpila has also served as the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, Industries and Environment for the Western Province.

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi is a Zimbabwean diplomat and politician. He is the current Senior Advisor to the President of Zimbabwe. An important political leader, Mumbengegwi served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 15 April 2005 to 9 October 2017. In 2017, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi was the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs for a brief period.

Initially an academic who taught at various Australian universities and SOAS, Soe Tjen Marching later focused on her writing career, penning poems, short stories, and novels. She has also been an internationally renowned and award-winning composer of avant-garde music. Her research interests include languages, gender studies, and Indonesian politics.