Stephanie Tonkin is the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Action Law Centre in Melbourne. She also serves as an advisory board member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and as the consumer director of the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria). Her career path is an inspiring journey that begins in commercial law and dives deep into community legal advocacy, illustrating how technical skills can be transferred across fields to create meaningful impacts in social justice.
From Corporate to Community Action and The Wonderful World of Consumer Law
Authors: Joseph Tan & Tiffany Lu
Interviewers: Tiffany Lu & Joseph Tan
Chapter 1: The Vast World of Consumer Law
Consumer Law is focused on ensuring that large businesses play fair and respect consumer rights and guarantees. Whilst at first glance, this area may seem focused on the products we buy, it encompasses much more than this, extending to financial services, loans and insurance.
Stephanie describes Consumer Law as ‘one of the most misunderstood areas of law’, yet, one of the ‘most tangible’. Unlike other areas of law, which can feel far-removed or abstract, Consumer Law touches all of us in a real and pragmatic way. From buying groceries to paying off loans, we interact with Consumer Law every single day.
The Australian Consumer Law sets out our consumer rights and business responsibilities, aiming to protect consumers in their daily dealings. Stephanie highlights the key consumer rights everyone should be aware of:
Goods and services must be fit for purpose and match their description in a sale.
Warranties must last for a reasonable amount of time.
Consumer rights cannot be signed away by contract.
Chapter 2: From Graduating to Giving Back
After completing her law degree, Stephanie began her career at Maddocks, starting as a graduate lawyer and quickly advancing to associate in the public law and governance team. It was during her time at Maddocks that Stephanie started broadening her vision of law by undertaking more pro bono work with mental health legal centres and representing vulnerable clients in hearings before tribunals. These experiences deepened her passion for advocacy and were her entry point into pursuing this work further.
Stephanie eventually reached a crossroads in her career, torn between the liveliness of private law and her passion for pro bono work. She fondly recalls receiving ‘the most random calls’ during her time in private practice—someone calling about a sheep, or some interesting happenings in the library. However, something was missing for her. Private practice, she realised, was often about solving the immediate problem at hand; once the file was closed, so too was the relationship with the client. ‘I was really interested in the bigger picture, like the strategies and policies,’ she reflects. What Stephanie was looking for was the opportunity to stay connected with clients to help prevent similar issues from occurring again.
After agonising over this decision, Stephanie decided to stray from the tried-and-tested path of private practice and embarked on a journey into community legal centres. Over the next decade, Stephanie immersed herself in community legal work, taking on roles at Justice Connect and Brimbank Melton, tackling social and economic problems within the community. One of these initiatives focused on economic abuse—a legally recognised form of abuse where an abuser takes control over another’s finances. Stephanie worked alongside industries and governments to institute reforms that would better their responses to economic abuse and prevent further hidden harm.
This period of time also marked her full entry into the consumer law sector. With the guidance of her mentor, whom she warmly calls a ‘guru’ in the consumer law sector, she deepened her understanding and built connections across government and industry that would amplify her work. Her first major consumer law project was Mortgage Stress Victoria, a service she launched, where they provided free advice to homeowners who were experiencing mortgage pressure.
She also worked on Clean Slate, a prisoner debt initiative at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) to help 122 prisoners manage their debts after transitioning out of prison, and prevent recidivism. This project had a profound impact on the lives of the inmates, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt being waived, and served as a model to further expand this project.
Consumer Action Law Center’s Home and News page.
Chapter 3: Leading the Fight for Fairness
Flash forward to the present, Stephanie leads the Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC) in Melbourne, providing legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals. CALC’s work ranges from representing clients in courts and tribunals to pushing for new laws that protect people from unfair practices. Among the many initiatives at CALC is the National Debt Helpline, which receives tens of thousands of calls each year from Australians seeking financial support and guidance.
As the CEO, Stephanie's responsibilities are vast; whether it’s ensuring her staff are supported or strategising on the distribution of limited funding, her days are a mix of collaboration and advocacy. ‘I do a lot of talking with my team and people in Victoria's government to make sure they know what is happening for normal people in the community. So, taking frontline insights to decision makers and making sure they understand the impact of their decisions on normal people and people who are in difficult situations.’ She engages directly with regulators, banks, businesses, and fellow consumer advocacy leaders, often joining forces on national campaigns. ‘Our consumer advocacy sector is very, very close—tight-knit. We catch up all the time, and there's a lot of information sharing and collaboration.’
However, the work is not without its challenges. Community legal centres often run on limited resources, making it difficult to compete with the salaries offered by private firms or government regulators. Staff are often poached, leaving CALC in search of new recruits. Nevertheless, Stephanie sees a silver lining: ‘We have people working across all of these sectors that we're connected with. There's CALC alumni everywhere, which is so cool.’
Chapter 4: Advice to the Future Generation
For students curious about entering the consumer law space, many pathways are available. Community legal centres offer students and recent graduates volunteering or entry-level positions, providing practical experience and the opportunity to work directly with clients. Beyond these spaces, graduate programs at government regulators and ombudsman services offer exposure to policy, compliance and enforcement work in consumer protection—experiences that would equip participants with knowledge and skills beyond the scope of a traditional law firm.
Having worked in both private firms and community legal centres, Stephanie has a clear perspective on the distinctions between the two environments. In private practice, the culture often revolves around efficiency, while community legal work, though equally demanding, encourages lawyers to look beyond the file in front of them and consider the wider societal impacts. The differences further extend to company structure: private firms typically follow a clear hierarchy and invest in professional development, while community legal centres generally have flatter structures, where new staff quickly take ownership of their own cases. In Stephanie’s opinion, both environments offer rich, though distinct, experiences and opportunities for growth.
Chapter 5: Lessons from a Purpose-driven Career and the Bright Future
Stephanie’s parting advice to young lawyers are both encouraging and pragmatic: finding a mentor who has navigated the path you hope to follow is an invaluable asset that can guide you through your legal journey.
Reflecting on her own decision to leave Maddocks, Stephanie admits she stressed over the ramifications of stepping away from private practice. Now, she recognises there was never a ‘wrong’ career move. Every step, even the detours have the capacity to lead to growth and more opportunities.
To conclude, we asked for Stephanie’s opinions on the future of consumer law and her future goals. She acknowledged that her battle was not over. There is still much reform and work to be completed in the consumer law sector, and a growing demand for assistance in the sector. Yet Stephanie is optimistic that the advent of new technology will help CALC and other community legal centres match this demand. At the time of our interview, CALC was embarking on a new strategy for consumer action and Stephanie was eager to see how this new strategy would pan out to reshape the way they tackle consumer issues.
There’s really no wrong path to take in your career.