Law student Corey Blyth on earning the Rhodes Scholarship

He is the first Indigenous student at UNSW Law & Justice to merit the feted Rhodes Scholarship, and his intention – for now – is to pursue his legal career in NSW. Blyth intends to study a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Master of Public Policy at the university, which reflect his interest in advocacy and public law.

Established in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world’s most prestigious international scholarship programs, open to international students irrespective of gender or area of study.

Blyth’s primary ambitions are specific, personal and necessary: to ensure the jury trial process does not continue to disadvantage Indigenous witnesses with unique socio-linguistic qualities, he intends to advocate for the inclusion of a Mildren direction in NSW law. He also wants to find the balance between Indigenous Australians’ self-determination and accountability in the delivery of policies affecting Indigenous people.

It has been a steady, satisfying, but challenging route from Blyth’s UNSW beginnings in 2019 to now.  He will complete a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNSW this year, having participated in the Pre-Law Program run by the UNSW’s Centre for Indigenous Programs, Nura Gili. In the language of the Eora people, Nura means place and Gili means fire/light. Nura Gili brings together these concepts to create the meaning ‘place of fire and light’.

Blyth tells LSJ, “It is not as though the Rhodes scholarship has been on my mind for years. I did not know much about it and the opportunities it presents until beginning the application process in early June.”

Public law: Blyth’s passion and priority

Blyth has mostly been working in public law positions during his studies, proving himself as an over-achiever from the get-go. His employers have included the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, where Blyth is a paralegal, UNSW as a law tutor, and at the UNSW Centre for Criminology, Law and Justice, where he was a research assistant. His Oxford course choices build upon his existing experience.

“The scholarship covers course and college fees for a minimum of two courses. I intend on studying two taught Masters degrees. The Bachelor of Civil Law starts in October 2025 and is a 10-month commitment. I am interested in studying that degree because my long-term ambition is to become a barrister, and the BCL will provide me with an excellent, albeit challenging, opportunity to improve my skills for that career path.”

The Master of Public Policy which follows is a 12-month course beginning in October 2026.

Blyth says, “That degree relates to my desire to explore how to make the delivery of programs and policies affecting Indigenous people more accountable, whilst also preserving some element of self-determination. Much of my experience is in the public law and in government organisations, so I know that developing further public policy skills will prove useful.”

The Mildren direction in NSW law

Blyth says, “In the short time that I have worked at the ODPP, I have become interested in improving the experience of victims in the criminal justice system. Much attention is directed to offenders, and rightly so, but I feel like victims are sometimes forgotten.

“After learning about how the unique sociolinguistic qualities of some Indigenous people impacts the giving of evidence in an adversarial setting, I discovered the ‘Mildren direction’. It is used in some other states to inform juries about those sociolinguistic qualities so that they may make better decisions, especially when assessing character. It appears to have proven quite successful in doing so but is not yet normalised in NSW.”

The obstacle to introducing this, Blyth suspects, is a harmful misconception and generalisation.

“I think there may be a perception that the Indigenous population in NSW is more gentrified than the Indigenous populations in other states where the direction is used, such as in Western Australia, and that the direction is therefore not needed here. I agree that the direction is not appropriate for every Indigenous person in every situation, but I believe that it should still be regularised as an option. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel by proposing this change – I am simply trying to change the tread on it so that the law can better respond to more varied conditions.”

A historic, prestigious award

The scholarship committee selects candidates based on points accumulated through academic achievements, athletic and community involvement, personal qualities and leadership skills. In 2018, additional criteria included the use of talent and ability to support and care for others. The Rhodes Scholarship is enormously competitive, with only nine scholarships awarded to Australian students each year.

Scholars can study full-time postgraduate courses at Oxford for one to three years, receiving financial support for tuition and living expenses, along with access to Rhodes House facilities. The first Australian Rhodes Scholars travelled to Oxford University in 1904, with selections made across each state and territory each year. Six of the scholarships for Australia are awarded by selection committees based in each state; each elect one Scholar. In addition, a Territories selection committee considers candidates from the Australian Commonwealth Territories; it does not elect a Scholar directly. Each of these seven committees may nominate up to two candidates for consideration by the national Australia-at Large committee, which may award up to three Scholarships. The application process requires written statements, academic records, references, and interviews.

Professor Peter Kanowski is the National Secretary for Australia, Rhodes Scholarships. He says, “The nine Australian Rhodes Scholars elected each year emerge from a demanding selection process in which committees chaired by State Governors and, in 2025, a Justice of the High Court, interview a shortlist of candidates who are assessed as outstanding against selection criteria of academic excellence, community service, energy and leadership.”

“Corey will also be able to draw on the support of a wider First Peoples’ community at Oxford, including many fellow Australians supported at various times by the Aurora Educational Foundation – amongst them, his Rhodes Predecessor and now Tutorial Fellow in Law at Magdalen College, Professor Jordan English.”

Blyth’s individual success, NSW’s long term gain

“I began at UNSW by participating in the Nura Gili Pre-Law program,’ explains Blyth, “and many of my colleagues in that program were also stepping into the law with limited experience in it. I believe my receipt of this scholarship proves that individuals who participate in programs such as these can go on to perform at high levels. There is an excellent cohort of Indigenous law students at UNSW at the moment, and I am already receiving questions from other students about how they too could study abroad.”

Blyth is grateful to the people who mentored and supported him, and for the opportunity to work in public law.

“Public legal organisations are now offering improved internship and paralegal programs that are open to students earlier in their degree. I am a strong advocate for students involving themselves in the law as early as possible,” he says.

“It is important to help gauge where your ambitions lie. I would encourage public legal institutions, and other institutions, to continue offering such programs for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. They have proven hugely beneficial in building the experiences that contributed to my receipt of this scholarship,” he says.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Blyth joins a diverse list of past achievers. From Tony Abbott, cardiologist Gemma Figree, and Booker Prize winning author Richard Flanagan, to accomplished lawyer and public servant, Kenneth Bailey. This year, Catherine Zhou will pursue law as Victoria’s Rhodes Scholar, and Queensland’s Rhodes Scholar Matisse Reed will also study law and public policy. Last year’s Rhodes Scholar from ANU, Lillian Ireland will be one year into her postgraduate environmental and climate justice-oriented studies, and Sam Goldberg from The University of Sydney Law School will also be midway through his Bachelor of Civil Law.

Nearly 8000 Rhodes Scholars have served in key legal and government positions, education, the arts, NGOs, commerce, research, journalism, and science. There’s an intimidating precedent set for newly announced Rhodes Scholars, but there is no sense that Blyth feels the weight of history. He’s looking to the future, and it is open wide.

Top image: Corey Blyth (far right) with fellow Rhodes Scholar recipients