Nyadol Nyuon seeks $150,000 to support herself before leaving Australia in 2027
Refugee advocate and lawyer Nyadol Nyuon, who received the Order of Australia Medal in 2022 for her work on refugee issues, has launched a GoFundMe seeking $150,000 to support herself until she leaves Australia in mid-2027, when she plans to renounce her citizenship. In 2025, she resigned from her role as director of Victoria University's Sir Zelman Cowen Centre, citing experiences of systemic racism, poor working conditions and mental exhaustion, and claiming the institution used her as "corporate blackface".
Nyuon, 39, was born in an Ethiopian refugee camp and arrived in Australia aged 18 after her family fled civil war in Sudan, receiving multiple scholarships to complete her law degree. She has been unable to work for nearly two years and now faces accumulated bills and a mortgage in arrears. She previously headed an $800,000 taxpayer-funded diversity project at Victoria University, which she later described as involving racist and psychologically harmful conduct from both the university and WorkSafe Victoria.
- Refugee advocate who received Order of Australia Medal seeks $150,000 to leave Australia in 2027
- Claims Victoria University's diversity initiative caused systemic racism and mental exhaustion
- Financially struggling after two years unable to work; mortgage in arrears
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Nyadol Nyuon is a refugee advocate and lawyer who received the Order of Australia Medal in 2022 for her work supporting asylum seekers. Born in an Ethiopian refugee camp, she came to Australia aged 18 after her family fled the civil war in Sudan, and she went on to complete a law degree with multiple scholarships.
Nyuon recently resigned from her position as director of the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre at Victoria University in 2025. She cited systemic racism, poor working conditions and mental exhaustion as reasons for leaving, and later described experiencing racist and psychologically harmful conduct from both the university and WorkSafe Victoria.
Since leaving Victoria University, Nyuon has been unable to work for nearly two years and now faces severe financial hardship, including a mortgage in arrears and accumulated bills. She has launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking $150,000 to support herself until mid-2027, when she plans to renounce her Australian citizenship and leave the country.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Nyuon is an accomplished refugee advocate and lawyer whose professional standing, evidenced by her Order of Australia Medal, lends credibility to her serious allegations about systemic racism and workplace harm at Victoria University. Institutional failures in addressing discrimination often leave individuals with limited options through formal channels, making community support a reasonable and dignified response to injustice. Her decision to seek a fresh start elsewhere reflects a rational prioritisation of wellbeing and represents a loss to Australia that goes beyond one individual's circumstances.
The case against
Whilst Nyuon's professional achievements are genuine, the public currently understands events only through her account, with the university and other parties not having provided substantive responses. Someone with her legal qualifications and professional background might reasonably be expected to have pathways to formal remedies, alternative employment, or other institutional support, making the resort to crowdfunding somewhat unusual and potentially inviting questions about what alternative approaches have been explored. Her plan to renounce citizenship and permanently leave Australia suggests the situation encompasses broader personal considerations, and potential supporters might reasonably seek fuller understanding of the context before contributing.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Refugee given three scholarships to complete university in Australia before saying she would renounce her citizenship asks for $150,000 in donations so she can ‘recover’ until she leaves the country next year”.