Introducing the 2026 Supreme Court and Exhibition Prize VU awardees
Tania Ziino received this year’s Supreme Court Prize for Victoria University, an honour awarded to the highest academically-performing graduates from 8 universities in Victoria – while Adna Subasic received the Exhibition Prize, which is awarded for the most outstanding Honours thesis papers across Victoria.
Tania Ziino – Supreme Court Prize – Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Tania dreamt of being a lawyer as a child, but it wasn’t until her early fifties that she took the leap.
“I turned 50 and had been made redundant. Initially I wasn’t worried. I had over 30 years’ experience in administration and finance. I’d found that when one door closed another one opened. This time was different; the job market had changed.”
She eventually secured a job but remembers it as a turning point: “I promised myself I would never again be in a position where I felt no control over my future.”
Alongside her full-time job, Tania returned to study, enrolling in the Bachelor of Business at Victoria University as a part-time student, where during one of her first subjects she said 'everything changed.'
“My Business Law lecturer, Stella Pardalis, saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself. She told me I had a flair for law and encouraged me to pursue it. Those simple words of belief changed my path.”
As a law student, Tania made the most of academic resources in and out of class: asking questions and finding support with research and referencing.
As part of her degree, Tania completed a placement at Werribee Magistrates’ Court working with Westjustice, in the family violence area, and with Police Prosecutions at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court.
I used my placement with Westjustice as a chance to find out whether I could handle the realities that come with working in family law. I walked away from the experience even more passionate about wanting to use my legal skills to help.
Right now, Tania is looking forward to being admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria as a practicing solicitor and achieving her dream of becoming a lawyer.
Her long-term goal is to one day have her own legal practice, but in the next few years is looking forward to gaining legal experience.
“Anything is possible if you are prepared to believe in yourself,” she said.
Adna Subasic – Supreme Court Exhibition Prize
Adna also became interested in law at a young age, remembering in high school legal studies “genuinely enjoying understanding how the law operates and impacts people’s lives.”
As a university student, Adna said “studying law opened my eyes to a range of social issues in Australia and around the world."
On placement at Henry Carus & Associates, a personal injury law firm in Melbourne, Adna said she broadened her understanding of legal practice beyond the academic setting and said the experience taught her how to write for practical purposes.
“I became more conscious of communicating with clients in a clear and accessible manner.”
Adna’s Honours thesis 'Exclusion of Indigenous Customary Law in Sentencing and the Over-Representation of Indigenous Australians in the Criminal Justice System’ examined the exclusion of Indigenous customary law from sentencing frameworks in Australia.
My thesis explored the historical denial of Indigenous customary law through colonial doctrines such as Terra Nullius, its treatment in case law,and how the legislative exclusion of Indigenous customary law overlooks substantive equality, culturally informed understanding of culpability, and the circumstances underlying offending.
Referencing Canadian approaches, the thesis explores how structured recognition could contribute to fairer sentencing outcomes in Australia.
Adna is completing her Practical Legal Training placement and hopes to be admitted as a lawyer by October this year. While she’s open to exploring where her career might take her, she’s particularly interested in criminal or family law.
Victoria University Law School Dean, Upeka Perera congratulated both graduates on their achievements. “Tania and Adna have demonstrated exceptional dedication and academic excellence throughout their studies. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and the recognition they have received and we wish them every success as they begin their legal careers.”
