2 October 2026
Her Excellency the Honourable Caroline Wells, Governor of Tasmania, was today delighted to announce Ash Burke as Tasmania’s Rhodes Scholar for 2027 at a special afternoon tea at Government House.
The Rhodes Scholarship supports outstanding all-round students to study at the University of Oxford and aims to nurture public-spirited leaders for the future.
As Chair of the Tasmanian Selection Committee, Her Excellency acknowledged the accomplishments of all six applicants interviewed for the Scholarship this year.
“Each candidate distinguished themselves through their outstanding academic results as well as their extensive achievements outside the classroom, making the Committee’s deliberations particularly difficult,” Her Excellency said.
“I congratulate Mr Burke on being named Tasmania’s Rhodes Scholar for 2027, and wish every applicant continued success in their future studies and careers.”
Mr Burke, from Hobart, holds a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Tasmania. He was recently admitted as a lawyer following the completion of his Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice.
He said it was a privilege to be named Tasmania’s Rhodes Scholar-elect and that he was looking forward to studying a Bachelor of Civil Law and a MPhil in Law at the University of Oxford.
“I hope to gain the skills and knowledge from these courses to then become a barrister, specialising in precedent setting litigation, to set landmark cases that can affect the rights of thousands of Australians,” Mr Burke said.
In addition to each State and Territory selecting a Rhodes Scholar, the Rhodes Trust also selects ‘Australia-at-Large’ Scholars, with each State and Territory able to nominate candidates for consideration by a National Selection Panel.
This year, the Tasmanian Selection Committee nominated May Hensher to be considered as an ‘Australia-at-Large’ Scholar at the national selection process in Canberra later this month.