Public Law Events Roundup August 2022
BWelcome to the August edition of the AUSPUBLAW Australian Public Law Events Roundup.
Remember, if you have an AUSPUBLAW opportunity, conference or significant public lecture that you would like included in this roundup, please contact us at auspublaw@unsw.edu.au. The roundup is published once a month on the first business day of the month, so please let us know in time for that deadline. We are grateful to Kelly Yoon for compiling this roundup.
2022 Mason Conversation
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales Law & Justice
Date: 3 August 2022
Time: 5:30-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineJoin us for the 2022 Mason Conversation featuring the Honourable Murray Gleeson AC in conversation with Professor Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney.
The Mason Conversation is a series named in honour of Sir Anthony Mason AC KBE GBM marking his outstanding generosity and contribution over decades to the University of New South Wales. As well as a distinguished career in the law, including as Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia (1987-95), Sir Anthony was the fifth Chancellor of the University of New South Wales between 1994 and 1999 and the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law.
This will be an online event, the streaming link will be sent to those registered before the event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
There’s Never Been a Better Time: Enhancing the Protection of Human Rights in Australia
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Date: 4 August 2022
Time: 5:45-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, MelbourneJoin Professor Paula Gerber and Professor Michael Mintrom in a conversation with ABC Radio presenter, Paul Barclay about human rights in Australia.
Australia has had a change of government, but will this mean a change in the way human rights are debated and protected in this country? Will the Albanese Government adopt a different approach to the pressing human rights issues we are facing, including, the treatment of asylum seekers, the rights of vulnerable minorities including Indigenous Australians and LGBTIQA+ people and the need for a national Charter of Human Rights? What would adopting a human rights based approach mean for law reform and the implementation of Labor's policies?
Paul Barclay, host of ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas program will facilitate a conversation with Paula Gerber, Professor of Human Rights Law at Monash University and Michael Mintrom, Professor of Public Policy at Monash University, where they will discuss these issues and the opportunity for Australia to become a more rights respecting society.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Technological Approaches to Identity Preservation of the Stateless
Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, University of Melbourne
Date: 4 August 2022
Time: 5:00-6:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineThis webinar is part of the Refugees, Citizenship & Statelessness: Asia in Focus seminar series.
Aside from active persecution and humanitarian disaster, one of the heaviest costs borne by the Rohingya people in the face of the ongoing genocide by the Burmese military junta has been a loss of heritage and collective identity. This talk will explore the core concept of identity, both on a personal and collective level, as it relates to the Rohingya diaspora. In particular, it will delve into the efforts of the Rohingya Project, a grassroots non-profit based in Malaysia, and its innovative use of blockchain technology as a means of both cultural preservation and restoration of basic rights, including its current deployment to archive valuable documents relating to Rohingya heritage.
Presenter: Saqib Sheikh, Project Director for the Rohingya Project and Co-founder of the Refugee Coalition of Malaysia
For more information, and to register, click here.
The US Supreme Court in Crisis?
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales Law & Justice
Date: 8 August 2022
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AEST)
Location: Online or In-person at UNSW Law & Justice Building, Level 2 Staff Common RoomThe US Supreme Court has had a tumultuous year: in December 2021, a blue-ribbon commission appointed by the White House raised serious questions about the future of the Court, its size and jurisdiction. Since then, it has seen key opinions leaked, and emails suggesting the involvement of Justice Thomas’ wife, Ginny, in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
In the last month it has issued a range of extremely contentious opinions, on gun control, school prayer, the administrative state, and most notably constitutional rights of access to abortion. The Supreme Court, in short, is in crisis. But how did it get here? What would recent Justices have made of where we are now? And what is the path out for the Court?
In this lunchtime seminar hosted by the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Professor Rosalind Dixon will explore these questions in conversation with US constitutional law scholar, Professor Amanda Tyler, Shannon C. Turner Professor of Law at Berkeley Law and former clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and leading public and academic commentator on the US Supreme Court.
This hybrid seminar will take place in-person at the UNSW Law & Justice Building (level 2 staff common room) and online via Microsoft Teams.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Truth in Political Advertising Laws and the Australian Constitution
Australian Association of Constitutional Law; Monash Law
Date: 10 August 2022
Time: 5:30-6:30pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineJoin Monash Law and the Australian Association of Constitutional Law for a special webinar about truth in political advertising laws and the Australian Constitution.
There are increasing calls for Australia to enact federal truth in political advertising laws to ensure that misinformation and disinformation do not undermine the democratic process. This forum will discuss the operation of South Australia’s long-standing truth in political advertising laws, which are sometimes suggested as a model for a federal law. What is their scope and how are they enforced in practice? This forum will also discuss the relationship between truth in political advertising laws and the Australian Constitution’s implied freedom of political communication. What are the constitutional limits to regulating truth in political advertising?
Chair: Associate Professor Luke Beck, Monash Law
Speakers:
- Mr Mick Sherry, Electoral Commissioner of South Australia
- Mr Kieran Pender, Honorary Lecturer, ANU College of Law
- Professor Lisa Hill, University of Adelaide
For more information, and to register, click here.
Judicial Independence and Integrity: A Comparative Discussion
Melbourne Law School
Date: 11 August 2022
Time: 5:15-6:15pm (AEST)
Location: Online or In-person at Courtroom 8A, Federal Court of Australia, 305 William Street MelbourneJoin Justice José Igreja Matos (President of the European Association of Judges), The Hon. Chief Justice Allsop AO (Federal Court of Australia) and Laureate Professor Emeritus Cheryl Saunders AO (Melbourne Law School) in a conversation panel chaired by The Hon. Tony Pagone AM QC.
This seminar will be live streamed. Registrations are essential for both in-person and online attendees. The live-stream link will be circulated to all remote attendees once registrations close.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty
Centre for International and Public Law, Australian National University
Date: 11 August 2022
Time: 12:00-1:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineThe Politics of International Law Seminar Series
Political disagreement is a fact of life. It can prompt people to stand for public office and agitate for political change. Others take a different route; they start their own nation. Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty is the first comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of people purporting to secede and create their own country. It analyses why micronations are not states for the purposes of international law, considers the factors that motivate individuals to separate and found their own nation, examines the legal justifications that they offer and explores the responses of recognised sovereign states. In doing so, this talk that draws from book develops a rich body of material through which to reflect on conventional understandings of statehood, sovereignty and legitimate authority.
Speaker: Dr Harry Hobs, University of Technology Sydney Faculty of Law
Commentator: Dr Imogen Saunders, Australian National University College of Law
For more information, and to register, click here.
Patience, Persistence and Change: A Conversation with Chief Justice Anne Ferguson
Victoria Law Foundation
Date: 11 August 2022
Time: 5:30-6:30pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineTune in as the Chief Justice of Victoria, Anne Ferguson, joins Lynne Haultain of the Victoria Law Foundation to reflect on how the lessons of the recent past will shape the future of the legal profession and justice system.
Register now for an informal discussion of Chief Justice Ferguson's experiences, her priorities and thoughts on the future.For more information, and to register, click here.
CCCS Global Public Law Seminar Series: Reflections on the Legacy of Sir Gerard Brennan to Australian Public Law
Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, University of Melbourne
Date: 15 August 2022
Time: 5:30-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineSir Gerard Brennan AC KBE made an enormous contribution to Australian public law. As the first President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, he was a pioneer in Australian administrative law. As Justice and later Chief Justice of the High Court, his decisions shaped many areas of law so as to uphold the most important values underling the Australian legal system: justice, the dignity of the individual, and equality before the law.
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the High Court’s judgment in Mabo v Queensland. Justice Brennan’s lead judgment, which rejected finally the notion of terra nullius and recognised the common law doctrine of native title, is one of his most important and enduring contributions to Australian law.
The CCCS community was deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Gerard Brennan in June 2022. In this seminar we are honoured to be joined by His Honour Justice Stephen Gageler AC of the High Court, Mr Christopher Horan QC and chair Professor Kristen Rundle to reflect on Sir Gerard Brennan’s outstanding contributions to Australian public law and the principles and values that he demonstrated throughout his legal career.
The webinar will be recorded.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Legal Hour: Advancing Justice in a Warming World
University of New South Wales Law & Justice
Date: 17 August 2022
Time: 6:00-8:00pm (AEST)
Location: KPMG, Level 38, Tower 3, International Towers Sydney, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, SydneyHalf the people in the world live in places highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In Australia, too, intensifying bushfires, cyclones, droughts, floods and rising seas are making life increasingly precarious for millions of people. The threat multiplier of climate change raises important issues of justice.
How can we best support people put at risk by disasters and other climate change impacts? What role can leaders, lawyers and ordinary people play in advancing climate justice? What needs to happen now to protect the most vulnerable, today and into the future?
Speakers:
- Scientia Professor Jane McAdam AO, Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law
- Greg Mullins AO AFSM, former Commissioner of NSW Fire and Rescue and author of Firestorm (Penguin, 2021)
- Fleur Ramsay, Special Counsel, International Program at the Environmental Defenders Office in Sydney
- Oliver Toohey (LLM 2009), International Climate Program Manager, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)
If you are unable to attend the live event you can register to receive the recording link following the event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (PJCHR)
Procedure and Research Section, Australian Senate
Date: 19 August 2022
Time: 12:15-1:15pm (AEST)
Location: Main Committee Room, Parliament HouseThe PJCHR was established in 2012 to help enhance understanding of, and respect for, human rights in Australia. Its role has been to develop appropriate recognition of human rights issues in legislative and policy development. It has also established dialogue between the executive, Parliament, and public about human rights scrutiny concerns.
A decade on, it is timely to reflect on the committee’s work undertaking scrutiny of federal legislation, its impact on the Parliament’s consideration of legislation, and contribution to an awareness of human rights during legislative development.
Mr Harry Jenkins AO and The Hon. Ken Wyatt AM were the inaugural Chair and Deputy Chair of the PJCHR and worked together to establish the committee’s voice within the Parliament. This lecture provides an opportunity to hear their reflections on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the committee.
The event will be moderated by the PJCHR’s external legal adviser, Associate Professor Jacqueline Mowbray.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Judicial Independence
Australian Academy of Law
Date: 22 August 2022
Time: 5:00-6:30pm (AEST)
Location: Online or In-person at Court 1, Federal Court of Australia, Law Courts Building, Queens Square, SydneyThe Australian Academy of Law is very pleased to host this event on Judicial Independence, a topic which is fundamental to the rule of law, internationally and in Australia. The two distinguished speakers are:
- Judge José Matos, the current president of the International Association of Judges. Judge Matos is visiting Australia and will be speaking on challenges to judicial independence, including the current situations in Poland, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Judge Matos has been a judge since 1990 and was appointed to the Court of Appeal of Porto, Portugal in 2012. Since 2021 he has been President of the Court of Appeal Court of Porto (Tribunal da Relação do Porto). He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the Judicial Integrity Network of the United Nations.
- Justice Jacqueline Gleeson, High Court of Australia. Justice Gleeson will consider what Australian judges might learn from challenges to judicial independence in foreign jurisdictions. Justice Gleeson was appointed to the High Court of Australia in March 2021, having been a judge of the Federal Court of Australia since 2014.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Global Health Law at a Time of Crisis
Melbourne Law School
Date: 29 August 2022
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AEST)
Location: Room 609, Melbourne Law SchoolJoin Professor Gian Luca Burci, former Legal Counsel at the WHO, for a discussion of global health law at this critical time in global health.
Global health, and global health law, have been under unprecedented stress over the last two-and-a-half years. The COVID-19 experience has exposed major weaknesses in the global governance of infectious diseases, and generated a number of proposals and processes for reform, including the negotiation of a new pandemic treaty.
Professor Gian Luca Burci will join us for an informal, interactive discussion of the major lessons that COVID-19 has taught us, and the most significant current developments.
Please come with your own ideas and questions. They can be about anything from global inequities in access to vaccination to international travel restrictions to the role that the World Health Organization should have in protecting the global population from pandemics.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Reforming Global Governance to Manage the Pandemics of the Future
Melbourne Law School
Date: 1 September 2022
Time: 6:00-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: Law Building (106), Melbourne Law SchoolMiegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed flaws in the legal and institutional frameworks for preventing and responding to the spread of diseases. COVID-19 has tested many fields of international law and policy from health, human rights and trade, to transport and financial stability. The COVID-19 disruption has generated discussions about the need for stronger legal tools for pandemic prevention and containment, including through the World Health Organization (WHO). It has led us to rethink how life-saving medical interventions including vaccines are developed, manufactured and allocated. The pandemic’s impact has demonstrated the need to develop global mechanisms to guarantee financing for critical public health and medical interventions.
This lecture provides a unique opportunity to hear from one of the world’s leading global health law experts on the crucial issues that must be addressed at the international level.Presenter: Professor Gian Luca Burci, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
For more information, and to register, click here.
Brennan Justice Talks: Modern Slavery
University of Technology Faculty of Law
Date: 1 September 2022
Time: 6:00-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineIn this Brennan Justice Talks event, Professor Jennifer Burn will define modern slavery and provide information about its occurrence in Australia. She will discuss the work of Anti-Slavery Australia (ASA) – a unique legal service at UTS which provides legal advice and representation for people affected by modern slavery. ASA also advocates for changes to laws and policies to improve the protection of the rights of people who have been trafficked. Professor Burn will also outline the legal provisions which seek to address modern slavery in Australia and current issues such as reparations. A number of Brennan students have volunteered for ASA and Professor Burn will highlight some opportunities in this area.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Expendable Australians
University of New South Wales x Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Date: 17 September 2022
Time: 4:00-5:00pm (AEST)
Location: Carriageworks, SydneyWhat is an Australian passport worth? Australians abroad have found themselves in harm’s way in recent years. As COVID slammed the doors of Australia shut and authoritarian regimes acquired the nasty habit of turning Australians into political prisoners, the world became a more dangerous place. With global crises proliferating, where is it too dangerous to go? If an Australian passport does not protect you, what are you owed by your government?
Chair: Peter Greste, journalist, author, media freedom activist and Professor at Macquarie University
Speakers:
- Ian Kemish AM, former Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea and Ambassador to Germany
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert, scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
- Dr Sangeetha Pillai, Senior Research Associate, Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, University of New South Wales
There is a fee for this event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Religious Freedom, Religious Discrimination and the Role of Law
Bar Association of Queensland; University of Queensland; Supreme Court Library
Date: 13 October 2022
Time: 5:15-6:45pm (AEST)
Location: Banco Court, Level 3, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, 415 George Street, BrisbaneReligious freedom and freedom from discrimination on the basis of religion are well-established rights in international law and many jurisdictions have a substantial case-law that examine both of these rights, including the tensions between them. While some limited forms of these rights are protected in the constitution, to date there has been relatively limited case law in Australia. With the development of statutory bills of rights and increased social tensions between secular and religious Australians, however, the law is increasingly being asked to step into conflicts that involve religion. What can we learn from the Australian case law to date and from other similar jurisdictions that can help Australian courts and legal policymakers with the complex issues that arise in this realm?
Chair: The Hon. Justice Sarah Derrington, Federal Court of Australia and President of the Australian Law Reform Commission
Presenter: Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice-Chancellor and President, Griffith University
Commentator: Professor Patrick Parkinson AM, University of Queensland
For more information, and to register, click here.
2023 Constitutional Law Conference
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales Law & Justice
Date: 10 February 2023
Time: 8:45am-7:00pm (AEDT)
Location: OnlineThe virtual conference will feature discussions of important developments in the High Court, Federal Court and state courts and provide an overview of the key public law debates in 2022. The conference will include papers on the separation of powers, the implied freedom of political communication, privacy, protective detention, discrimination law, inconsistency between state and federal legislation, and government powers with respect to citizenship, alienage and deportation.
The conference will be addressed and attended by leading judges, academics, barristers and government lawyers, and include multiple opportunities for informal interaction both via Zoom break-out rooms and post-conference, in-person drinks in most major cities.
Session 1: The High Court on Constitutional Law in the 2022 term
Session 2: The State and Federal Courts on Constitutional Law in the 2022 term
Session 3: Rights, Freedoms and Chapter III
Session 4: Citizenship, Alienage and Deportation
Session 5: The Evolution of Public Law
There is a fee for this event. Academics and NGO lawyers will receive a 50% discount when using code ACADEMIC50 at checkout. If you are experiencing financial hardship and unable to purchase a ticket please contact gtcentre@unsw.edu.au.
For more information, and to register, click here.