Public Law Events Roundup February 2023
Welcome to the February edition of the AUSPUBLAW Australian Public Law Events Roundup. We would firstly like to draw your attention to the following opportunities:
Call for Papers and Panel Proposals: ANZSIL 30th Annual Conference - Is International Law Resilient?
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law
CfP and panel proposals close: 10 February 2023
Conference date: 29 June - 1 July 2023
Conference location: Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka, Wellington, New ZealandAustralia and New Zealand are both longstanding supporters of the international rules-based order, but is this order sufficiently resilient to survive both acute and systemic challenges? Since the start of the 2020s, the international order has been challenged by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, geopolitical tension between China and the West, the increasingly visible effects of climate change, the ongoing Covid pandemic, the economic disruptions caused by supply chains in crisis, and the challenges posed by cyberthreats and new technologies, to name just a few. Is international law, and are international institutions, resilient in the face of these threats?
The Organising Committee for the 30th Annual Conference invites paper submissions and panel proposals on any area of public and private international law relevant to the Conference theme. In the tradition of ANZSIL Conferences, the Conference Organising Committee also invites and welcomes proposals on international law topics not connected to the conference theme and the submission of panel proposals from ANZSIL interest groups.
For more information, click here.
Call for Papers: National Administrative Law Conference 2023
Australian Institute of Administrative Law
CfP closes: 24 February 2023
Conference date: 27-28 July 2023
Conference location: Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide SAThe overarching theme for the 2023 AIAL National Administrative Law Conference will be You can trust me! Administrative law: Building trust and confidence in government decision-making.
Government decision-making is being subjected to greater public scrutiny as social media and web-based communication open up commentary to wider demographics. Governments themselves are taking active steps to ensure decision-making processes and outcomes are more transparent. It might be assumed that greater transparency and scrutiny would result in heightened public confidence in governments. However some much publicised events in recent years could be argued to have had the opposite effect, and to have eroded the public’s trust in governments.
The 2023 Conference aims to examine integrity at all levels of Australian government and will focus on administrative law principles and mechanisms that contribute to sound decision-making that in turn builds public trust.
Please send written proposals for a paper by Friday 24 February 2023 by email to: aial@commercemgt.com.au or by post to: AIAL, PO Box 83, Deakin West ACT 2600.
For more information, click here.
Call for Papers: ANZSIL Postgraduate Research Students Workshop 2023
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law
CfP closes: 27 February 2023
Workshop date: 28 June 2023
Workshop location: Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka, Wellington, New ZealandThe Workshop aims to provide postgraduate degree research students with an opportunity to present their research to their peers, develop their feedback and engagement skills, discuss their experiences of postgraduate research and make academic and professional connections. Participants will give presentations on an aspect of their research for approximately 10 minutes, followed by a roundtable discussion of each paper. To facilitate this discussion, participants must submit short papers (no more than 1,500 words) for distribution before the Workshop. Participants will also be expected to engage as discussants of other papers. There is no registration fee.
Postgraduate research students wishing to present their work on an international law topic are encouraged to submit their proposals for presentation at the Workshop. Applicants must be enrolled in a higher degree research program (PhD, SJD, or Research Masters) at an Australian or New Zealand university.
Applicants should submit a one-page abstract and one-page curriculum vitae (both as word documents) by email to anzsil@law.anu.edu.au no later than 27 February 2023.
For more information, click here.
Call for Papers: Symposium on Questions of National (Be)longing – Critical and Theoretical Engagements with Citizenship
ANU Gender Institute; ANU Centre for Law, Arts and the Humanities; ANU College of Law
CfP closes: 1 March 2023
Symposium date: 19 May 2023
Symposium location: Moot Court, ANU College of LawIn Australia, a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament is set to be held during this parliamentary term. This moment follows the recent Love/Thoms High Court decision which raises legal questions of constitutional belonging. In this context, questions of citizenship are currently at the forefront of Australia’s national consciousness.
We invite papers that assess citizenship as an analytical and conceptual tool for thinking through questions of sovereignty, (un)belonging and the legitimacy of the nation state’s claim on the gendered and raced identities of people. Submissions are gladly received from a variety of disciplines including but not limited to: law, gender studies, critical race studies, Indigenous studies, Pacific studies, Asian studies, literature, sociology, political science, history.
Please send submissions to amy.hamilton@anu.edu.au and anne.macduff@anu.edu.au by 1 March 2023 using the subject heading “Citizenship symposium 2023” together with:
Title of paper
250-word abstract
Name, position, organisation brief bio (100 words max)
Although participants may attend the Symposium online, it is anticipated that presenters will be able to physically travel to the ANU for the duration of the Symposium. Should unforeseen circumstances arise however, alternative online arrangements may be considered.
For more information, click here.
Call for Papers: The International Society of Public Law (ICON•S) 9th Annual Conference
ICON•S
CfP closes: 20 March 2023
Conference date: 3-5 July 2023
Conference location: Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka, Wellington, New ZealandThe plenary program at the 2023 ICON•S Annual Conference will focus on “Islands and Ocean: Public Law in a Plural World".
This theme focuses attention on concerns which are distinctive, though certainly not exclusive, to the Pacific region. These include the preservation of the natural environment, the effects of climate change—most dramatically manifested in rising sea levels—and the roles and rights of Indigenous peoples and cultures. In this connection, the theme resonates with a view of public law “from below”—from the global South, subaltern and Indigenous groups.
The idea of “Island and Ocean” also work as a metaphor of the legal framework of transnational public law, where common waters, made of principles and shared values, are the host of a multitude of islands, where diverse identities flourish. The imagery of “Islands and Ocean” also carries more abstract and symbolic potential, connoting a series of complementary relationships intrinsic to public law: the material and the ideal, rules and discretion, the particular and the universal, unity in diversity.
Submissions may, but need not necessarily, relate to the overarching Conference theme. We will have five types of submissions: individual submissions, fully formed panels, book roundtables, forums, and interest groups. You do not need to submit written papers. Submissions will generally include a title and an abstract of up to 250 words.
For more information, click here.
And, this month the annual Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law Constitutional Law Conference will be held:
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: HybridThe hybrid 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 event will be addressed and attended by leading judges, academics, barristers and government lawyers.
The conference will be held in hybrid format, with attendees able to attend in person (100pax capacity; first come, first served) or online via Zoom. The in-person element of the conference will be held at the offices of Gilbert + Tobin (Level 35, Tower Two, International Towers Sydney, 200 Barangaroo Avenue). There will be multiple opportunities for informal interaction throughout the day, both in-person and online. A cocktail party will be hosted at Gilbert + Tobin in Sydney, and smaller cocktail events in most other major cities for those attending remotely. Details will be forward to online attendees closer to the date.
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.
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.
Author’s Series – General Principles as a Source of International Law
Law Council of Australia
Date: 7 February 2023
Time: 5:00pm (AEDT)
Location: OnlineJoin the Law Council of Australia's International Law Section for lecture one of the 2023 Authors’ Series – General Principles as a Source of International Law – featuring Associate Professor Imogen Saunders and Suzanne Howarth, Executive Member of the Law Council of Australia’s International Law Section.
Mary Walker OAM, Chair of the International Law Section will open the series.
Article 38(1)(c) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice sets out that the Court will apply the 'general principles of law recognized by civilized nations'. This source is variously lauded and criticised: held up as a panacea to all international law woes or denied even normative validity. The contrasting views and treatments of General Principles stem from a lack of a model of the source itself. In this talk, Associate Professor Saunders will consider the use of Article 38(1)(c) by international courts and tribunals. She will argue for an end to the ‘Concert of Europe’ and instead for a truly global conception of General Principles.
For more information, and to register, click here.
‘Not Parliamentary?’ Australian Semi-Parliamentarism and the Role of the Australian Senate
Procedure and Research Section, Australian Senate
Date: 10 February 2023
Time: 12:15-1:15pm (AEDT)
Location: Australian Parliament House Theatre, Level 1This lecture will explore the implications of how our politics are practised and where they could continue to normatively develop.
Scholars and parliamentarians have struggled to accurately describe Australia's system of executive-legislative relations. Descriptive labels run the gamut from the ‘Washminster’ system to simply ‘not parliamentary’. But does it really matter what we call our parliamentary system? In short, yes.
For many decades, conflict between the executive government and the legislature has often turned on the role and exercise of the Senate’s powers. Members of the House are by turns incredulous or frustrated by the Senate’s assertion of its powers, and the Senate has only grown more confident in doing so over time. While much reference is made to Australia’s Westminster parliamentary system, it’s clear that different actors mean different things by these terms. The concept of semi-parliamentarianism offers a parsimonious description of the way Australian politics is actually practised. It can provide parliamentary actors, scholars, journalists and the public with a way of coming to grips with the institutional logics underpinning our parliamentary institutional design.
Speaker: Dr Marija Taflaga, Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University and Director of the Australian Politics Studies Centre
For more information, and to register, click here.
Works-in-Progress Conference
Sydney Centre for International Law, University of Sydney Law School
Date: 16 February 2023
Time: 1:00-4:30pm (AEDT)
Location: Online or In person at New Law Building (F10), Common Room, Level 4, University of Sydney (Camperdown Campus)On Thursday, 16 February, the Sydney Centre for International Law hosts its first-ever works-in-progress conference in association with its annual International Year in Review conference. This hybrid afternoon event features authors from around the world workshopping papers dealing with the situation in Ukraine and interstate dispute settlement (ISDS), two topics that are discussed at the International Year in Review conference.
Attendees should contact Professor Stacie Strong (stacie.strong@sydney.edu.au) to obtain copies of the papers under discussion.
For more information, and to register, click here.
SCIL International Law Year in Review Conference
Sydney Centre for International Law, University of Sydney Law School
Date: 17 February 2023
Time: 9:00am-4:30pm (AEDT)
Location: Online or In person at New Law Building (F10), Common Room, Level 4, University of Sydney (Camperdown Campus)This annual ‘year in review’ conference gives participants insight into the latest developments in international law over the preceding year, especially those most salient for Australia. This all-day, hybrid event features Professor Gerry Simpson of the London School of Economics as keynote speaker and includes insights on important legal developments in 2022. Panelists come from both government and academia and include His Excellency, Mr Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, speaking on the crisis in Ukraine.
The conference will traverse recent developments in public international law, treaty-making, international criminal law, international environmental law, and international trade and investment law. Speakers will include leading academics, practitioners and government lawyers.
There is a fee for in-person attendees (includes catering). This event is free of charge for online participants, speakers, chairs, SCIL academics, PhD students and interns, and SCIL Works-In-Progress presenters.
For more information, and to register, click here.
2023 George Winterton Memorial Lecture: Judicial Review of Legislative and Executive Action - Acceptance and Resentment - Lessons from a Comparative Perspective
University of Sydney Law School; University of Western Australia Law School
Date: 17 February 2023
Time: 5:30-6:45pm (AEDT)
Location: Supreme Court of NSW, Banco Court, Queens Square, 184 Philip Street, SydneyThe 2023 Winterton Lecture examines the reaction to recent decisions of the courts of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Australia in controversial matters from the governments of the day and politicians. Historically, there has been a general acceptance of the need for judicial review and the role of the courts in undertaking it. It enquires whether there is evident change in the acceptance of the decisions of the courts as authoritative and whether there may be other impacts on the courts.
Registration will commence from 5pm. Immediately following the Lecture, there will be a cocktail reception in the Foyer of the Banco Court at which the 5th edition of Winterton’s Australian Federal Constitutional Law will be launched by the Hon A S Bell, Chief Justice of New South Wales.
Speaker: The Hon Susan Mary Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of Australia
For more information, and to register, click here.
The Role of the Modern Solicitor-General
Australian Institute of Administrative Law Queensland Chapter
Date: 21 February 2023
Time: 4:30-7:00pm (AEST)
Location: OnlineThe Solicitor-General is widely described as the “second law officer” of Anglo-Australian polities and has the role of advising the state and representing its interests in significant litigation. The United Kingdom’s arrangements now include Law Officers for England and Wales, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The occasion for this seminar is the availability of two authors, Dr Conor McCormick from Queens University Belfast and Professor Gabrielle Appleby from the University of New South Wales, whose ground-breaking texts have recently thrown light on the roles of law officers of the Crown: and the generosity of Sandy Thompson KC, a former Queensland Solicitor-General, who has offered to facilitate their discussion.
Admission is free to members of AIAL. There is an admission fee for non-members. You can also obtain a 20% discount on purchasing either of Dr McCormick’s or Professor Appleby’s books using the code GLR T5TAU when you place an order via Bloomsbury.com/au.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Chasing Wrongs and Rights: Elaine Pearson in Conversation
Australian Human Rights Institute, University of New South Wales
Date: 2 March 2023
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Law Theatre G02, Law Building (F8), University Mall, UNSW Sydney, Kensington NSW 2052Please join the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW Sydney for a conversation with human rights defender Elaine Pearson in one of her final public appearances before leaving Australia for her new role as Asia Director of Human Rights Watch.
The former Australia Director at Human Rights Watch will discuss her new book, Chasing Wrongs and Rights, and share her experiences defending human rights — from human trafficking in Nepal to the 'drug war' in the Philippines to treatment of detainees in Papua New Guinea and in Australia — offering an extremely involving personal account of how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve got to go.
Elaine will be joined in conversation by ABC TV Weekend Breakfast host Fauziah Ibrahim.
Books will be available for purchase and signing at the conclusion of this event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
How will Climate Migration Reshape Our World?
UNSW Centre for Ideas; Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, University of New South Wales; Adelaide Writers’ Week
Date: 9 March 2023
Time: 6:30-7:30pm (AEDT)
Location: Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney, Kensington NSW 2052Floods, fires, drought and disasters are already displacing more people globally than conflict.
The climate emergency is destroying crops, homes and infrastructure and as the world heats over the coming decades whole cities may become unliveable, forcing populations to move in their tens of millions. How can we manage this unprecedented human movement to achieve productive, sustainable societies this century?
Proposals range from the already real to the politically radical – such as global free movement, ‘caretaker states’, repurposed cities, and migration authorities with real power. Will we choose to invest in productive, pragmatic plans for the coming climate and demographic changes, or find ourselves forced to improvise in an acute crisis?
Join award-winning science writer and the author of Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World Gaia Vince, for a keynote talk, followed by a conversation with Guardian Australia’s immigration reporter Ben Doherty and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law Jane McAdam about how climate migration will reshape our world.
Our speakers’ books will be available for purchase along with a book signing at the conclusion of this event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Is It Better to Review or Monitor Terror Law? The UK and Australian Positions Compared
Australian Academy of Law
Date: 22 March 2023
Time: 5:30-7:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online or In person at Court 1, Federal Court of Australia, Law Courts Building, Queens Square Sydney NSW 2000The UK Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, and Dr James Renwick CSC SC, Australia’s third Independent National Security Legislation Monitor 2017-2020 (INSLM), joined in a friendly debate in London in November 2022. The Australian Academy of Law is very pleased to host a reprise of that debate in Sydney, chaired by Bret Walker AO SC of the New South Wales Bar and Australia’s inaugural INSLM (2010-2014).
For more information, and to register, click here.