Upcoming events and opportunities
Read our monthly round up of upcoming public law events and opportunities, including conferences, seminars and calls for papers
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 by the first business day of the month, so please let us know in time for that deadline.
We would like to firstly draw your attention to the following opportunities:
7 February 2025
2025 Constitutional Law Conference
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW; Australian Association of Constitutional Law; Federation Press
Date: 7 February 2025
Location: Online and In-person at Gilbert + Tobin offices, Barangaroo, Sydney
We invite you to register for the 2025 Constitutional Law Conference, held in a hybrid format on Friday 7 February 2025 and organised by the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at the Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW, with the support of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law and Federation Press.
The 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 2024. The conference will include papers on the constitutional separation of powers, migration, native title, and the role of government lawyers in Australian public law, among other topics.
The conference will be held in hybrid format, with attendees able to register in person (100 pax capacity) or online via Zoom. The in-person element of the conference will be held at the offices of Gilbert + Tobin in Barangaroo, Sydney. There will be multiple opportunities for informal interaction throughout the day. A cocktail party will be hosted for those attending in person at Gilbert + Tobin.
The conference will cover the following sessions:
The High Court on Constitutional Law in the 2024 Term
The State and Federal Courts on Constitutional Law in the 2024 Term
Commonwealth Liability, Judicial Immunity, Parliamentary Privilege
Chapter III, the Executive and the Constitution
The Role of Government Lawyers (in the 2024 Term)
There is a fee for this conference. Academics and NGO lawyers will receive a discount. 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.
Competitions and calls for papers
31 December 2024
ASLP Essay Competition
Australasian Society of Legal Philosophy (ASLP)
Entries close: 31 December 2024
The ASLP Essay Competition is designed to encourage original research and writing in legal theory and philosophy of law by early career scholars around the world. The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize of AU$1,000, plus a contribution of up to AU$500 towards the cost of attendance at the Society’s annual conference to present the essay as a paper.
The competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in a postgraduate degree program (Master or Doctoral) in any discipline (or who wrote their submission in 2024 while enrolled in such a program that they have now completed).
Submissions may be on any topic in legal theory or the philosophy of law. Essays must be in English and not exceed 15,000 words (including notes, references, headings, etc).
For more information, and to submit an entry, click here.
10 January 2025
Call for Submissions: 2025 ICON•S Annual Conference
International Society of Public Law (ICON•S)
Submissions close: 10 January 2025
Conference date: 28-30 July 2025
Conference location: University of Brasilia, Brazil
The conference theme is “At the Crossroads of Public Law: Equality, Climate Emergency, and Democracy in the Digital Era.” We particularly encourage submissions relating to the conference theme but welcome proposals addressing all areas of public law, broadly defined.
We welcome three types of submissions:
Individual submissions: a single paper presentation proposal
Fully-formed panels/book roundtables: Pre-arranged panels composed of multiple presentations around a unified theme or dedicated to discussing a book
Interest Groups: ICON-S interest groups collaborating on specific themes
Each submission type has distinct requirements. Submissions will remain open until January 10, 2025. You should receive notification of our decision by approximately February 10, 2025.
If your proposal is accepted, you will then need to register for the event via Oxford Abstracts in order to confirm your participation.
For more information, and make a submission, click here.
1 February 2025
ANZSIL Book and Journal Article/Book Chapter Publication Prizes
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL)
Nominations close: 1 February 2025
ANZSIL awards up to four ANZSIL publication prizes on an annual basis. A maximum of two prizes will be awarded for books (the ANZSIL Book Prizes) and a maximum of two prizes will be awarded for journal articles or book chapters (the ANZSIL journal article/ book chapter prizes).
The ANZSIL publication prizes will be open to published work in any field of public and private international law.
The prizes are open to individuals who:
Are an ANZSIL member at the time of nomination; and
Are studying or working or otherwise based in Australia or New Zealand OR are a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand.
If the author wishes to be considered for the ECR prize, they must confirm eligibility as an ECR scholar.
A sum of $750 will be awarded to each winning ANZSIL book and a sum of $250 will be awarded to each winning article/book chapter.
The ANZSIL book and article/book chapter prize winners will be invited to present and discuss their book/article/book chapter at an online event in August/September of the year of the award or at the annual conference. In accepting a publication prize, the winner of a prize agrees to act as an assessor in the subsequent year in the category in which their prize was awarded.
Nominations for the 2025 Prizes are now open. For more information, and to make a nomination, click here.
1 February 2025
AYBIL/ANZSIL Student Paper Prize
Australian Year Book of International Law (AYBIL); Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL)
Submissions close: 1 February 2025
The AYBIL/ANZSIL Student Paper Prize is a prize that will be awarded to the best paper submitted by a student on any topic in the field of public or private international law that complies with the eligibility criteria. The prize is generously sponsored by the AYBIL, the ANU College of Law, AYBIL's publisher Brill, and ANZSIL.
The winning entrant will receive a monetary sum of $200, Brill books to the value of $500, two years' membership of ANZSIL, an opportunity for the winner to present their work as part of an ANZSIL linked event, and a prize citation. Subject to compliance with the AYBIL's standard editorial processes and policy, the winning paper will also be considered for publication in the AYBIL.
Submissions for the 2025 Prize are now open. For more information, and to make a submission, click here.
7 February 2025
The Baxter Family Essay Competition on Federalism 2024-2025 - Federalism: Thinking Outside the Box
McGill University Faculty of Law
Entries close: 7 February 2025
McGill University’s Faculty of Law and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are proud to announce that the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism has returned for a fifth edition.
Open to law and political science students/PhD candidates, recent graduates, and junior practitioners or scholars from around the world. The overarching goal of the Essay Competition is to advance research and foster informed debate on federalism. Essays are evaluated by a jury comprised of world renown experts on federalism. The theme of this year’s edition is Federalism: Thinking Outside the Box
Papers must be written in English or French and be a maximum of 8000 words in English and 8800 words in French.
Prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 CND and the chance to present one’s research at the Baxter Family Symposium on Federalism held in Montréal in Spring 2025.
The deadline to submit an essay is February 7th, 2025, at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal Time).
Submissions are to be emailed to Professor Johanne Poirier, Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, at baxter-competition.law@mcgill.ca.
For more information, click here.
28 February 2025
Fencott v Muller Prize & Call for Papers – UWA Law Review
University of Western Australia Law Review
Submissions close: 28 February 2025
Just over 40 years have passed since the landmark decision in Fencott v Muller [1983] HCA 12. The case featured a finely balanced decision that touched on matters of federal jurisdiction, the corporations power and trade practices law. Not only did the decision relate to a Western Australian business, but it featured a number of notable UWA alumni acting as counsel on both sides: Robert Meadows AM KC, Hon Robert French AC, John Ley SC, Hon Malcolm Lee KC and Peter Johnston. The decision continues to reverberate to this day.
To celebrate the decision and the activities of UWA alumni in helping shape the law, the UWA Law Review is pleased to announce a new $1,000 prize, kindly provided by the Hon Robert French AC, for the best article on a topic related to federal jurisdiction, the corporations power or trade practices law. To be eligible, articles must be submitted to the UWA Law Review by February 2025, and accepted for publication in Issue 1 of 2025.
Conferences and seminars
2 December 2024
Lies, Law and Elections: Regulating Truth in Political Advertising
Electoral Regulation Research Network, University of Melbourne
Date: 2 December 2024
Time: 6.00-7.30pm (AEDT)
Location: The David P. Derham Theatre (GM15), Law Building (106)
Can law and regulation achieve more truthful elections? Across Australia and internationally, the prevalence of falsehoods at election time has prompted a new wave of thinking and intense debates about one of the defining issues facing informed voting and electoral integrity today. Join us for what promises to be a compelling panel bringing together experts and thought leaders from academia, practice and politics, moderated by Jon Faine.
Presenters:
Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng, Monash University
Professor Lisa Hill, University of Adelaide
Louise Milligan, investigative reporter for the ABC TV Four Corners program
Pre-Event Reception: We invite you to join us for drinks and light refreshments in the ground floor foyer, Melbourne Law School, from 5pm. The panel discussion will commence at 6pm.
For more information, and to register, click here.
3 December 2024
Housing and the human right to a home
Human Rights Law Association
Date: 3 December 2024
Time: 5.15-6.30pm (AEST)
Location: Online and In-person at Room 1M16, UQ Brisbane City, 308 Queen Street
Speakers: The Hon Kevin Bell AO KC and Professor Tamara Walsh
Part of what it means to be human is the need for home, a place to retreat to from the outside world. Having a home is a fundamental human right, as an end in itself and as a means to fulfil other human rights. While the socio-economic right to housing has not been incorporated into domestic Australian Charters, they do protect associated civil rights, including the freedom to choose where to live, the right to property and the right not to have one's home unlawfully or arbitrarily interfered with.
In this seminar, we bring together two of Australia's preeminent thinkers on the right to housing and home at a time when access to housing is becoming more and more elusive.
For more information, and to register, click here.
10 December 2024
What Now? Protecting Australia’s Democracy
Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, University of Melbourne; Centre for Public Integrity
Date: 10 December 2024
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online and In-person at Room 920, Level 9, Melbourne Law School
As the world comes to terms with Trump’s victory, can Australia be prevented from joining the global trend toward strongman authoritarianism? Join Jon Faine AM (former host of the morning broadcast for ABC Radio in Melbourne) in conversation with Professor Lisa Hill (Professor of Politics at the University of Adelaide) and Associate Professor William Partlett (Centre for Public Integrity Stephen Charles Fellow) to discover what holds us in good stead and what imperils us.
Light refreshments will be available from 5:30pm.
For more information, and to register, click here.
10 December 2024
Climate Change on Trial: Mobilizing Human Rights Litigation to Accelerate Climate Action
Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne
Date: 10 December 2024
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEDT)
Location: Seminar Room 202, Level 2, Law Building, 185 Pelham Street
This talk is based on a forthcoming book that tells the twenty-year socio-legal story of human rights-based climate (HRC) litigation. Based on an original database of the totality of HRC lawsuits around the world as well as interviews with leading actors and participant observation in the field, it explains the rise and global diffusion of HRC litigation as a form of climate governance. The book combines insights from global governance, international law, climate policy, human rights, and legal mobilization theory in order to offer a sociolegal account of the actors, strategies, and norms that have emerged at the intersection of human rights and climate governance. By proposing a broad understanding of the impacts of legal mobilization that includes direct and indirect, material and symbolic effects, it documents the contributions and shortcomings of human rights litigation in addressing the climate emergency.
Presenter: César Rodríguez-Garavito, Professor of Clinical Law and Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice
This event is co-hosted by Melbourne Climate Futures, the Institute for International Law and the Humanities, the Melbourne Law School Human Rights Program and the Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment.
For more information, and to register, click here.
12 December 2024
70 years on - the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless people
Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, University of Melbourne
Date: 12 December 2024
Time: 7.00-8.30pm (AEDT)
Location: Online
The year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary (on 28 September) of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954 Convention). To commemorate this occasion, and with a view to encouraging more States to accede to and implement the provisions of the 1954 Convention (and its counterpart, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness), UNHCR together with the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness (PMCS) are proud to present this webinar featuring panelists drawn from Governments, International Organisations, academia, civil society, and those affected by statelessness. The webinar will focus on the history, evolution and continuing relevance of the 1954 Convention to support the identification and protection of stateless persons.
Ms Elizabeth Tan, Director of the Division of International Protection at UNHCR, will provide introductory remarks and moderate the panel discussion.
Other presenters:
Alberto Barcenilla, Representative of the Asylum Office of Spain in charge of statelessness
Nosizi Dube, Advocate for stateless communities in Kenya, first Shona woman to graduate from university, and formerly stateless individual
Betsy Fisher, U.S.-based immigration lawyer and policy expert, pro bono advocacy lead at United Stateless and a lecturer in international refugee law at Michigan Law
Hélène Lambert, Director of the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness
Selma Sassi Safer, Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant in Africa, ACHPR
Please note that interpretation to Arabic, French and Russian will be available.
For more information, and to register, click here.
13 December 2024
Phasing Out Fossil Fuels under International Law: Why and How?
Institute for International Law and the Humanities, University of Melbourne
Date: 13 December 2024
Time: 1.00-2.00pm (AEDT)
Location: Room 920, Level 9, Melbourne Law School
Please join the Institute for International Law and the Humanities (IILAH) and the Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment (MCLE) for this lunchtime seminar presented by Professor Harro van Asselt and chaired by Professor Margaret Young.
At the UN Climate Summit in 2023, the fight over a fossil fuel phase-out took centre stage, resulting in a decision calling on countries to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels. Professor Harro van Asselt will first examine why there have been growing calls for a fossil fuel phase-out, and why international law should play a role in governing the transition away from fossil fuels. Next, he discusses the international regulation of phasing out fossil fuels, focusing on climate change law, human rights law, and investment law. Lastly, he will explore options for reform, including through the international climate change regime as well as through a proposed fossil fuel treaty.
For more information, and to register, click here.
23-24 January 2025
ICON•S Aus/NZ Chapter, Constitutional Theory Group: Plenary Conference 2025
ICON•S Aus/NZ Chapter
Date: 23-24 January 2025
Location: Monash University, Melbourne CBD Campus
The Constitutional Theory Group of the ICON•S Aus/NZ Chapter is a collection of over 40 constitutional scholars in Australia and New Zealand whose works focus at least in part on theoretical questions relating to the constitutions. The Group’s conveners are Lisa Burton Crawford, Ed Willis and Ron Levy.
Approximately every two years, the Constitutional theory group holds a plenary conference, which all members are invited to attend as presenters or participants. This Biennial Plenary Conference features a mix of keynote events, usually geared toward new books, as well as panel presentations. The next conference will be held at Monash University's Melbourne CBD campus on 23-24 January, 2025. If you are an Australian or New Zealand academic (including a PhD student) interested in this conference, or in the group more generally, feel free to contact ron.levy@anu.edu.au.
We are grateful to Monash University’s Paul Burgess for co-hosting the upcoming conference.
6 February 2025
Public Law in the Classroom Workshop 2025
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales; Public Law and Policy Research Unit, University of Adelaide; Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University; Western Sydney University School of Law
Date: 6 February 2025
Time: 11.00am-5.15pm (AEDT)
Location: Online and In-person at UNSW Law & Justice Building, UNSW Kensington Campus, Sydney
The eleventh annual Public Law in the Classroom workshop will be held at UNSW Sydney and online on Thursday, 6 February 2025.
The workshop is organised by the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at UNSW, the Public Law and Policy Research Unit at the University of Adelaide, the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University and the School of Law at Western Sydney University. The past ten workshops have been a great success, each attracting public law teachers from across the country and internationally.
The first panel session will focus on Building Micro-Skills, and will explore how teachers have helped their students to develop the ‘micro-skills’ needed to study law, such as how to take notes, how to read for class, how to understand an assessment task, etc. The second panel session will focus on Design and Visualisation to Increase Engagement and will explore how visualisation and the design of materials can bring public law to life, encourage pre-class preparation and help students in organising their knowledge. The third panel session will focus on Authentic Assessment and will explore both assessment design, as well as the provision of feedback – particularly in the context of authentic assessment.
For more information, and to register, click here.
25-26 February 2025
Leading in the Law 2025
Centre for the Future of the Legal Profession, University of New South Wales Law and Justice
Date: 25-26 February 2025
Location: Tyree Room, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Kensington Campus
Join Centre for the Future of the Legal Profession on February 25 and 26 2025 for the inaugural two-day summit to discover how lawyers lead in various capacities, from self and team leadership to shaping the profession and impacting society.
Be inspired and motivated by our lineup of speakers who are leaders in the field. Attendees can expect an immersive two days with front line presentations and panel discussions, exploring the multifaceted ways lawyers and the legal sector lead.
Speakers include:
The Hon Andrew Bell, Chief Justice of New South Wales
Juliana Warner, President Elect, Law Council of Australia
Stuart Fuller, KPMG Head of Global Legal Services
Topics include:
Access to justice as leadership
Breaking Barriers: structural challenges to diversity in the legal profession
Technology - leading beyond competence
There is a fee for this event.
For more information, and to register, click here.