Law Commons^™

The Thomas Kelly Case: Why A ‘One-Punch Law’ Is Not The Answer, Julia Quilter

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Last July, Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly was king-hit and killed by Kieran Loveridge in a senseless act of alcohol-fuelled violence. When Loveridge pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September, expectations were high that he would receive a hefty prison term. However, the sentence of four years minimum jail – handed down last Friday – sparked immediate outrage.

While Loveridge was in fact sentenced to a total of six years for Kelly’s manslaughter and seven years and two months when the other assaults committed the same night were included, the punishment still didn’t seem like it had fit the crime. A sense …

Taking Hints From Hogwarts: Uow's First Year Law Immersion Program, Cassandra E. Sharp, Margaret A. Bond, Trish Mundy, Karina Murray, Julia Quilter

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

The first year of law school is a challenging time: adapting to new surroundings; making new friends; absorbing new ideas, and developing new ways of learning, thinking, speaking and performing – all with the added pressure of high academic achievement. This paper explores the important role of modern law teachers as guides and mentors for the students’ transformative journey.

As experienced first year teachers in the LLB program, the authors have devoted considerable efforts to developing a program that facilitates s smooth transition for law students. We believe law teachers have a unique opportunity as well as a responsibility to …

Book Review: Desmond Manderson: Kangaroo Courts And The Rule Of Law. The Legacy Of Modernism. Routledge, Abingdon 2012., Luis Gomez Romero

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Kangaroo Courts represents the height of the recent work that Desmond Manderson has developed around the nexus between ‘law and literature’ and the rule of law. Manderson’s approach to this matter is unique in taking seriously both literary theory and the aesthetic aspects of literary texts—strange though it may seem, this is an authentic revolution in the field of law and literature. Manderson rightly observes that back to their very origins the discourses constructed around the conjunction of ‘law and literature’ have suffered from two structural weaknesses: first ‘a concentration on substance and plot’ and second ‘a salvific belief in …

Talkin ‘Bout Law’S Generations: Pop Culture, Intellectual Property And The Interpretation Of Case, Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

This article takes a very different path through which to explore the challenges affecting and shaping innovation and communications law. It reports on a facet of an empirical pilot study into generational differences in legal interpretation that revealed the porosity and friability of doctrine. The article focuses on one facet of the study apposite to this special issue: a fleeting reference by Finkelstein J to icons of pop culture in an otherwise unremarkable passing off I misleading and deceptive conduct case - Hansen v Bickfords - involving the marketing of an energy drink. As the responses of lawyer and law …

Peace Studies War – Boycotting Israel For The Sake Of International Law?, Gregory L. Rose

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

This article considers the current boycott of Israeli academics by the Sydney Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS) - an affiliate of the University of Sydney - arguing that the boycott suppresses academic freedom, does not promote international law or peace, and is fundamentally racist. It was written in answer to an argument in defence of the boycott recently posted on the Australian-government supported website "The Conversation" by CPACS lecturer Paul Duffill (Jan. 15), who argued "the International Court of Justice ruled in July 2004 that Israel is occupying Palestinian territory in violation of international law", and therefore "a …

Legislative Implementation Of The Law Of The Sea Convention In Australia, Warwick Gullett

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

All States with marine and maritime interests need to ensure that their domestic laws enable them to meet their obligations, and to take advantage of the rights afforded to them, under the international law of the sea. This body of international law is structured around one of the most extensive and widely ratified international treaties: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ('LOSC').1 This paper reviews the general process by which obligations and rights in international treaties become part of domestic law and then examines Australia's experience in incorporating into its domestic law three broad areas of …

Ensuring The Preservation Of Submerged Treasures For The Next Generation: The Protection Of Underwater Cultural Heritage In International Law, Lowell Bautista

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

In a historic moment that culminated almost a decade of negotiations, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH Convention) was adopted on 2 November 2001.2 The UCH Convention is the fourth international instrument dealing with cultural heritage adopted under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the first one specifically addressing the protection of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in international law.3 The UCH Convention is the first universal instrument that exclusively deals with the preservation of UCH in international waters. The UCH Convention builds upon and addresses the gaps of …

Understanding Imf Stand-By Arrangements From The Perspective Of International And Domestic Law: The Experience Of Venezuela In The 1990s, Gabriel Garcia

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

During the 1990s, international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) promoted the so-called 'Washington Consensus'. One of the premises of the consensus was that developing countries needed to embrace a market economy and build a legal system supportive of the rule of law in order to promote progress and defeat poverty. The onset of financial crises across South America and the inability of governments to deal with problems derived from this financial meltdown provided the proitious conditions for the IMF to implement its agenda of promoting a market economy and the rule of …

'Ditto': Law, Pop Culture And Humanities And The Impact Of Intergenerational Interpretative Dissonance, Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

Building on Julius Stone's remark that jurisprudence is law's extroversion (or extraversion), this essay explores the consequences that flow from the loss of a shared humanities discourse by lawyers. In adapting the concept of extraversion to those things about us in the world, the essay considers the finding of an empirical study, Law's Gens Project, which revealed a profound, almost seismic shift in what different generational groupings of lawyers know, based in the humanities, placing this point of rupture squarely in the 1970s. Drawing on allusions and cultural references used in judgments, this project reveals how these cultural markers affect …

'Placing' The Other: Final Year Law Students' 'Imagined' Experience Of Rural And Regional Practice Within The Law School Context, Trish Mundy

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper discusses the partial findings from a research study involving a narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with twelve final year law students. The research explored student attitudes to, and perceptions of, legal practice in rural, regional and remote (RRR) communities – that is, their ’imagined experience’. The research findings suggests that, at least in the context of the non-regional law school, the rural/regional is both absent and ‘other’, revealing the ‘urban-centric’ nature of legal education and its failure to adequately expose students to rural and regional practice contexts that can help to positively shape their ‘imagined’ experience. This paper …

The Importance Of The Local In A Global Age: A Comparative Analysis Of Networking Strategies In Postgraduate Law Research Teaching, Linda Roslyn Steele, Rita Shackel, Felicity Bell

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Research indicates that postgraduate research students, and particularly those researching in law, feel isolated socially and academically from one another, and from scholarly life. Postgraduate research students are now more globally connected because of technology. Yet opportunities to connect with colleagues locally, to share and reflect on research findings, methods and experiences are insufficient. This paper reports on the preliminary stages of a project led by legal and criminological scholars to establish a postgraduate student network that is interdisciplinary, interfaculty and cross institutional in structure with a specific focus on ‘crim*’ related studies including criminology, criminal law and criminal justice. …

Perverts,’ ‘Terrorists,’ And Business As Usual; Fantasies And Genealogies Of U.S. Law, Penelope J. Pether

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

The indefinite detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is exceptional in diverse ways. It is not only the postmodern exemplar of the jurisdiction of exception into which, Raphael Gross has argued, Carl Schmitt’s political theory conjured a paradigm of nation and other rooted in anti-Semitism and other supremacist doctrines of hatred, which moved from theory to praxis in the death camps of the Shoah; it also embodies what I have called the New American Exceptionalism of the post-9/11 era. In that iteration, the U.S. makes imperialist war in the pattern of the Crusades, accompanied in the contemporary domestic political realm …

Detention Of Non-State Actors Engaged In Hostilities: The Future Law – Summary Report, Gregory L. Rose

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

On 15 and 16 December 2011 a conference and workshop were held at the Institute for Transnational and Maritime Security in the Faculty of Law at the University of Wollongong. The conference and workshop were funded by the Australian Civil–Military Centre under a research grant to the university, and the aim was to explore emerging law relating to the detention of non-state actors engaged in hostilities. Discussion centred on legal aspects of the power to detain, processes for transferring a detainee to either another armed force or the local law enforcement authorities, and the legal regimes applicable to this category …

Signature And Illusion: Lessons From The Baroque For 'Truth' In Law, Arts And Humanities, Richard Mohr

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Basic to contemporary problems in the disciplines of representation and interpretation is a split between a naïve acceptance of bare facts, presumed to exist in their own ‘objective’ world of objects, and the actions of subjects who interpret an intersubjective world. The solution is sought in some ‘new’ epistemologies: Martín Alcoff, Grosz, Kristeva, Butler, as well as in Benjamin and Gadamer, who look back to older ways of knowing. The methodology is an archaeology of these ways of knowing, focussed on a crucial transition in the understanding of representation between the renaissance and the baroque. It uses quintessential methods of …

Gaps In The Implementation Of Environmental Law At The National, Regional And Global Level, Gregory L. Rose

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Networked integrated and adaptive approaches to implementation and compliance may be the signature of the emerging generation of environmental law.

The first generation of environmental law saw the creation of specialist environmental administrations and the introduction of a suite of laws for them to administer on environmental impact assessment, pollution control, wilderness conservation and threatened species conservation. This was the generation of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

The second generation of environmental law saw a shift in focus to sustainable development, reflecting the increased participation of developing countries in international diplomatic initiatives on the environment. It signified …

Talkin' 'Bout Law's Generations: Intergenerational Differences In Reading Legal Texts, Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

This paper describes a project I am currently undertaking which seeks to find out if generational differences affect the reading of legal texts, with the potential to compromise the possibility of textual integrity in law. I am calling this concept ‘intergenerational interpretative dissonance’. Using an empirical study (which is currently on foot), the project is drawing on ‘pop culture’ generations to undertake a quiz-style survey to explore differences in knowledge, history and meanings about non-legal events in order to establish what non-legal knowledge is shared (or not) by different generations of lawyers. The survey is being used to provide background …

The European Council Regulation On Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fishing: An International Fisheries Law Perspective, Martin Tsamenyi, Mary Ann Palma, Ben Milligan, Kwame Mfodwo

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

On 29 September 2008, the Council of the European Union (EU) adopted Council Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fi shing. Essentially, the EU IUU Regulation establishes a framework in which access to EU markets for fi sheries products is partly conditioned by the extent to which a country, area or region of origin is demonstrably or increasingly free of IUU fi shing. Aside from the amendments to US legislation in 2007, the EU IUU Regulation is the only other domestic legislative measure adopted solely to combat IUU …

Responsibility And The Representation Of Suffering: Australian Law In Black And White, Richard Mohr

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

Abstract: This article critically analyses the concept of suffering, with particular emphasis on responsibility for and representations of suffering. Suffering is seen as a social relationship, with objective characteristics, classified by Renault as domination, deprivation and the weakening of intersubjective supports (désaffiliation). Veitch and Wolcher have inquired into legal responsibility for suffering. The author adds that suffering is also constructed subjectively, through aesthetic, political and legal representations. This theoretical model of suffering is applied to recent political and legal issues in Australia dealing with an apology for earlier policies of removing Indigenous children from their families, and a more recent …

"Talkin' 'Bout Law's Generations: An Empirical And Jurisprudential Investigation Into The Reading Of Legal Cases By Different Generations Of Lawyers", Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

The Australian TV comedy quiz show, Talkin’ ‘bout your generation, pits the knowledge of three different teams of generations against each other. Like a highlystrung game of trivial pursuit, the show’s comedy darkly exposes the speed with which knowledge, language and meaning is lost and misinterpreted across and between generations. This pilot study, Talkin’ ‘bout law’s generations takes its cue from its namesake, by discovering if legal interpretation is similarly affected. But the character of legal interpretation being explored is not uni-dimensional, and is instead exploring if (and how) social, political, historical and linguistic knowledge is deployed by its interpreters. …

Making Sausages And Law: The Failure Of Animal Welfare Laws To Protect Both Animals And Fundamental Tenets Of Australia's Legal System, Elizabeth J. Ellis

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them being made.

The above aphorism, attributed to Bismarck, was quoted by Philip Ruddock when addressing lawyers in 2007 on the subject of law reform. Interestingly, Mr Ruddock also referred to the rule of law in the same speech. Apparently the juxtaposition of the rule of law with a preference for secret law-making did not strike the (then) federal Attorney-General as odd. Perhaps this is unsurprising: the rule of law is commonly invoked for effect and may be used for a multitude of purposes. For this, and other reasons, the …

Alice Through The Wormhole: Reconciling Spatial And Temporal Disjunctions In The Creation Of Content In Australian Media Law, Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

Copy of powerpoint presentation to the conference.

Emergency Powers And The Rule Of Law In Indonesia, Nadirsyah Hosen

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

[extract] While Indonesia has had experience in dealing with the use of emergency powers for more than fifty years, it has had to face severe problems that have challenged its goals of national resilience, development and, more importantly, the absence of the rule of law. The focus of my chapter is the tensions inherent between emergency powers and the rule of law in Indonesia, particularly in the post-Suharto era.

Enforcing Animal Welfare Law: The Nsw Experience, Keely Boom, Elizabeth Ellis

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

As animal law in Australia is a relatively new field, there has been little research into the operation of State and Territory animal welfare legislation. Yet to understand any area of law requires not only knowledge of the relevant legislation and cases but also an appreciation of how the law 'in the books' is interpreted and applied. This is particularly important in a field where the regulatory subjects lack any direct legal claim and are unable to articulate their own experience. The abdication by governments of responsibility for much of the law enforcement in this field makes it even more …

The Philippine Treaty Limits And Territorial Water Claim In International Law, Lowell Bautista

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

The fundamental position of the Philippines regarding the extent of its territorial and maritime boundaries is based on two contentious premises: first, that the limits of its national territory are the boundaries laid down in the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ceded the Philippines from Spain to the UnitedStates; and second, that all the waters embraced within these imaginary lines are its territorial waters. The position of the Philippine Government is contested in the international community and runs against rules in the Law of the SeaConvention, which the Philippines signed and ratified. This situation poses two fundamental unresolved issues of …

The Criminal Justice System And The Rule Of Law, Donna Spears

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

In everyday use, the rule of law is often equated with law and order - the idea that people should obey the law. However, as Bottomley and Parker observe, while law and order might be an aspect of some conceptions of the rule of law, it is not really at the heart of it.' They suggest that the rule of law is valued because it is thought to curb the power of government, protect the rights and liberties of citizens and promote personal autonomy, in that individuals can predict the circumstances in which government will interfere with their lives.

Law, Cosmopolitan Law, And The Protection Of Human Rights, Sarah Sorial

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

In Between Facts and Norms, Habermas articulates a system of rights, including human rights, within the democratic constitutional state. For Habermas, while human rights, like other subjective rights have moral content, they do not structurally belong to a moral system; nor should they be grounded in one. Instead, human rights belong to a positive and coercive legal order upon which individuals can make actionable legal claims. Habermas extends this argument to include international human rights, which are realised within the context of a cosmopolitan legal order. The aim of this paper is to assess the relevance of law as a …

Addressing Corruption In Pacific Islands Fisheries: A Report/Prepared For Iucn Profish Law Enforcement, Corruption And Fisheries Project, Ben M. Tsamenyi, Quentin A. Hanich

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Australian Approaches To International Environmental Law During The Howard Years, G. L. Rose

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

This paper provides an overview of major Australian developments in international environmental law during the term of the Howard government.

Law's Empiricism Of The Object: How Law Recreates Cultural Objects In Its Own Image, Marett Leiboff

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Watch an antique or collectables show on television, and more often than not, one segment is devoted to testing the knowledge of an expert panel (and sometimes members of the public) with a problem or 'mystery' object. The object of the exercise (no other word will do so the pun must stay), is to find out what the object actually is, what it was used for, and when it was used. Sometimes the experts know what it is, but more often than not, the host has to tell them. The only way an object can provide some kind of objective …

Enforcing Australian Law In Antarctica: The Hsi Litigation, Ruth A. Davis

Faculty of Law - Papers (Archive)

Law enforcement in Antarctica is complicated by uncertainties regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction. In line with the usual practice of the Antarctic Treaty parties, Australia has generally refrained from enforcing its legislation for the Australian Antarctic Territory against foreigners. Recent litigation that attempts to enforce Australian whale protection laws against Japanese whalers in Antarctica represents a challenge to this traditional approach. The HIS Litigation highlights the ongoing difficulties faced by Australia in trying to effectively manage the Australian Antarctic Territory within the constraints of the Antarctic Treaty System. Using fisheries regulation and continental shelf delimitation as comparative examples, this commentary highlights …