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.
Competitions, calls for papers and scholarships
31 August 2025
The Australian Academy of Law Annual Essay Prize 2025
Australian Academy of Law
Entries close: 31 August 2025
The Australian Academy of Law is pleased to announce the offering of its Annual Essay Prize for 2025.
The Prize is open to anyone, wherever resident, who is studying or has studied legal subjects at a tertiary level, or who is working or has worked in a law-based occupation. There is no limit by reference to the age or seniority or experience of, or position held by, a person who may submit an entry. Accordingly, judicial officers, legal practitioners, legal academics and law students are all eligible to submit an essay.
The amount of the Prize is $10,000.
The essay topic for the Prize in 2025 is as follows:
Where has Bird v DP [2024] HCA 41 (‘Bird’) left the law of vicarious liability in Australia? How does it differ from the law in other common law jurisdictions? Should there be a legislative response to Bird and, if so, what should be its scope?
The length of the essay to be submitted is a maximum of 8,000 words (excluding the abstract).
For more information, and to submit an entry, click here.
1 October 2025
Human Rights Law Essay Prize
Human Rights Law Association
Entries close: 1 October 2025
The Human Rights Law Essay Prize is awarded annually to the applicant who produces the most original essay (up to 8,000 words) on human rights in Australia and/or New Zealand, having previously submitted the essay for assessment to an Australian or New Zealand university.
The recipient of the Human Rights Law Essay Prize will be selected by a judging panel appointed by the committee of the Human Rights Law Association. The winner will be announced close to Human Rights Week in December and will receive a prize of $1000.
Fill in the application form here and send it together with a Word or PDF copy of your essay to admin@hrla.net with the subject line ‘Human Rights Law Essay Prize submission’ by 1 October 2025.
For more information, click here.
1 November 2025
Call for Papers: 6th Annual Symposium on Jurisprudence and Theology
Australian National University Law School
CfP closes: 1 November 2025
It is often thought that modern analytic jurisprudence has left theology behind. Think again. Consider the following quote from the Hart-land of jurisprudence:
If men are not devils, neither are they angels; and the fact that they are a mean between these two extremes is something which makes a system of mutual forbearances both necessary and possible. With angels, never tempted to harm others, rules requiring forbearances would not be necessary. With devils prepared to destroy, reckless of the cost to themselves, they would be impossible. (HLA Hart, The Concept of Law, 196)
Neither angels nor demons would have the kind of legal system that we have. Law is situated precariously between heaven and hell. This jurisprudential insight is dripping with theological speculation. It seems that jurisprudence is not done with theology yet.
We welcome papers that explore the intersection of jurisprudence and theology from diverse interdisciplinary perspectives, from all faith traditions and none, and from both faculty members and postgraduate students.
Please submit your abstracts (100-200 words) with your name and institutional affiliation to A/Prof Joshua Neoh (joshua.neoh@anu.edu.au) before 1 November 2025.
For more information, click here.
Conferences and seminars
5 August 2025
Law and Disorder: Reflections on the United Nations at Eighty
Melbourne Law School
Date: 5 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Woodward Conference Centre, Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
2025 Sir George Turner Lecture
The United Nations is the major multilateral institution of our time. It enters its 80th year at a time of intensifying global turbulence, and its role, relevance and effectiveness are being subjected to ongoing criticism and scrutiny.
In this lecture, Professor Tony Anghie will reflect on the UN in the world, taking a long historical perspective. He will consider the historical relationship between global governance and Empire, and use that relationship as a critical lens through which to explore some of the founding principles of the United Nations relating to human rights, the use of force, political economy and decolonisation, to ask what they were about, what has become of them, and what they mean for the present.
Please join us for pre-event refreshments from 5pm.
For more information, and to register, click here.
12 August 2025
Working for the Brand: How Corporations Are Destroying Free Speech
Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law, Melbourne Law School; Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies
Date: 12 August 2025
Time: 5.30-6.45pm (AEST)
Location: Meeting Room (0920), Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Please join us for a seminar on Josh Bornstein’s recent book, Working for the Brand: How Corporations Are Destroying Free Speech. This seminar will be presented by Josh Bornstein and will feature a panel discussion with Misha Ketchell, Professor Adrienne Stone and Professor Joo-Cheong Tham.
In the twenty-first century, major corporations have become the most powerful institution in the world. That unchecked, anti-democratic power is reflected in the gaming of the political system, the weakening of governments, and the repressive control of the lives of employees. While their behaviour has deteriorated, corporations have invested heavily in ethically washed brands, claiming to be saving the planet and doing good. As Josh Bornstein argues, we would not tolerate a government that censored, controlled, and punished us in this way, so why do we meekly accept the growing authoritarianism of the companies that we work for?
For more information, and to register, click here.
14 August 2025
Australia’s Fourth Branch of Government? Comparative and Theoretical Insights
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales
Date: 14 August 2025
Time: 1.30-2.30pm (AEST)
Location: Hybrid - UNSW Law & Justice (Building F8, Level 2, Adrian Cameron Room) and Online via Teams
Constitutional scholars have traditionally thought of the separation of powers as involving three branches of government – the legislature, executive and courts. In recent years, however, attention has been turned to a “fourth branch” of government, which involves oversight and accountability through a range of independent institutions, such as electoral and human rights commissions and independent integrity bodies. This special seminar explores the role of these bodies globally, with a particular attention to lessons for, and the experiences of, Ireland and Australia.
Chair: Scientia Professor Rosalind Dixon (Director, UNSW Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law)
Speakers:
Professor Eoin Carolan (University College Dublin)
Professor Gabrielle Appleby (UNSW)
A light lunch will be served at this event.
For more information, and to register, click here.
14 August 2025
Career Pathways in National and International Environmental and Climate Law
Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment, Melbourne Law School
Date: 14 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.30pm (AEST)
Location: Meeting Room (0920), Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Join us for a dynamic and informal panel discussion exploring diverse career pathways in environmental and climate law, from international litigation to local policy, consultancy, research, and beyond. Hear directly from professionals working across NGOs, government, academia, and the private sector as they share their journeys, challenges, and reflections on how legal skills can drive change beyond traditional law careers.
Audience: Professionals and Postgraduate students (JD, LLM, PhD)
Drinks and snacks provided. This event includes a panel discussion and an opportunity for networking. Spots are limited.
Panelists:
Academic Speaker: Dr Alice Palmer, University of Melbourne
Practising Lawyer: Angus Frith, Barrister and ANTAR Vice President
NGO Representative: Sarah Brugler, National Environmental Law Association
Government and International Speaker: Rohan Nanthakumar, Blue Ocean Law
For more information, and to register, click here.
20 August 2025
The 2025 United Nations Oceans Conference – Reflections on Proposed Actions to Sustainably Use the Oceans
Institute for International Law and the Humanities, Melbourne Law School
Date: 20 August 2025
Time: 1.00-2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online via Zoom
The United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, was a five day event in June involving more than 60 heads of states and governments and over 15,000 participants. Its published outcome, the ‘Nice Ocean Action Plan’ comprises a political declaration and voluntary commitments which seek to address the grave state of ocean health.
The three speakers attended UNOC3 in various research capacities and will present reflections and critical perspectives.
Speakers:
Dr Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb, marine social-ecologist, University of Melbourne
Professor Karen N Scott, University of Canterbury
Professor Margaret Young, University of Melbourne
For more information, and to register, click here.
21 August 2025
Equal Opportunity in South Australia: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
Law Society of South Australia
Date: 21 August 2025
Time: 4.00-6.00pm (AEST)
Location: 60 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
This is a special event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia. The Hon Ian Hunter MLC will deliver a 40-minute lecture titled "Equal Opportunity in South Australia: Looking Back and Looking Ahead." We anticipate strong interest in hearing about the progress made over the years in strengthening the Equal Opportunity Act and advancing rights for the LGBTIQ+ community. The session will conclude with a Q&A.
Following the lecture, we invite you to stay for a networking function where guests can connect and continue the conversation over nibbles and light refreshments. Registration is required.
For more information, and to register, click here.
21 August 2025
2025 Lucinda Lecture - Continental Drift: Constitutional Development & Divergence in New Zealand and Australia
Monash Law
Date: 21 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.10pm (AEST)
Location: Online
The SS Lucinda occupies an important place in Australian constitutional history as the site of key progress in the drafting of the Australian Constitution during the 1891 National Australasian Convention. The same was very nearly true of its place in New Zealand’s constitutional history—had New Zealand not set its face against federation with the Australian colonies and forged its own, distinct constitutional path. In the 2025 Lucinda Lecture, Dame Helen Winkelmann, Chief Justice of New Zealand, will trace the divergent paths taken by New Zealand and Australian constitutional law from their common point of origin. She will reflect, in particular, on the different models of constitutionalism adopted in each nation and the implications of these models for constitutional and public law.
For more information, and to register, click here.
21 August 2025
Dreaming on Indigenous legal education
Indigenous Law and Justice Hub, Melbourne Law School
Date: 21 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.30pm (AEST)
Location: Lecture Theatre G08, Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham Street, Carlton, Victoria
Join the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub as we present Dreaming on Indigenous Legal Education, an in-depth discussion with renowned experts as they dream expansively about what a legal education grounded in First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing and legal authority would look like in Australia.
Esteemed panel members:
Professor Irene Watson, Distinguished Professor of Law with Justice and Society, University of South Australia
Jidah Clark, Chair, Victorian Treaty Authority
Professor Eddie Cubillo, Director, Mabo Centre
Professor Nicole Watson, University of Technology Sydney
For more information, and to register, click here.
21 August 2025
Frail Lawyers and Their Fearless Logics: What Drives Ethical Error?
University of Queensland Law School
Date: 21 August 2025
Location: TBA
As the Robodebt scandal has illustrated, lawyers’ ethics are important. This paper will show why it is not just bad apples or overweening clients that mean all lawyers are at risk of ethical blunders. Traditional notions of lawyers’ ethics - ideas such as fearlessness, zeal and cab rank neutrality - will be examined, as will the human frailties that all humans, even (perhaps especially) lawyers face. We will consider how such ideas can drive lawyers towards disaster. Examples will be taken from the United Kingdom Post Office private prosecution scandal, but also elsewhere. I will suggest that traditional notions of ethics are flawed; that rather than protecting the rule of law, they render it vulnerable.
Chair: Mr Graham Gibson KC
Commentator: Mr Richard Douglas KC
Speaker: Professor Richard Moorhead, University of Exeter
For more information, and to register, click here.
22-24 August 2025
2025 Samuel Griffith Society Conference
Samuel Griffith Society
Date: 22-24 August 2025
Location: Ritz-Carlton Perth
The 35th annual national conference of The Samuel Griffith Society will be held at the Ritz-Carlton in Perth over the weekend of Friday 22 August to Sunday 24 August, 2025.
The conference will feature:
The Fifteenth Sir Harry Gibbs Memorial Oration, delivered by The Hon Simon Steward, Justice of the High Court of Australia
The Third Sir David Smith Memorial Oration
Other announced speakers include:
Professor James Allan, Garrick Professor of Law at the University of Queensland’s TC Beirne School of Law
The Hon Richard Court AC, 26th Premier of Western Australia
The Hon Nicholas Hasluck AM, KC, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Hon Paul Howard, Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1)
The Hon Dyson Heydon KC, former Justice of the High Court of Australia
The Hon Christian Porter, 37th Attorney-General of Australia
The Hon John Snaden, Justice of the Federal Court of Australia
The Hon Amanda Stoker MP, Assistant Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training of Queensland
There is a fee for this event. For more information, and to register, click here.
25 August 2025
The Challenges and Opportunities of Business and Human Rights for Public International Law
Institute for International Law and the Humanities, Melbourne Law School
Date: 25 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Law G08, Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Melbourne Law School hope you can join us for this special lecture event presented by Hugh de Krester, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
For more information, and to register, click here.
26 August 2025
Alan Missen Oration: How an Australian Human Rights Act would improve our lives
Melbourne Law School
Date: 26 August 2025
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Law G08, Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Melbourne Law School hope you can join us for this special lecture event presented by Hugh de Krester, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
For more information, and to register, click here.
28 August 2025
Au Revoir, Moruroa: Human Rights, Decolonization and Environmental Justice in the Nuclear Pacific, 1945-1972
Institute for International Law and the Humanities, Melbourne Law School
Date: 28 August 2025
Time: 1.00-2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Room 317, Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Please join the Institute for International Law and the Humanities for a lunchtime seminar presented by Dr Ann-Sophie Levidis (Australian National University) and chaired by Professor Margaret Young.
In the eighty years after the atomic strikes on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a transnational and grassroots movement has taken shape – East to West, and North to South, around the issues of human rights in the nuclear age. One of the most contentious and violent regions for this movement was the islands of the Blue Pacific. This talk explores how a transnational movement of environmentalists, indigenous activists, and grassroots legal activists took shape across porous and militarized oceanic borderlands. Delving into the tangled questions of nuclear testing, colonial legacies, and state violence, this talk traverses the archival grain of trials from Australia to France and finally to the dock of the International Court of Justice to shed light on the pursuit of justice in the nuclear age.
For more information, and to register, click here.
28 August 2025
Book Launch: Money, Parties, and Democracy: Political Finance Between: Fat Cats and Big Government
Melbourne Political, Legal and Social Theory Network
Date: 28 August 2025
Time: 4.00-5.00pm (AEST)
Location: University House, University of Melbourne, 53 Professors Rd, Parkville, Victoria
For anyone interested in the relationship between money and politics, the Melbourne Political, Legal and Social Theory Network (MPLAST) has organised a book launch for Matteo Bonotti and Zim Nwokora's new monograph Money, Parties, and Democracy: Political Finance Between: Fat Cats and Big Government (Oxford University Press, 2025).
The event will feature comments on the book by:
Professor Tom Daly (Director, ERRN)
Dr Benjamin Moffitt (Monash University)
Dr Yee-Fui Ng (Monash University and ERRN Convenor for Victoria)
To register, click here.
2 September 2025
What’s wrong with AI judges?
Australian Academy of Law
Date: 2 September 2025
Time: 5.15-6.45pm (AEST)
Location: Hybrid - In-person at Level 13, Supreme Court of NSW, Courts Building, Queens Square, Sydney and Online
In this free public event, Professor John Tasioulas, Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow, Balliol College, will speak on ‘What’s wrong with AI judges?’
The event will be chaired by The Hon Alan Robertson AM SC, President of the Australian Academy of Law.
There will also be commentary by a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, followed by a Q&A session.
For more information, and to register, click here.
3 September 2025
Law, War and Letter Writing: ANZSIL Seminar
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL)
Date: 3 September 2025
Time: 1.00-2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online
This online seminar will provide an opportunity to engage with the authors of the prize winning article, ‘Law, War and Letter Writing’, published in (2025) 35 European Journal of International Law 577.
In ‘Law, War and Letter Writing’, Madelaine Chiam, Monique Cormier and Anna Hood highlight that when (some) international crises arise, it has become common for lawyers to respond by penning open letters that call out violations of international law and call on governments, international organizations or civil society to take a suite of actions.
Drawing on open letters that were written in the first three months of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and the first three months of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023, the authors contend that there are three main purposes embedded in these letters: advocacy, solidarity and public education.
Speakers: Madelaine Chiam, Monique Cormier and Anna Hood
Chair: Alison Duxbury
For more information, and to register, click here.
3 September 2025
Contemporary Issues in the Australian Legal System
The Bar Association of Queensland
Date: 3 September 2025
Time: 5.15-6.45pm (AEST)
Location: TBA
The Hon Justice Stephen Gageler will present his thoughts on contemporary challenges faced by the Australian Legal System. The event will be chaired by the Hon Chief Justice Helen Bowskill, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. The floor will be open for questions and discussion.
For more information, and to register, click here.
4 September 2025
Karen Hao: Empire of AI
University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney
Date: 4 September 2025
Time: 6.30-8.00pm (AEST)
Location: Science Theatre, UNSW Kensington
2025 Wallace Wurth Lecture
Programs like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous with AI, promising to kick start the next industrial evolution. But the scale of resources needed to support AI are staggering, with the cost largely being levied on the marginalised. From energy demands eclipsing whole cities, to labour exploitation in the global south, this behaviour bodes poorly for an equitable future.
In Empire of AI, award-winning investigative journalist Karen Hao unpacks the rise of OpenAI and their race for global dominance – prompting the question, what will it take to reign in this laissez-faire approach to growth? Answers are needed and UNSW legal expert Mimi Zou is exploring the possibilities surrounding the regulation of AI, along with UNSW neuroscientist Joel Pearson who is scrutinising the human impact of AI at an individual and societal level.
Join ABC journalist Ange Lavoipierre in conversation with Karen Hao and then Mimi Zou and Joel Pearson on what it will take to usher in a sustainable, equitable AI revolution.
For more information, and to register, click here.
18 September 2025
2025 Flos Greig Lecture - The International Rules-Based Order: Nostalgia or Blueprint for Global Peace?
Melbourne Law School
Date: 18 September 2025
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Woodward Conference Centre, Law Building (106), Melbourne Law School
Recent conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran – along with an unprecedented 123 million refugees seeking protection and global trade instability – are challenging the post-Second World War international regime that prohibits the acquisition of territory by force, promotes free trade and protects human rights.
Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs AC will examine whether international law remains an effective part of the’ rules-based order’ when, today, some political leaders explicitly deny fundamental norms, reject multilateral treaty obligations, and resort to unilateral policies. In short, is the United Nations Charter and the laws and institutions built upon it still fit for purpose?
Pre-lecture refreshments | 5:15pm - 6pm
Public Lecture | 6pm - 7pm
For more information, and to register, click here.
14 October 2025
Teaching Law in the GenAI Era
James Cook University
Date: 14 October 2025
Time: 2.20-3.30pm (AEST)
Location: Online
Discover how generative AI is transforming the landscape of higher legal education in this compelling session led by Dr Karnika Bansal from James Cook University. Drawing from her experience as a lecturer, Dr Bansal will explore the shifting role of educators, the integration of AI tools in teaching and assessment, and the critical challenges of maintaining academic integrity and fostering independent thinking. The presentation will also examine how legal curricula must evolve to prepare students for a profession deeply influenced by AI-driven change. Join us to gain valuable insights and stay informed about the innovations reshaping legal education today.
For more information, and to register, click here.
30 October 2025
A Second Chamber for the Queensland Parliament: Four Reasons, Four Features and Four Design Principles
The Bar Association of Queensland
Date: 30 October 2025
Time: 6.15-7.45pm (AEST)
Location: TBA
The speaker will present four arguments for the restoration of an elected second chamber in Queensland and propose four corresponding qualities that such a chamber should possess. These four arguments and four features concern: (1) better democratic representation, (2) enhanced public deliberation, (3) improved legislative procedures, and (4) increased scrutiny of government. In doing so, the paper will consider four key principles of constitutional design, namely democratic legitimacy, effective governance, the separation of powers, and government accountability.
Chair: The Hon Justice John Bond, Judge of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland
Speaker: Professor Nicholas Aroney, University of Queensland
Commentator: Mr Neil Laurie LLB LLM (HONS) MBA, The Clerk of The Parliament (Queensland)
For more information, and to register, click here.
19-21 November 2025
2025 International Journal of Clinical Legal Education Annual Conference
Monash University Faculty of Law
Date: 19-21 November 2025
Location: Monash University Law Chambers, Melbourne
The theme of IJCLE 2025 is Navigating Global Challenges in Clinical Legal Education: Innovating for the Future.
The first day of IJCLE will feature a number of workshops focused on building the skills clinical teachers need for their work with students, clients and colleagues. These skills include supervision, reflective practice, assessment, feedback and scaffolding student learning.
Days 2 and 3 will provide participants with opportunities to engage with multiple issues related to climate justice, the impact of technology and AI, access to rights and justice, along with enhancing regional and global collaboration. There will be publication-themed sessions including a writing workshop mini retreat designed to encourage clinical scholarship and research collaborations.
There is a fee for this event. For more information, and to register, click here.
24-25 November 2025
Legal Education Research Conference: The Crowded Curriculum
University of New South Wales Law & Justice
Date: 24-25 November 2025
Location: UNSW Law & Justice, Kensington Campus
In today's fast-paced world, law schools face the complex challenge of balancing an already crowded curriculum with the evolving demands of the legal profession. Accrediting bodies mandate that law degrees cover an array of prescribed knowledge areas. The legal profession demands graduates with substantive legal knowledge who are adept at research. All professions require graduates with a range of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, including communication, reasoning, negotiation, networking and teamwork. There has been a documented increase in the volume and complexity of laws and there are new theories, under-represented perspectives and novel proposals to consider. Students are increasingly expected to be proficient in emerging technologies that are becoming integral to practice and need to be prepared for a world in which significant change is likely. All the while, educators are trying to engage students in the context of a competitive attention economy.
It is unsurprising that laws schools are struggling with the challenge of updating curriculum to address new needs, without sacrificing depth or quality, while providing opportunities to develop skills and reflect on values. Navigating this process requires creativity, balance and great care.
For more information, and to register, click here.
6 December 2025
In-Person Symposium: Judicial Independence in Australia - Looking Forward, Ten Years On
Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, University of Queensland
Date: 6 December 2025
Time: 9.00am-5.00pm (AEST)
Location: T. C. Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland
Ten years after the publication of Judicial Independence in Australia: Contemporary Challenges, Future Directions (Federation Press, 2016), the landscape of judicial independence has radically changed. The time is ripe for a new edited collection taking stock of these changes and looking to the future.
The symposium will bring together leading scholars, judges and lawyers to discuss the nature and importance of judicial independence in Australia, and to debate current and future challenges.
For more information, click here.