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 firstly like to draw your attention to the following opportunity:
25 June 2026
2026 Mason Conversation with The Hon Catherine Holmes AC SC
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law; Faculty of Law & Justice, University of New South Wales
Date: 25 June 2026
Time: 6.00-7.30pm (AEST)
Location: Banco Court, Level 13, Law Courts Building, 184 Phillip Street, Sydney
The Hon Catherine Holmes AC SC was a founding member of the Women's Legal Service (from 1984) and was a member of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (1992 – 2000). From 1998 to 1999 she served as Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions.
Ms Holmes was appointed Chief Justice of Queensland in 2015 and resigned from that position in March 2022. She had previously served as a judge of the Court of Appeal (2006 – 2015) and of the Trial Division (2000 – 2006) of the Supreme Court of Queensland. In January 2020, Ms Holmes was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.
From January 2011 to March 2012, Ms Holmes was Commissioner of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and from August 2022 to July 2023, she was the Commissioner for the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme. Between February and May 2024, she undertook a review and report for the Queensland Government on the Crime and Corruption Commission’s corruption reporting functions.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Competitions and calls for papers
22 May 2026
Call for proposals - International Access to Justice Forum 2026
Victoria Law Foundation
Deadline: 22 May 2026
Victoria Law Foundation, in partnership with Monash University, Faculty of Law, invites proposals for the International Access to Justice Forum 2026 (Forum), to be held in Melbourne from 28 to 30 October 2026.
Theme: Evidence and Action
At a time of growing complexity and pressure on justice systems, the Forum focuses on the dynamic relationship between research and action. Distinguished by its empirical and outcomes-focused orientation, the Forum will examine what works, why it works, and how evidence can be translated into real-world impact across different legal and social contexts.
We invite proposals that contribute to improved access to justice by bridging evidence and action across four topics. Proposals do not need to fit neatly within a single topic area. Interdisciplinary, comparative, and practice based proposals are strongly encouraged. Submissions, both published and in development, are welcomed from across disciplines, sectors and jurisdictions.
The four topics are:
Empirical research for access to justice: evidence for what works
Justice systems and institutions
Justice in a Changing World
People-Centred Justice
For more information, and to submit a proposal, click here.
30 June 2026
2026 Saunders Prize for Excellence in Scholarship in Constitutional Law
Australian Association of Constitutional Law (AACL)
Deadline: 30 June 2026
The AACL is now calling for nominations for the 2026 Saunders Prize, which will be awarded to the author of an article or note on a subject of constitutional law published in an Australian legal journal in 2025.
Nominations must be received by 30 June 2026.
For more information, and to submit a nomination, click here.
31 August 2026
Australian Academy of Law 2026 Annual Essay Prize
Australian Academy of Law
Deadline: 31 August 2026
The Australian Academy of Law invites you to submit an essay for its 2026 Annual Essay Prize.
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, law students, legal academics, legal practitioners and judicial officers are all eligible to submit an essay.
The amount of the Prize is $10,000.
The essay topic for the Prize in 2026 is as follows:
Section 51(xxxi) of the Commonwealth Constitution confers power on the Commonwealth Parliament to make laws with respect to the acquisition of property on just terms from any State or person for any purpose in respect of which the Parliament has power to make laws.
What is the relationship between s 51(xxxi) and:
(1) the other powers under s 51; and
(2) the rest of the Constitution?
Has the 2025 trilogy of cases, Commonwealth v Yunupingu [2025] HCA 6, G Global 120 TE Pty Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue (Qld) [2025] HCA 39, Russian Federation v Commonwealth [2025] HCA 44, resolved that relationship?
Do you agree?
The length of the essay to be submitted is a maximum of 8,000 words (excluding the abstract).
For more information, click here.
1 October 2026
Human Rights Law Essay Prize
Australian Academy of Law
Deadline: 1 October 2026
The Human Rights Law Essay Prize is awarded annually to the applicant who produces the most original essay 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.
To be eligible, the topic of the essay must be human rights in Australia or New Zealand and the essay must have previously been submitted for assessment to a university in Australia or New Zealand (whether undergraduate or graduate). Students from any discipline are encouraged to apply.
For more information, and to submit an entry, click here.
Conferences and seminars
6 May 2026
2026 Sir Kenneth Bailey Memorial Lecture: State obligations on climate change and human rights: where are we at and where do we go from here?
Melbourne Law School
Date: 6 May 2026
Time: 6.00-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Law G08, Law Building (106), Melbourne University
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights will deliver this year’s lecture at a moment when State obligations on climate change and human rights have become clearer in their nature and content, due to the complementary advisory opinions of three diverse international tribunals.
Professor Elisa Morgera’s lecture will reflect on States’ customary and treaty-based obligations to protect the climate system as part of inter-connected life-supporting systems of the planet, beyond any artificial distinction based on siloed understandings of the environment and planetary health. The lecture will then explore the role of customary law and the international law principles of sustainable development, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, equity, intergenerational equity, and precaution, in complying with the stringent due diligence obligations to prevent significant harm to the climate system and to human rights.
The lecture will be chaired by Professor Margaret Young, ARC Future Fellow and Director of Melbourne Law School’s Institute for International Law and the Humanities (IILAH).
For more information, and to register, click here.
7 May 2026
Trump 2.0 and International Law: Terrorism, Territory and Treaties
Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, The University of Queensland
Date: 7 May 2026
Time: 12.00-1.00pm (AEST)
Location: Lecture Theatre 132, Sir Llew Enwards Building (Building 14), The University of Queensland, St Lucia
The second Trump Administration has raised almost daily issues for how the United States views basic principles of international law. This has been particularly highlighted by US conduct in 2026 concerning Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran. The Trump Administration has advanced policies and engaged in conduct that have ignored territorial integrity, head of state immunity, high seas freedom of navigation, and international law regarding the use of force and international humanitarian law. Some of this conduct has been undertaken in response to threats posed by ‘narco-terrorism’, purported Chinese and Russian activities in the Arctic, and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This US conduct will be discussed in the context of what this means for international legal system in the era of Trump 2.0.
Speaker: Professor Donald R. Rothwell, Professor of International Law at the ANU School of Law, Australian National University
For more information, and to register, click here.
7 May 2026
Australian social security law after Robodebt: what’s changed (and what hasn't)
Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Date: 7 May 2026
Time: 12.30-1.30pm (AEST)
Location: Online
The Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law are pleased to invite you to a seminar on: Australian social security law after Robodebt: what’s changed (and what hasn't). The seminar will be held online, via Zoom.
In the shadow of the Robodebt scandal, the Australian social security system has undergone significant legal and administrative change and more is on the horizon. This seminar will explore recent developments in social security law with a focus on debt raising and evidence requirements, changes to the review and appeal processes, and amendments relevant to Centrelink recipients experiencing domestic and family violence. This seminar will outline these developments as well as offer reflections on their likely impacts and the future of Australian social security law.
Speakers:
Dr Scarlet Wilcock, UNSW Law & Justice
Emeritus Professor Terry Carney, University of Sydney
Dr Darren O’Donovan, La Trobe University
For more information, and to register, click here.
7 May 2026
Royal Commissions - from William the Conqueror to Sir Humphrey Appleby
The University of Queensland
Date: 7 May 2026
Time: 5.15-6.45pm (AEST)
Location: Banco Court, Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane
A Royal Commission (or Commission of Inquiry as it is termed in some jurisdictions) is the “most exalted” form of Executive inquiry. It has its origins in an ancient royal prerogative and was traditionally used by the English monarch to obtain advice or to inquire into issues of concern to the Crown.
In the 21st century alone, the Commonwealth has established 14 Royal Commissions, with many more having been established by State and Territory governments throughout the federation.
Despite the collective national commitment to this form of inquiry, there is comparatively little of the historical, legal, and policy features that bear on a decision to call a Royal Commission. What powers does a Royal Commission have? Does the Royal Commission of today look the same as it did during the reign of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs? Does it matter whether it is called by a State or Commonwealth Government? Do all Royal Commissions seek to achieve the same thing? Is there any rhyme or reason to when a Royal Commission is called?
These questions, and more, will be answered in Kathryn McMillan KC’s lecture
Speaker: Kathryn McMillan KC
For more information, and to register, click here.
8 May 2026
Silicon Valley and the End-times – The Law, Politics and Economy of Apocalypse
Institute for International Law and the Humanities, The University of Melbourne
Date: 8 May 2026
Time: 1.00-2.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online
The current concentration of financial, technological, military and political power in the billionaires of Silicon Valley is unprecedented. US government support, both in terms of policy and contracts, is essential to the sector. Relatedly, technology billionaires have become key actors within the Trump administration. The current controversy over Anthropic’s attempt to impose terms of use on the US Government concerning domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, and its designation as a ‘supply chain risk’, demonstrates how much power is concentrated in these corporations – and the significance of their relationship to the state.
There appears to be a dangerous feedback loop between the conditions being exacerbated by technology’s mobilisation of capital and power (environmental and geopolitical catastrophe), and the relevance and explanatory force of apocalyptic thinking. At the same time, political leaders explicitly ascribe eschatological meaning to their military actions, in part to deny the relevance of international legal constraints.
This panel will consider the impact of apocalyptic thinking on the way technology billionaires amass and exert power, and the way the current moment and our futures are being shaped by their end-times fantasies.
Chair: Professor Sundhya Pahuja, Melbourne Laureate Professor and ARC Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Professor, Melbourne Law School
Presenters:
Professor Melinda Cooper, School of Sociology at the Australian National University
Professor James Martel, Department of Political Science at San Francisco State University
Dr Adil Hasan Khan, Senior Research Fellow, Laureate Program on Global Corporations and International Law, Melbourne Law School
Dr Richard Joyce, Senior Lecturer in the Melbourne Law School
For more information, and to register, click here.
13 May 2026
Public lecture by The Hon Justice Simon Steward AC on jurisprudence and theology
Australian National University
Date: 13 May 2026
Time: 5.30-7.00pm (AEST)
Location: Moot Court, ANU Law School, Canberra
We are delighted to welcome The Hon Justice Simon Steward AC of the High Court of Australia to deliver a public address on Jurisprudence and Theology.
This event is open to the general public. Registration is essential.
For more information, and to register, click here.
14 May 2026
The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation: ANZSIL Book Prize Seminar
Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL)
Date: 14 May 2026
Time: 7.00-8.00pm (AEST)
Location: Online
The ANZSIL History and Theory of International Law Interest Group is pleased to bring you this webinar on Dr Josh Paine's book, awarded an honourable mention in the 2025 ANZSIL Publication Prizes.
The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation uses environmental disputes as a focus to develop a novel comparative analysis of the functions of international adjudication. The book focuses on three challenges confronting international tribunals: managing change in applicable legal norms or relevant facts, determining the appropriate standard and method of review when scrutinising State conduct for compliance with international obligations, and contributing to wider processes of dispute settlement.
The book compares how tribunals manage these challenges across four key sites of international adjudication: adjudication in the World Trade Organization and under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, International Court of Justice litigation, and investment treaty arbitration. It shows that while international tribunals perform several key functions in the contemporary international legal order, they are subject to significant constraints. Ultimately, the book makes a genuine contribution to literature on the role of international adjudication in international law.
Speaker: Joshua (Josh) Paine, Associate Professor in International Law at the University of Bristol
Commentator: Chester Brown, Professor of International Law and International Arbitration at Sydney Law School
For more information, and to register, click here.
20 May 2026
Do Australians enjoy a “right” to protest in 2026?
Australian Institute of Administrative Law (AIAL) NSW Chapter
Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 5.00-6.30pm (AEST)
Location: Online
During and since the COVID-19 pandemic, the “right” of Australians to protest has been subject to significant law reform and litigation. Join us as HRLA brings together three experts to discuss the experience and ‘rights’ of Australians to protest in 2026, including an examination of the implied right to political communication under the Australian Constitution and the jurisdictions of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The webinar will also consider how human rights legislation in Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory is relevant including the legislated right to peaceful assembly.
Chair: Sean Costello
Speakers:
Emeritus Professor Simon Rice
Associate Professor Maria O’Sullivan
Felicity Nagorcka
Admission to the online seminar is free. Please register if you would like to attend. For more information, and to register, click here.
25 May 2026
After Robodebt – Lessons from Canada
Australian Institute of Administrative Law (AIAL) NSW Chapter
Date: 25 May 2026
Time: 5.00-6.30pm (AEST)
Location: Hybrid - Online and In-person at Court 13A Supreme Cort of NSW Law Courts Building, 184 Phillip Street Sydney
Assistant Professor Jen Raso will speak about the Canadian experience of automation in the administrative state including the failures of AI regulation in Canada and the wide-spread use of automation and machine learning particularly in immigration decision-making. Emeritus Professor Terry Carney and Dr Alexandra Sinclair will act as discussants and tie Dr Raso’s observations to the Australian context and the lessons not learned in Australia post Robodebt.
Chair: The Hon Justice Rachel Pepper, Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
Speakers:
Dr Jennifer Raso, Assistant Professor at McGill University’s Faculty of Law
Emeritus Professor Terry Carney, University of Sydney Law School
Dr Alexandra Sinclair, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Sydney Law School
For more information, click here.
28-29 May 2026
Climate Change and the Circular Economy
Faculty of Law, Monash University
Date: 28-29 May 2026
Time: 5.00-6.30pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University, Prato campus, 26 Via Pugliesi, 59100 Prato, Italy
Climate change and the circular economy: To what extent do laws and regulations support or hinder the circular economy?
Reimagining legal frameworks for a regenerative future
Climate change is reshaping how we think about materials, design, production and waste. The circular economy offers a powerful alternative to our traditional linear model of make, use, discard. Yet real progress depends on more than ambition. It requires laws and regulatory systems that enable, rather than restrict, new ways of designing, making and re‑making the products that shape our lives.
This two‑day workshop invites scholars, practitioners, designers, policymakers and interdisciplinary thinkers to explore a central question: to what extent do current laws and regulations support or hinder the transition to a truly circular economy?
For more information, and to register, click here.
29 June - 1 July 2026
ICON•S 2026 Annual Conference - Reimagining Public Law for a Fractured World: Technology, Identity & Truth
International Society of Public Law (ICON•S)
Date: 29 June - 1 July 2026
Time: 5.00-6.30pm (AEST)
Location: UCD Law School, Dublin, Ireland
Our 2026 Annual Conference titled “Reimagining Public Law for a Fractured World: Technology, Identity & Truth” will take place on June 29-1 July, 2026, in Dublin, Ireland, hosted by the University College Dublin (UCD) Sutherland School of Law and jointly organized by the UCD Centre for Constitutional Studies.
There is a fee for this conference. For more information, and to register, click here.
1-3 July 2026
Australasian Law Academics Association Annual Conference
Australasian Law Academics Association
Date: 1-3 July 2026
Location: Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
Educating the Reflective Lawyer: Human Wisdom in an Automated Age
Legal education and the profession face a pivotal moment. As technology reshapes legal work, the distinctly human capabilities of lawyers have never been more important. Reflective practice - long established in medicine, nursing, and other professions - offers a framework for developing legal professionals who can exercise ethical judgment, build meaningful relationships, adapt to uncertainty, and sustain wellbeing across careers. The challenges of automation require critical thinking, creativity, community and collaboration - all aspects of human endeavour.
This conference brings together legal educators, practitioners, and scholars to examine how reflective practice can transform teaching, learning, and transition to the practice of law. We explore what it means to be a reflective lawyer, how legal education can cultivate reflective capacity, and why this matters in an age of automation.
For more information, click here.
15-17 July 2026
Australasian Society of Legal Philosophy Annual Conference 2026
Australasian Society of Legal Philosophy
Date: 15-17 July 2026
Location: University of Queensland, Brisbane
Our next annual conference will take place at the University of Queensland from Wednesday 15 July to Friday 17 July 2026. Keynotes will be delivered by Janet McLean (University of Auckland) and Irit Samet-Porat (Kings College London), with an introduction and comments from the Hon Justice James Edelman AC (High Court of Australia). The subject of the book symposium will be Money, Parties and Democracy by Matteo Bonotti (Monash University) and Zim Nwokora (Deakin University), with commentaries by Stewart Braun (Australian Catholic University), Lisa Hill (University of Adelaide) and Graeme Orr (University of Queensland).
For more information, and to register, click here.
16 July 2026
The Corporate State
University of Queensland
Date: 16 July 2026
Time: 5.15-7.45pm (AEST)
Location: Banco Court, Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane
Recent decades have seen a surge of interest in holistic models of corporate responsibility. These conceptualise how blame might fall upon an entity on its own account, distinct from the fault of its natural agents and employees.
The theory of ‘Systems Intentionality’ provides a principled and practical means to establish corporate ‘state of mind’ elements in common law, equitable and statutory rules and principles. What insights does a theory of ‘Systems Intentionality’ offer for public ‘juristic persons’, such as the Commonwealth of Australia and its associated agencies and entities.
Australia’s ‘Robodebt’ and the UK’s ‘Post Office Horizon’ scandals suggest this question is pressing.
Speaker: Professor Elise Bant, University of Western Australia
Commentator: The Hon Catherine Holmes AC
Chair: The Hon Chief Justice Helen Bowskill, Supreme Court of Queensland
For more information, and to register, click here.
23 July 2026
The Annual Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University
Date: 23 July 2026
Time: 9.00am-5.00pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University Law Chambers
The Annual Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference provides an invaluable opportunity for delegates to deepen their understanding of human rights law and connect with fellow lawyers, academics, advocates, and activists.
Attendees can join in person or online for a full day of insightful discussions and thought-provoking panels on critical issues in human rights law. This event fosters meaningful dialogue and reflection on the challenges and opportunities in advancing human rights. Details to come.
For more information, click here.
28 July 2026
Is Environmental Law Hopeful?
Monash University
Date: 28 July 2026
Time: 6.00-8.00pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University Law Chambers
In this lecture, Professor Elen Stokes explore the significance of hope within environmental law. This may seem counterintuitive. After all, environmental law is not generally known for its good-news stories. The scale and urgency of the challenges at stake—among them climate change, biodiversity loss, and persistent, bioaccumulative pollutants—often make it feel more appropriate to speak of environmental law in terms of frustration, disappointment or even despair.
Professor Stokes's aim is to examine the various ways in which the relationship between environmental law and hope can be framed. This Public Lecture will focus in particular on the forms that hope takes within environmental law, as well as on the role of hope—and hopefulness—in environmental law teaching and research.
Registrations open soon. For more information, click here.
30-31 July 2026
2026 AIAL National Conference – Administrative Law in a Time of Crisis
Australian Institute of Administrative Law
Date: 30-31 July 2026
Location: Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
The AIAL National Administrative Law Conference is Australia’s pre-eminent administrative law conference, having been held each year since 1991 (except in 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions). The 2026 Conference will be the 35th National Administrative Law Conference.
The aim of the Conference is to provide those involved or interested in Australian administrative law with the opportunity to discuss contemporary issues, share practical experiences and consider future developments. The 2026 Conference will be hosted by the National Executive Committee of the Institute.
The overarching theme for the 2026 AIAL National Administrative Law Conference is: Administrative Law in a Time of Crisis.
For more information, click here.
19 August 2026
2026 Susan Campbell Oration
University of Queensland
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 6.00-8.00pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University Law Chambers
The Susan Campbell Oration will focus on the experience of law schools, which are already running policy clinics, in order to:
Highlight the relevance of policy clinics for today’s society and legal education.
Propose strategies to evaluate the impact and quality of policy clinics.
Discuss ethical aspects and professional values involved in policy work and
Identify best practices and key challenges in policy clinic design and methodology
Registrations opening soon. For more information, click here.
21-23 August 2026
The Samuel Griffith Society - 2026 Conference
The Samuel Griffith Society
Date: 21-23 August 2026
Location: Hilton Sydney
Registration is now open here. Further details about the conference are forthcoming.
26-28 August 2026
ICON•S AUS-NZ Chapter Conference
International Society of Public Law (ICON•S)
Date: 26-28 August 2026
Location: Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington
The conference will feature a series of keynote panels, as well as parallel sessions in which participants are invited to present papers either in pre-organised panels or panels assembled by the organisers. Papers relating to the conference theme - “HE MAHI RARANGA: Infusion and Diffusion of Australasian Public Law” - are particularly encouraged.
There are planned keynote panels on: ‘The Law that was Always There’: Weaving First Nations and Pasifika Knowledges within the Law Curriculum; The Automated State; New Directions in Constitutionalism; and a Judicial Dialogue on the Judiciary in an Age of Distrust.
For more information, click here.
12 November 2026
Inaugural Professorial Lecture: Professor Luke Beck
Monash University
Date: 12 November 2026
Time: 6.00-8.00pm (AEST)
Location: Monash University Law Chambers
Luke Beck is a Professor of Constitutional Law. He previously served as Associate Dean (Education) of the Faculty of Law for two terms, and has served as Acting Dean on occasion.
He is a leading scholar in the field of separation of religion and government and religious freedom under the Australian Constitution. He has also published on various other aspects of constitutional and public law.
Registrations opening soon. For more information, click here.
3-4 December 2026
The Law and Politics of Migration in Australia
Faculty of Law, Monash University
Date: 3-4 December 2026
Location: TBC
The Law and Politics of Migration In Australia is a collaboration between Monash Law's new Borders, Sovereignty, and Justice Lab (led by Associate Professor Samantha Currie) and the School of Social Sciences Migration and Mobilities Research Hub.
Registrations opening soon. For more information, click here.
7-8 December 2026
11th Asian Constitutional Forum
Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, The University of Melbourne
Date: 7-8 December 2026
Location: Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Australia
We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at Melbourne Law School will host the 11th Asian Constitutional Forum on Monday 7 December and Tuesday 8 December 2026.
The overarching theme of the Forum is ‘Constitutionalism in Asia in a Changing World”. We are honoured to announce the following keynote speakers:
The Hon Justice Chung Kyesun, Constitutional Court of Korea
Associate Professor Rohit De, Department of History, Yale University
Assistant Professor Shamshad Pasarlay, Social Sciences Collegiate Division, University of Chicago
Professor Dinesha Samararatne, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo
Registrations opening soon. Ticket pricing to be advised. For more information, click here.