January 2004 - Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law

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Centre Activities Stephen Lam Breakfast roundtable with Stephen Lam, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Constitutional Affairs On 28 September 2003, the Centre, in conjunction with the Asia-Australia Institute and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, hosted a roundtable discussion with Stephen Lam, the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Participants included former Chief Justice of the High Court Sir Anthony Mason, Federal Court Judge Ronald Sackville and NSW Senator Marise Payne. Mr Lam’s position as Secretary for Constitutional Affairs places him at the heart of the constitutional controversies that Hong Kong currently faces. He has responsibility for overseeing the implementation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law and Hong Kong’s policies on electoral affairs. In addition, he plays a pivotal role in maintaining Hong Kong’s external relationships and in developing a close relationship with the Chinese mainland. Discussion at the event mainly focussed on Hong Kong’s recent constitutional crises. The event included a challenging and stimulating discussion about the present and future state of political affairs in Hong Kong. Rights and recognition go hand in hand with economic and social development. Sean Brennan, ‘Practical Reconciliation: Only Half the Story’, Perspective, ABC Radio National, (20 November 2003). If the Australian people are asked to vote on reform of the Senate, any proposal must balance the Senate’s existing strengths against the need for stable and effective government. This cannot be achieved by piecemeal reform, particularly reform that will rightly be seen by the people as serving only the interests of the government of the day. George Williams, ‘Beware Senate Reform that Seeks to Only Block the Block’ Sydney Morning Herald (9 October 2003). 2 Quentin Baxter lecture, Victoria University, Wellington Centre Director George Williams delivered ‘The Case that Stopped a Coup The Rule of Law in Fiji’ at the 2003 Quentin-Baxter Memorial Trust Lecture. The lecture, held on 27 November 2003, was organised by the New Zealand Centre for Public Law at the Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. George Williams Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law Newsletter
New books Federation Press has recently published Realising Democracy: Electoral Law in Australia. The volume draws together as contributors a range of insiders and other Australian and international commentators with long experience in electoral administration and electoral law. Authors include leading lawyers, political scientists, historians and electoral administrators. Centre Director George Williams is series editor of a new line of books, entitled Law at Large, from University of New South Wales Press. The books on legal topics of broad contemporary significance are aimed at both a legal and non legal audience. The first book in the series, by Professor Brian Horrigan of the University of Canberra, Adventures in Law and Justice: Exploring Big Legal Issues in Everyday Life, has just been published. It was launched in Sydney by James O’Loghlin, evening presenter on ABC Radio 702 in Sydney. The Law at Large series will include small to medium sized books, and a number of authors are now under contract. If you have any interest in contributing to the series, please contact the Centre Director. UNSW Press has also recently published Terror Laws: ASIO Counter-Terrorism and the Threat to Democracy by Associate Professor Jenny Hocking of Monash University. The book, which contains a forward by the Centre Director, marks an important contribution to the ongoing debate over new security laws for Australia. If [unilateralism, pre-emption and humanitarian intervention] are recognised as part of the international legal order, will they become a destabilising force in the delicate ecosystem of the international community … Of course, it is always difficult to forecast the effect of a new legal order on future international stability. We might, however, question whether the Israeli experience provides a microcosmic example. Devika Hovell, Perspective, ABC Radio National (7 November 2003) 3 Australian Policy Online grant Centre Director George Williams was a partner with other academics in a grant application to upgrade the online social science research website Australian Policy Online (www.apo.org.au). Australian Policy Online provides access to research from nearly 100 member centres and institutes to create a national, searchable electronic gateway for academic researchers, librarians, public servants, journalists and students. The site is maintained by the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University of Technology. The application was successful, with the Australian Research Council awarding the project $108,045. We are looking forward to working more closely with Australian Policy Online in the future and in continuing to develop innovative and accessible ways of communicating with a broad audience about our research and activities in the area of public law. January 2004 www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au
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January 2004 - Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law

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