Australian Centre for Private Law

The mission of the ​Australian Centre for Private Law is to foster the development and understanding of the private law through advanced theoretical, doctrinal, empirical and historical research, and the dissemination of that research through education and professional outreach. By supporting the work of its Fellows, the ACPL seeks to promote research in all areas of private law and to establish itself as a research centre of national and international importance. The core initiatives of ACPL are:

Research: To advance a deeper understanding of the structure, principles and policies of the private law through advanced theoretical, comparative, and empirical analysis.

Education: To promote, facilitate and disseminate the results of that research for the benefit of Australia’s social and economic fabric.

Professional Outreach and Cross-Institutional Collaboration: To engage the judiciary and members of the legal profession in discussion about the values, goals and methods of private law and the respective roles of the judiciary, the legal profession and the academy in the interpretation and reform of private law. To promote collaboration between specialist private law experts located in Australia, and international centres of excellence.

The ACPL embraces all branches of private law broadly conceived, including the law of contract, torts, trusts, equity, property and unjust enrichment, as well as aspects of corporate and commercial law. It fosters all types of research, including doctrinal and theoretical work as well as work of a historical, empirical or contextual type.