Understanding the principles and applications of law in both public and private sectors, promoting good governance and recognising constraints on public power.
In the public sector, the expertise of UQ Law School researchers in constitutional, administrative, and criminal law provides crucial insights for policy and law-makers as they create and implement laws that affect the broader community.
In the private sector, our research relates to laws surrounding employment, intellectual property, and consumer protection, which shape business operations and ensure fair practices among competitors in the globalised environment.
By examining the law in both realms, our research informs legal frameworks that allow government and business leaders to:
- make informed decisions to mitigate risks
- comply with regulatory requirements
- promote accountability, transparency and personal rights.
Explore our featured projects, highlighting groundbreaking research and innovations in legal aspects of Government and Public policy.
Assessing the Impact of Public Finances on the PNG-Australia Borderland
The Torres Strait Treaty allows free movement for Torres Strait Islanders and PNG nationals across the PNG-Australia border for traditional activities, but Australia's public finance policies heavily influence the borderland economy and create health and security risks. This research proposes alternative finance models to improve cross-border effectiveness and address these challenges.
Australian human rights complaints: Litigation, mediation or conciliation
This project will assess the effectiveness of conciliation, mediation, and litigation in resolving human rights complaints in Australia, generating new insights for legal and policy reform. The outcome will be a robust evidence-based model for human rights dispute resolution.
Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII)
The University of Queensland Law School partnered in nine ARC LIEF grants to support the ongoing development of Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) databases. AustLII provides free internet access to Australasian legal materials and has a broad public policy agenda to improve access to justice through better access to information.
Constituent power in federal constitutions
This project examines constituent power in federations, a concept mainly developed in unitary states, to create a comparative analysis and a pluralised theory. It aims to provide insights into federal constitutional foundations, interpretation, and reform, with a focus on systems like Australia.
Constituent power in federal constitutions
This project examines constituent power in federations, offering a comparative analysis and theory of pluralised constituent power, with outcomes including insights into federal constitutions and reform pathways.
Digitising the Drafting of the Australian Constitution
This project seeks to simplify the understanding of the Australian Constitution and its drafting process by creating an accessible online platform that consolidates and enhances the digital record of the Constitutional Conventions. The platform will benefit constitutional law scholars, historians, educators, and students by providing a clear, open-access resource for exploring the formation of the Constitution.
Freedom of Speech: Does Australian Law Comply with its International Obligations?
Press Freedom
Press freedom is central to the rule of law and free speech in a liberal democracy. In Australia, press freedom lacks the legal protection or recognition found elsewhere. This has allowed our laws to encroach on press freedom and led to a ‘chilling effect’ across public interest journalism. Senior law lecturer Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh and and Professor of Journalism Peter Greste lead a team working to restore press freedom with a combination of legal analysis and on-the-ground research.
Reconceiving Australian federalism: Fundamental values, comparative models and constitutional interpretation
There is a widespread call for reform of Australian federalism, but many proposals lack a deep understandinf the principles underlying the Constitution and its interpretation. This project aimed to provide a systematic, theoretically informed analysis of these principles to better understand and assess federal system reform.
Small business and family firm taxation in Australia
Taxation for small businesses in Australia is complicated and inconsistent, often leading to challenges in business structure decisions and access to cash flow. Family-run businesses are common but lack specific tax policies. This project uses research to create better tax policies and strategies for business restructuring and cash flow, with a focus on small businesses in remote and regional areas, partnering with RAPAD for a three-year study on improving economic development and innovation in Central West Queensland.
Small Australian firm business structures
Australia's economy is driven by small businesses and family firms, which operate within a legal framework influencing cash flow, ownership transfer, and business structure. This study examines how business structure impacts financial management and succession planning, focusing on the role of cash flow and family business transitions. It aims to develop best practices and inform policy, including tax policies related to different business structures.
Trust, Ethics and Governance Alliance (TEGA)
UQ Business School’s Trust, Ethics and Governance Alliance (TEGA) brings together academic experts and industry leaders to help address these complex and rapidly evolving challenges. By adopting an interdisciplinary research approach, robust insights are developed to inform public debate and promote effective evidence-based management practices and policy reform.
The Automation of Case-Based Reasoning in Law
The project will create new knowledge concerning the use of case-based reasoning in law and the representation of case-based reasoning as a computational process. In doing so, it will also help to identify potential benefits and drawbacks resulting from the use of automated case-based reasoning to assist decision-making processes in law. It will also help to identify the benefits and drawbacks of using case-based reasoning to resolve other practical and ethical problems.
The Law of Deliberative Democracy
Understanding deliberative democracy and the deliberative value or deficit of the law governing the key areas of political choice: elections, parties, referendums and parliament.
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