The late Professor Leslie Zines AO is widely regarded as one of Australia’s pre-eminent experts on constitutional law. He authored several of the seminal texts, including The High Court and the Constitution, Constitutional Change in the Commonwealth, Federal Jurisdiction in Australia, and a number of other books, articles and book chapters.
This collection of essays and commentaries brings together many of Australia’s leading authorities on Australian constitutional law to pay tribute to Professor Zines’ enduring legacy. The contributions cover a wide range of contemporary constitutional questions: the establishment of an Australian international commercial tribunal; the executive power following the Williams cases; punishment and Ch III of the Constitution; the law applicable in federal jurisdiction; constitutional method through the lens of the citizenship cases; current issues in political communication; the Kable legacy and impact on the Australian judicial system; and s 92 in its second century.
1. Constitutional Framework for the Establishment of an Australian International Commercial Tribunal
Chief Justice James Allsop AO. Commentary by Professor James Stellios
2. Executive Power Following the Williams Cases
Professor Anne Twomey. Commentary by Dr Will Bateman
3. Punishment and Chapter III of the Constitution
Professor Gabrielle Appleby and Mr Stephen McDonald. Commentary by Mr Tim Game SC, President of the Bar Association of NSW
4. The Law Applicable in Federal Jurisdiction
Professor William Gummow AC. Commentary by Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lindell
5. The High Court of Dual Citizenship: Zines and Constitutional Method 30 Years On
Professor Rosalind Dixon. Commentary by Justice Stephen Gageler AC
6. Proportionality and Its Alternatives
Professor Adrienne Stone. Commentary by Mr Stephen Free SC
7. The Kable Legacy: Its impact on the Australian Judicial System
Robert French AC. Commentary by Emeritus Professor Fiona Wheeler
8. Section 92 in its Second Century
Mr JK Kirk SC. Commentary by Associate Professor Amelia Simpson
There is a splendid breadth and depth of topics covered in this book.
Far from being a collection of tedious dissertations of constitutional law, this book celebrates the momentous contributions of Professor Zines to the legal discourse by demonstrating the dynamic and thought provoking nature of constitutional law and its prominence in the everyday workings of this country. As well as a fitting tribute, the book is an example of the enduring nature of Professor Zines’ legacy.
David Kim, Victorian Law Institute Journal, August 2021
