The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia: History, Principle and Interpretation

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia examines the body of constitutional jurisprudence in an original and rigorous yet accessible way. It begins by exploring the historical and intellectual context of ideas surrounding the Constitution's inception, and closely examines its text, structure, principles and purposes in that light. The book then unpacks and critically analyses the High Court's interpretation of the Constitution in a manner that follows the Constitution's own logic and method of organisation. Each topic is defined through detailed reference to the existing case law, which is set out historically to facilitate an appreciation of the progressive development of constitutional doctrine since the Constitution came into force in 1901. The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia provides an engaging and distinctive treatment of this fundamental area of law. It is an excellent book for anyone seeking to understand the significance and interpretation of the Constitution.

Table of Contents:
1. The Constitution; 2. The Parliament; 3. Legislative power; 4. Demarcations of power; 5. Limits on power; 6. The Executive; 7. Executive power; 8. The judicature; 9. Judicial power; 10. The states.

About the Author :
Nicholas Aroney is a Professor of Constitutional Law and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, in the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland. Peter Gerangelos is an Associate Professor of Law in the University of Sydney and was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law in 2006–2007. Formerly he was Principal Solicitor in the Office of the Australian Government Solicitor and recipient of the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Post-Graduate Award in 1996. Sarah Murray is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia where she teaches Constitutional Law and researches in the areas of Public Law and legal institutional change. She is the Western Australian Convenor and a co-opted Council Member of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law and a co-Convenor of the Electoral Regulation and Research Network. Her Ph.D. thesis was awarded the 2011 Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal for Law by Monash University and was published as a monograph in 2014. She is a co-author of Winterton's Australian Federal Constitutional Law (2014) and has also published public law scholarship across a range of Australian and international journals. James Stellios is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University College of Law where he teaches public law. His primary research interest is constitutional law, and he has published widely in that field.