Public lecture on 'the rule of law in Blair's Britain'

April 16, 2007

One of Britain's most respected authorities on constitutional law will deliver the University of New England's annual Sir Frank Kitto Lecture for 2007. Professor Adam Tomkins (pictured here) from Glasgow University will speak on "The Rule of Law in Blair's Britain".

Associate Professor Mark Lunney, who has organised the lecture, urged members of the public – as well as the University community – to attend the lecture, saying it "promises to be an insightful and thought provoking evening".

"It is a truly exciting opportunity to hear from a leading international academic in the legal, political and human rights fields," said Mr. Lunney, from UNE's School of Law. "Professor Tomkins is one of the leading authorities in Britain and Europe in public and constitutional law. He is widely published, and a respected public speaker on republican theory and constitutional law. He also has very strong views on the subject of human rights, and I expect him to give a very interesting and challenging lecture."

The lecture will be at 6:15 pm on Tuesday 17 April in Lecture Theatre 4 within UNE's Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. It will give a critical account of the ways judges have – and have not – sharpened the rule of law in UK constitutional cases in the Human Rights Act era, providing valuable insight into how the legal system has evolved to meet the demands of an "age of terrorism". (For more information on the lecture, contact Associate Professor Mark Lunney at the School of Law, UNE, on 6773 2713.)

"The post-September 11 'terrorist age' has presented real challenges to the rule of law," Mr Lunney said. "While we might be familiar, to some extent, with what is happening in Australia, it is very important and instructive to see what is happening in the United Kingdom. That legal system is the one from which we draw our roots, including our fundamental commitment to the rule of law, and so it is interesting to see how these challenges have been dealt with in the United Kingdom. It is clearly important for the general public, as well as academics, to gain a better understanding of how the rule of law is working in Australia in the post-September 11 era, and an awareness of what is happening in our closest 'neighbour' (in legal terms) adds to that understanding."

The public lecture is hosted by UNE's School of Law. "We believe that it is very important to attract the most eminent legal scholars – both in Australia and internationally – to UNE's School of Law," Mr Lunney said. "It fits in with our aim of building the research profile of the School so that we are recognised as a significant player in legal research in Australia."

This lecture series is in honour of Sir Frank Kitto, Justice of the High Court of Australia (1950-1970), Chancellor of the University of New England (1970-1981), and inaugural Chairman of the Australian Press Council (1976-1982), who died in Armidale in 1994.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at April 16, 2007 05:29 PM