A new podcast from the ANU College of Law captures conversations about law in a way that is utterly charming and reminds listeners that lawyers are people too.
Associate Professor Amelia Simpson
Honorary Associate Professor
BA Hons (ANU); LLB Hons (ANU); LLM (Columbia); JSD (Columbia); Barrister and Solicitor in the High Court of Australia
Off campus
ANU College of Law, 5 Fellows Rd, Acton ACT 2600
Research Theme
Research Centre
Biography
Dr Amelia Simpson is one of Australia’s leading scholars of discrimination and equality principles in constitutional law. Her published research on interstate free trade doctrine has been cited and quoted with approval by pluralities in Australia’s High Court and Federal Court.
Amelia’s wider body of research has been cited extensively within the writings of other leading public law scholars and she was ranked in the top 20 most prolific publishers in Australia’s highest quality law journals over the period 2000-2010.
Amelia is an author of Hanks Australian Constitutional Law: Materials and Commentary (2016, LexisNexis), an invited contributor to the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of the Australian Constitution, edited by Cheryl Saunders and Adrienne Stone, and is also contributing to the forthcoming Australian Constitutional Values collection edited by Rosalind Dixon.
Awards
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | ANU Students' Association Teaching Prize for Law |
| 2007 | Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning |
| 2006 | Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching |
Significant research publications
- 'Parliaments' in Cheryl Saunders and Adrienne Stone (eds) Oxford Handbook of Australian Constitutional Law (OUP, 2018).
- 'Equal Treatment and Non-discrimination through the Functionalist Lens' in Rosalind Dixon (ed) Australian Constitutional Values (2018, Hart-Bloomsbury).
- 'Social Equality in Australia: the Constitution that Time Forgot', (2017) 4(1) Journal of Constitutional Justice 153-185.
- Dan Meagher, Amelia Simpson, James Stellios and Fiona Wheeler Hanks Australian Constitutional Law and Theory (2016, 10th ed, LexisNexis).
- 'Treachery of Heroism? The Judgment of Justices Deane and Toohey in Leeth v Commonwealth' in Andrew Lynch (ed) Great Australian Dissents (2016, CUP).
- ‘Fortescue Metals Group Ltd v Commonwealth: Discrimination and Fiscal Federalism’ (2014) 25(2) Public Law Review 93-98.
- ‘The (Limited) Significance of the Individual in Section 117 State Residence Discrimination’ (2008) 32(2) Melbourne University Law Review 639-71.
- ‘The High Court’s conception of discrimination: origins, applications and implications’, (2007) 29(2) Sydney Law Review 263-95.
- ‘Sweedman v Transport Accident Commission: State Residence Discrimination and the High Court’s Retreat into Characterisation’ (2006) 34(2) Federal Law Review 363-376
- ‘Grounding the High Court’s Modern Section 92 Jurisprudence: the Case for Improper Purpose as the Touchstone’ (2005) 33(3) Federal Law Review 445-84.
- ‘State Immunity from Commonwealth Laws: Austin v Commonwealth and Dilemmas of Doctrinal Design’ (2004) 32(1) UWA Law Review 44-62.
Recent news
24
Jan
2017
Dipping her toes into the research waters pays off as Summer Research Scholarship leads to a job.
30
Nov
2016
On Friday 2 December a conference celebrating the achievements of Michael Coper will be held in the Common Room, University House. Michael is a “big picture” person whose vision has always focused on the future. The conference’s title, “New Ways Forward”, with its tone of energy and optimism, could not be more fitting for an event celebrating the career of Michael Coper and reinforcing the continuing beneficial effects of his achievements.
24
Aug
2016
At ANU Open Day, you'll see, hear and discover why the ANU College of Law is ranked among the top 15 law schools in the world. We have a program of events on this Saturday (27 August) that will give you many opportunities to speak with staff and students to get an insight into what it is like studying at Australia’s national law school.
In the Media
1
Sep
2021
Amelia Simpson
27
Jul
2021
Amelia Simpson quoted in AAP
Past events
11
Aug
2021
1.00PM to 2.00PM ANU College of Law Research Seminar
- Associate Professor Amelia Simpson
Join Associate Professor Amelia Simpson as she explores voluntary assisted dying and discrimination on the basis of state residence in this session of the ANU College of Law research seminar series.
21
Apr
2021
1.00PM to 2.00PM Webinar
The ANU College of Business and Economics and ANU College of Law invite you to attend a free online masterclass: ‘Law in Australia’.
20
Nov
2017
5.30PM to 7.00PM Discussion
- Bob Brown, The Bob Brown Foundation
- A/Prof Amelia Simpson, ANU College of Law
The Centre for International and Public Law and The Australia Institute are pleased to host a discussion of the High Court’s decision in Brown v Tasmania [2017] HCA 43.
02
Mar
2017
5.15PM to 7.30PM Celebration
- Prof Stephen Bottomley
- A/Prof Amelia Simpson
The ANU College of Law hosts its annual Prizes Ceremony which acknowledges the achievements of our students and the contribution and support of our donors.
Research biography
Dr Amelia Simpson is one of Australia’s leading scholars of discrimination and equality principles in constitutional law. Her published research on interstate free trade doctrine has been cited and quoted with approval by pluralities in Australia’s High Court and Federal Court.
Amelia’s wider body of research has been cited extensively within the writings of other leading public law scholars and she was ranked in the top 20 most prolific publishers in Australia’s highest quality law journals over the period 2000-2010.
In June 2015 Amelia presented at a workshop examining dissent within the High Court. Her paper analysed the idea of an implied constitutional equality principle, the veracity of the standard criticisms of this idea, and whether and how the idea might be revived in future. That paper is to be published in Andrew Lynch (ed) Great Australian Dissents, CUP (2016).
Amelia is also an invited contributor to the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of the Australian Constitution, alongside many of Australia’s leading constitutional jurists and scholars.
Previous courses
| Year | Course code | Course name |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 |
LAWS8586 Class #4631 |
Law and Legal Institutions |
| 2021 |
LAWS8586 Class #1571 |
Law and Legal Institutions |
| 2020 |
LAWS8586 Class #1483 |
Law and Legal Institutions |
Teaching awards
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | ANU Students' Association Teaching Prize for Law |
| 2007 | Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning |
| 2006 | Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching |
