Kieran Pender

ANU College of Law, Bld 5, Fellows Rd, Acton ACT 2600

Research Theme
Biography
Kieran is a visiting fellow at The Australian National University (ANU) Centre for International and Public Law and senior lawyer (democratic freedoms) at the Human Rights Law Centre. He was previously a senior legal advisor at the International Bar Association's Legal Policy and Research Unit in London. He is a graduate of the ANU, where he was awarded the university medal. Kieran frequently writes, speaks and publishes on public law and employment law issues. He is a regular contributor to The Guardian, The Saturday Paper and Australian Book Review, and has appeared on ABC and BBC radio and television. Kieran has guest lectured at universities across four continents, and spoken at the United Nations, European Parliament, World Bank and OECD.
Significant research publications
- Getnick, Neil, Gregory Krakower and Kieran Pender, ‘Whistleblowers Beyond Borders: The Globalisation of Whistleblower Protection’ in Anti-Corruption Law and Practice Report 2017: Innovation in Enforcement and Compliance (International Bar Association, May 2017)
- Pender, Kieran, ‘Red Scare on Ice: Antarctica, Australian-Soviet Relations and the International Geophysical Year’ (2017) 14 History Australia 645
- Pender, Kieran, ‘The “Price” of Justice?: Costs-Conditional Special Leave in the High Court’ (2018) 42(1) Melbourne University Law Review 149
- Pender, Kieran, ‘“Silent Members of Society”? Public Servants and the Freedom of Political Communication in Australia’ (2018) 29 Public Law Review 327
- Pender, Kieran, ‘Before the High Court – Comcare v Banerji: Public Servants and Political Communication’ (2019) 41 Sydney Law Review 131
- Pender, Kieran, Sofya Cherkasova and Anna Yamaoka-Enkerlin, ‘Compliance and Whistleblowing: How Technology will Replace, Empower and Change Whistleblowers’ in Jelena Madir (ed), FinTech: Law and Regulation (Edward Elgar, 2019)
- Pender, Kieran, Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession (International Bar Association, 2019)
- Pender, Kieran, 'Official Secrecy, Freedom of Information, Whistleblower Protections and Government Employee Speech: Pieces of the Same Puzzle? An Australian Perspective' in Costantino Grasso (ed), Whistleblowers: Voices of Justice (Springer, forthcoming)
View more publications on the ANU Researchers website
Recent news
In the Media
Past events
Join some of Australia's leading experts on civil liberties, whistleblowing and national security law as they discuss the allegations made against Witness K, a former Australian spy, and his lawyer, former ACT Attorney-General Bernard Collaery.
- Kieran Pender
Join Visiting Fellow Kieran Pender as he discusses his research on implied freedom considerations in the design of truth in political advertising laws.
- Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Join us for a conversation between ANU Law Visiting Fellow Kieran Pender and Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins on how Australia and Australians can effectively address sexual harassment in our workplaces.
The ability of employees to speak freely, both in private and public sector contexts is increasingly under threat. In 2019, the High Court of Australia upheld the Department of Immigration’s termination of a public servant for her anonymous tweets. These timely events will be considered from practical, theoretical, policy and comparatively perspectives.
View more publications on the ANU Researchers website
Refereed journal articles
- Pender, Kieran, ‘Red Scare on Ice: Antarctica, Australian-Soviet Relations and the International Geophysical Year’ (2017) 14 History Australia 645
- Pender, Kieran, ‘The “Price” of Justice?: Costs-Conditional Special Leave in the High Court’ (2018) 42(1) Melbourne University Law Review 149
- Pender, Kieran, ‘“Silent Members of Society”? Public Servants and the Freedom of Political Communication in Australia’ (2018) 29 Public Law Review 327
- Pender, Kieran, ‘Before the High Court – Comcare v Banerji: Public Servants and Political Communication’ (2019) 41 Sydney Law Review 131
Book chapters
- Pender, Kieran, Sofya Cherkasova and Anna Yamaoka-Enkerlin, ‘Compliance and Whistleblowing: How Technology will Replace, Empower and Change Whistleblowers’ in Jelena Madir (ed), FinTech: Law and Regulation (Edward Elgar, 2019)
- Pender, Kieran, 'Official Secrecy, Freedom of Information, Whistleblower Protections and Government Employee Speech: Pieces of the Same Puzzle? An Australian Perspective' in Costantino Grasso (ed), Whistleblowers: Voices of Justice (Springer, forthcoming)
Commissioned reports
- Getnick, Neil, Gregory Krakower and Kieran Pender, ‘Whistleblowers Beyond Borders: The Globalisation of Whistleblower Protection’ in Anti-Corruption Law and Practice Report 2017: Innovation in Enforcement and Compliance (International Bar Association, May 2017)
- Pender, Kieran, Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession (International Bar Association, 2019)