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The Centre for International and Public Law seeks to enrich legal research into the relationship between governments, and between governments and their citizens from both domestic and international perspectives.

Contact

cipl@anu.edu.au

Higher degree research Students

Sarah Bishop
Amy Hamilton
Isaiah Okorie
Sarouche Razi
Gemmo Fernandez
David Healey
Micheil Paton
Alice Taylor
James Gaetani
Likim Ng
Justine Poon

About CIPL

Since its establishment in 1990, the Centre for International and Public Law has been advancing the understanding of international and public law. The Centre’s members are leading experts in their fields of international and public law, and their research has had considerable impact on public policy at the local, national and international levels.

Capitalising on its proximity to the seat of our national government, the Centre has built strong connections within and across the federal government, including the Attorney General’s Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as other key national institutions, including the High Court.

The Centre runs two annual lectures - the Geoffrey Sawer lecture and the Kirby lecture in International Law and organises two major annual conferences - the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law Conference and the Public Law Conference (Public Law Weekend). The Centre also runs monthly talk series, in conjunction with Attorney General's Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Through its visitor program, the Centre hosts international and domestic scholars, judges and government lawyers.

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CIPL conversations

CIPL Conversations is a short research paper series run by the Centre for International and Public Law at The Australian National University.

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13 Jan 2025

This month CIPL is delighted to announce the publication of a major new report that we hope will shape policy thinking in Australia and globally. The report is entitled War Funders and Profiteers: Economic Complicity in International Crimes in Ukraine and Beyond and, as the title suggests, it takes on the crucial but under-explored issue of international criminal responsibility of those who fund international crimes – war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression – or profit from them.
Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley

24 Jan 2024

Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley FAAL and Professor Simon Bronitt (University of Sydney) have co-authored the fifth edition of a foundational legal textbook more than thirty years since the first edition was published in 1991.
Don Rothwell

05 Dec 2023

A new edition of The International Law of the Sea (Bloomsbury, 2023) co-authored by two of Australia’s foremost experts on the subject – Professor Donald Rothwell FAAL (ANU College of Law) and Professor Tim Stephens FAAL (Sydney Law School) – provides a comprehensive assessment of the foundational principles and contemporary issues in the law of the sea.
Keshav Karupiah

31 Oct 2023

Keshav Karupiah, a final-year Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/International Relations student at The Australian National University (ANU), recently spent three months in Rome immersed in a legal internship that shaped his outlook on law in more ways than one.

Wenting Cheng

23 Oct 2023

In an era marked by China's growing influence and its expanding role on the global stage, there is heightened interest in understanding its involvement in various realms of global governance.

Rising sea levels

26 March 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Phillipa Weeks Staff Library, Building 7, Level 4, ANU Law School

The Centre for International and Public Law produces a range of publications, including an annual yearbook, and a newsletter. Its members also regularly produce publications in the field of international law.

Australian Year Book of International Law

Published since 1965, theAustralian Year Book of International  Law is the leading Australian academic journal on international law. It publishes articles on a range of international law topics, including human rights, environmental law and legal theory.

Each volume contains a section on Australian practice in both private and public international law, a summary and analysis of Australian cases in which international law is an issue, as well as a lively book review section.

The Year Book is valuable for those working in the field of international law, including government officials, international organisation officials, non-government and community organisations, legal practitioners, academics and other researchers. It will also be valuable to students studying international law, international relations, human rights and international affairs.

Cambridge University Press Series: Connecting International Law with Public Law

This six book series is a key output from the Centre for International and Public Law. It grew out of a series of workshops that brought together public and international lawyers and policy makers for interdisciplinary discussion on selected topics and themes. 

  • Vol 1: Kim Rubenstein and Jeremy Farrall (eds), Sanctions Accountability and Governance in a Globalised World.
  • Vol 2: Thomas Pogge, Matthew Rimmer and Kim Rubenstein (eds) Incentives for Global Public Health:Patent Law and Access to Essential Medicines.
  • Vol 3: Brad Jessup and Kim Rubenstein (eds) Environmental Discourses in Public & International Law.
  • Vol 4: Mark Nolan, Fiona Jenkins and Kim Rubenstein (eds) Allegiance and Identity in a Globalised World.
  • Vol 5: Hitoshi Nasu and Kim Rubenstein (eds) Legal Perspectives on Security Institutions.
  • Vol 6: Katharine G Young and Kim Rubenstein (eds) The Public Law of Gender: From the Local to the Global.

This series Connecting International Law with Public Law can be purchased from Cambridge University Press.

Federation Press: Law and Policy Papers series

A regular series of papers published co-published with Federation Press that contribute to public understanding and discussion on issues of law and public policy, especially those that are the subject of contemporary public debate. Three papers are published each year, one each on administrative law, constitutional law and international law, written by experts in academia, government, the judiciary and the private legal profession.

The Centre has published 29 papers in this series between 1994 and 2015. For a full list of titles and to access the papers by subscription or individual purchase, see the Federation Press site.

Federation Press: Books

federationpress.com.au T +61 2 9552 2200 marketing@federationpress.com.au

Publications available from CIPL

  • John McMillan and Judith Jones (eds), Public Law Intersections, paper presented at the Public Law Weekend 2000 and 2001, (2003).
  • John McMillan (ed), The AAT: Twenty Years Forward, (1998).
  • Robin Creyke and John McMillan (eds), The Kerr Vision of Australian Administrative Law- At the Twenty-Five Year Mark, (1998).
  • Robin Creyke and Michael Sassella (eds), Targeting, Accountability and Review: Current Issues in Income Support Law, (1998).

If you would like a copy, please contact our administrator on cipl.law@anu.edu.au.

Occasional papers

Internships

The Centre for International and Public Law offers undergraduate students the opportunity to undertake an internship as part of LAWS4230, a subject which offers selected high achieving students an unparalleled opportunity to carry out a law-based research project in a legal professional workplace. This elective course develops both legal knowledge and a lawyer’s approach to problem identification, analysis and recommendations.

Students should contact the Centre Director to discuss the possibility of undertaking an internship with the Centre. 

Previous interns are listed in our People section, and if you click on their name you can read accounts of their experiences as a CIPL intern.

Visitors Program

Under the ANU Law School’s Visiting Scholar Program, the Centre offers two visiting opportunities – one for Judges, and the other for Government visitors.

Judge-In-Residence program

The Judge-in-Residence Program provides an opportunity for judges to enjoy a research intensive period at the Law School. Judges-in-Residence have the opportunity to be part of the research community, benefitting from, and contributing to, the vibrancy of the Law School’s research culture.

Government Visitor program

The Centre offers the opportunity for a government officer to enjoy a research intensive period at the Law School. Government Visitors will pursue a research project while at ANU and be willing to draw from, and add to, the intellectual life of the Law School.