Events

2025 Melbourne University Law Review Annual Lecture, hosted by Melbourne Law School

Changing Attitudes to Independence of Australian Tribunals

Under Australia’s separation of powers doctrine, administrative tribunals are part of the executive branch in Chapter II of the Constitution. They are statutory bodies whose independence can vary according to the Act establishing them. Today, the importance of independence for administrative tribunals is generally accepted by Australian legislatures. However, that was not always the case. There has been a gradual attitudinal change regarding the need for administrative tribunals to be, and be seen to be, independent. The establishment of the Administrative Review Tribunal on 14 October 2024 to replace the Administrative Appeals Tribunal provides an ideal opportunity to consider the evolution of administrative tribunals in Australia and how legislative and judicial attitudes concerning their independence have evolved with them.

Please join Melbourne Law School and Melbourne University Law Review from 5:30pm with welcome drinks and light refreshments provided in the Melbourne Law School Building Ground Floor Foyer. The lecture will start promptly at 6:00pm in the Ground Floor G08 Theatre.

Hear from University of Melbourne researchers about how they are contributing to helping build resilience and preparedness for climate change in both Australia and the Pacific Islands, and the scope for collective action to ensure all people in the region are better prepared for climate change.

This event is the first lecture of the Science at Melbourne Lecture Series for 2025.

The Science at Melbourne Lecture Series is the premier public event series from the Faculty of Science. The event program seeks to share our knowledge and love of science with the wider community, engaging them in current research and empowering them to ask questions and act for a better world. The series runs throughout the year covering scientific research, discoveries, and theories that play exciting or unexpected roles in shaping and advancing our society.