Blackshield and Williams Australian Constitutional Law and Theory

This is the new and fully updated edition of the acclaimed and authoritative book on Australian constitutional law. Fresh material reflects the contemporary approach of the High Court including its emphasis on statutory interpretation as a tool of constitutional analysis. The book has also been fully revised and updated for major High Court and overseas decisions, including McCloy v New South Wales, Williams v Commonwealth (No 2), the Brexit Case and Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration. Always ‘much more than a casebook’ as Sir Anthony Mason said of a previous edition, the book also presents carefully selected extracts from a broad range of writers and commentators. As the reviewer for the Law Institute Journal said of the most recent edition, this book is ‘a great resource for practitioners wanting an authoritative guide to Australian constitutional law’ and a ‘must-have for law students who would like more depth of analysis’

Part 1: Australian Constitutionalism

1: Foundations 

1. Australia: A Constitutional Hybrid 

2. Political and Legal Constitutionalism  

3. Liberalism 

4. Rule of Law 

5. Separation of Powers  

6. Grundnorm and Coup d’Etat (a) The Basic Norm (b) Coup d’Etat 

7. Further References 

2: Origins and Influences 

1. Introduction 

2. The Evolution of the Westminster Constitution (a) Magna Carta (b) Parliament (c) Star Chamber and Common Law Courts (d) The Bloodless Revolution 

3. Westminster Government (a) Responsible and Representative Government (b) Parliamentary Sovereignty (c) Constitutional Conventions (d) Courts and Private Law 

4. The Constitution of the United States (a) Separations of Power – Horizontal and Vertical (b) Judicial Review

5. Further References 

3: Path to Independence

1. Colonisation 

2. The Colonial Legislatures 

3. Federation 

4. The Colonial Legacy 

5. The Statute of Westminster (a) Extraterritoriality (b) Repugnancy

6. Appeals to the Privy Council 

7. The Australia Act  

8. Popular Sovereignty 

9. Further References 

4: Indigenous Peoples 

1. Introduction 

2. Indigenous Peoples and the Constitution 

3. Native Title

4. Indigenous Sovereignty (a) Perspectives on Sovereignty (b) The United States (c) The Australian Situation 

5. Self-determination 

6. Further References 

Part 2: Interpretation 

5: Constitutional Interpretation 

1. Literalism, Legalism and Judicial Choice

George Williams AO is one of Australia’s leading constitutional lawyers and public commentators.