An increasing number of scholars within the school are engaged in the critique of law, legal institutions and legal profession from a social justice standpoint. Social justice scrutinises these institutions from the specific perspective of their effects on marginalised groups – the disadvantaged, vulnerable and under–represented in society. It provides a framework to assess the impact of policies and practices on citizens and non–citizens alike. This framework is itself linked to overarching principles of equality and dignity, and is supported by international human rights standards.
The School currently has experts pursuing applied, doctrinal and theoretical work relating to people experiencing disadvantage by reason of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, and socio-economic status in the following areas of law and policy:
- access to justice
- asylum and immigration
- children’s welfare
- criminal law/justice (including therapeutic jurisprudence and restorative justice)
- (legal) education
- healthcare
- housing/homelessness
- human trafficking
- mental health
- land rights
- social–security
Some of the projects currently underway include: an empirical study into professional discipline and gender in the Queensland legal profession in conjunction with the Legal Services Commission (Francesca Bartlett); regulatory initiatives to provide for equal opportunity in the barrister’s branch of the legal profession (Francesca Bartlett); welfare reform experiments in Indigenous communities (Peter Billings); gender and the reconstruction of refugee status determination systems (Peter Billings); policing and alcohol management relating to Indigenous peoples (Heather Douglas); advocacy for mothers in child protection matters (Heather Douglas and Tamara Walsh) relevant pedagogies for the teaching and assessment of social critique and critical thinking in law (Nick James); human trafficking in Australia (Andreas Schloenhardt) and, welfare fraud (Tamara Walsh).
Francesca Bartlett
Peter Billings
Clare Cappa
Heather Douglas
Nick James
Tamara Walsh
Andreas Schloenhardt
Margaret Stevenson