Mr Matthew Stubbs

Biography/ Background

Matthew completed undergraduate degrees in Finance and Economics, and took a First Class Honours degree in Law, before undertaking the professional qualification and being admitted to legal practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the High Court of Australia.

Matthew then returned to academic life in 2003, taking the FA and MF Joyner Scholarship in Law and commencing teaching in the Law School at the University of Adelaide, and he is currently completing his PhD in Australian Constitutional Law. He has also published in the fields of negligence, human rights and statutory interpretation.

After teaching in the School of Commerce in 2006 and 2007, Matthew returned to the Law School in 2008.

Matthew is the Law School's Indigenous Students Liaison Officer and has a keen interest in the legal education of Indigenous people.

Qualifications

B.Fin.
B.Ec.
Hons.LL.B. (First Class) (University of Adelaide)
G.D.L.P. (Law Society of South Australia)
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and High Court of Australia

Teaching Interests

In 2009, I will be teaching in Civil and Criminal Procedure, Litigation Practice, Evidence and Introduction to Advocacy.

In 2008, while teaching in these courses I was awarded (jointly with my colleagues Margaret Castles, Anne Hewitt, Cornelia Koch and Andrew Ligertwood) the Executive Dean of the Professions' Prize for Teaching (Undergraduate) and the Stephen Cole the Elder Prize for Teaching (Team) (a University-wide teaching prize). In 2009 we were awarded a further prize, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.

From 2003 - 2006, in the Law School I taught Introduction to Australian Law, Human Rights, Legal Research and Writing, Litigation Practice and Introduction to Advocacy. In 2006-2007 in the School of Commerce, I taught Commercial Law I(S), Commercial Law II and Corporate Law (M).

Research Interests

Constitutional Law, Legal History, Human Rights, Public International Law, Statutory Interpretation.

Publications

Articles in Refereed Journals:

'Arbitrary Detention in Australia: Detention of Unlawful Non-Citizens under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth)' (2006) 25 Australian Year Book of International Law 273-308.

'From Foreign Circumstances to First Instance Considerations: Extrinsic Material and the Law of Statutory Interpretation' (2006) 34 Federal Law Review 103-125.

'Case Note: Prosper the Government, Suffer the Practitioner: The Graham Barclay Oysters Litigation' (2003) 26 University of New South Wales Law Journal 727-740.


Research Theses:

Ongoing PhD Research on the topic "The Structural Protection of Human Rights under the Australian Constitution" (expected completion Semester 1, 2009).

The International and Domestic Legality of Australia's Mandatory Detention of 'Unlawful Non-Citizens' under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (Honours Thesis, University of Adelaide, 2002) (25,000 words).


Seminar and Conference Papers:

'Case Note: Wurridjal v Commonwealth' (Paper presented at an Australian Association of Constitutional Law Seminar, Adelaide, 23 April 2009).

'The Human Rights Committee at the Antipodes: The Impact of Individual Communications in Australia and New Zealand' (Paper presented at the Law's Empire Conference, Harrison, British Columbia, Canada, 27 June 2005).

'What Future for the International Adjudication and Enforcement of Human Rights?' (Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 2 June 2005).

'Arbitrary Detention in Australia: Detention of Unlawful Non-Citizens under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth)' (Paper presented at the New Researchers, New Research Conference, University of Adelaide, 30 September 2004).

Seminar Presentations:

'An Introduction to the Judicial Career of Callinan J' (Presentation to an Australian Association of Constitutional Law Seminar, Adelaide, 9 August 2007).

'The origins of s51(xxxi) of the Australian Constitution' (Presentation to a Law School Seminar, University of Adelaide, 15 March 2004).

Other Published Articles:

'Book Review: The Case for an Australian Bill of Rights: Freedom in the War on Terror by George Williams' (2005) 21(1) Policy 57-58.

'The Attack on the United Nations' [2003] 3 Hilarian 14-16.

'The United Nations Report into Immigration Detention in Australia' [2003] 2 Hilarian 8-10.

Professional Associations

Law Society of South Australia - Member, Human Rights Committee; Member, Aboriginal Issues Committee; Member, Indigenous Law Student Mentoring Program Committee
Australian Association of Constitutional Law - Member, SA Chapter Committee
Australian Institute of Administrative Law
Australia and New Zealand Society of International Law
Association for Canadian Studies in Australia and New Zealand
Canadian Law and Society Association
Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society 

Community Engagement

Matthew is a keen bagpiper and is the founding President of Scotch Old Collegians Pipe Band Inc.

Entry last updated: Wednesday, 8 Jul 2009