I teach and research in Public International Law and Australian Constitutional Law, as stated; my main interest being exploring the question of how these areas can be accessed by and open to all.
This means that I am interested in how the public participates within a treaty that may well have ongoing effects on their lives: e.g., do we have ongoing sites at which we can see how the treaty affects us (and others) – and how do we participate meaningfully within this context?
My motivation is that without public input into and around international law there is, of course, the well-documented democratic deficit; but – more importantly – without public participation, we as a global society are missing out on different ways of seeing and developing international legal obligations and international legal relationships.
The project I am currently working on reflects this. I am researching into and advocating for the inclusion of public participation obligation within a forthcoming trade treaty. I have presented to negotiators and prepared Government submissions on why it is important that this treaty contains a legal obligation for ongoing public participation, coupled with a flow of information explaining the ongoing meaning of the treaty.
