The Crown Essays on its manifestation, power and accountability

AU

Edited by Martin Hinton and John M. Williams

Foreword by the Hon. Justice Stephen Gageler AC

$72.00 | 2018 | Paperback | 978-1-925261-79-0 | 394 pp

The Crown: essays on its manifestation, power and accountability cover

Since 1901, when the Australian colonies united to form one federation — one united people, one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth, several states, one Crown — the notion of the Crown has remained a value-laden abstraction, defying legal definition. Aspects of its operation and application have been described, and aspects of its legal incidents and legal consequences have been identified. But its contours have never been mapped.

The contributors to this book each shine a light on one particular dimension of the notion of the Crown. Discussions include the nature and role of the Crown; the concept of sovereignty with regards to the First Australians, and to the Australian people as a whole; the question of whether the Crown can do wrong; the roles of various law officers of the Commonwealth of Australia; and future directions for the Crown.

Collectively, the chapters in this book do much to deepen our appreciation of the notion of the Crown.

About the editors

Martin Hinton QC was appointed South Australia’s Director of Public Prosecutions in 2019. Before that, he served as a justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia and as the second law officer of South Australia in the role of Solicitor-General, appearing for the State in numerous matters before the High Court.

Professor John Williams AM,  is Deputy Vice Chancellor — Academic, Adelaide University. His main research interests are public law, in particular Australian constitutional law, The High Court of Australia, comparative constitutional law, federalism and legal history.