Eileen O'Brien
Professor of Law

Organisation unit

College of Business and Law School of Law
Profile of Eileen O'Brien

About me

I am a Professor of Law in the School of Law. I bring over twenty years of academic leadership experience, including roles as Associate Dean and Deputy Head of School at other universities. I've served on faculty, university, NGO, and government committees and boards, and as an academic member of the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia. 

I am the co-author of Focus: Land Law (6th edition, LexisNexis) with Margaret Stephenson, and the forthcoming Real Property Law in Western Australia (Thomson Reuters, 2025) with Robin Honey and John Mugambwa. I am co-editor of The Age-Friendly Lens (Routledge) and am currently writing Retirement Accommodation Law in Australia (LexisNexis). I have contributed to many national research projects, including: 
  • National AHURI research on housing models and tenancy laws (Alternative housing models for precariously housed older Australians, Housing aspirations of precariously housed older Australians, Inquiry into social impact investment for housing and homelessness outcomes, Regulation of residential tenancies and impacts on investment). 
  • Commonwealth research (DSS): Impact of tenancy laws on women and children escaping violence: Final report for Department of Social Services.
  •  State government research: (South Australian Government research into safeguarding older people, including Achieving the Rights Balance: Towards Effective Adult Safeguarding in Australia, Western Australian Government research into the prevalence of elder abuse: Everyone's Business: Responses to the Abuse of Older People in Western Australia, Queensland Government (Review into the Prevalence and Characteristics of Elder Abuse in Queensland - Adam Sutton Crime Prevention Award - contribution to understanding and preventing elder abuse.) 

My recent and forthcoming publications include: Eileen O'Brien, Ben Livings & Dale Bagshaw, Exploring Eldercaring Coordination as a Way to Safeguard the Rights of Older People: A Case Study from South Australia, Family Court Review, 2026, Ben Livings, Eileen O'Brien & Dale Bagshaw, Preserving Dignity, Resolving Conflict: Adelaide's Eldercaring Coordination Pilot: Final Report, Relationships Australia (South Australia) and Teresa Somes & Eileen O'Brien, Housing, Older People and Abuse in Australia (2025) 46(1) Adelaide Law Review 63.
I am a Professor of Law in the School of Law. I bring over twenty years of academic leadership experience, including roles as Associate Dean and Deputy Head of School at other universities. I've served on faculty, university, NGO, and government committees and boards, and as an academic member of the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia. I am the co-author of Focus: Land Law (6th edition, LexisNexis) with Margaret Stephenson, and the forthcoming Real Property Law in Western Australia (Thomson Reuters, 2025) with Robin Honey and John Mugambwa. I am co-editor of The Age-Friendly Lens (Routledge) and am currently writing Retirement Accommodation Law in Australia (LexisNexis). I have contributed to many national research projects, including: National AHURI research on housing models and tenancy laws (Alternative housing models for precariously housed older Australians, Housing aspirations of precariously housed older Australians, Inquiry into social impact investment for housing and homelessness outcomes, Regulation of residential tenancies and impacts on investment). Commonwealth research (DSS): Impact of tenancy laws on women and children escaping violence: Final report for Department of Social Services. State government research: (South Australian Government research into safeguarding older people, including Achieving the Rights Balance: Towards Effective Adult Safeguarding in Australia, Western Australian Government research into the prevalence of elder abuse: Everyo...
Read more Read less

I teach Property Law and Ageing and the Law. 

My teaching and research examine how law shapes the lives of older people, focusing on housing and accommodation, personal and financial security, and access to justice. I research housing insecurity and homelessness among older women, the impact of elder financial abuse on housing choices, and how legal frameworks can either compound or address vulnerabilities in later life. Drawing on my expertise in real property law, I explore how traditional property principles affect older people's housing security. This experience informs both my research and my approach to teaching. 


Elder Abuse Action Australia (EAAA)
Aged Care Justice
International Association of Consumer Lawyers
Last updated on 23/02/2026 by Eileen O'Brien