Overview
Background
The law of politics, in particular electoral law, is Professor Graeme Orr's primary research expertise. He has authored The Law of Politics (1st edn 2010, 2nd edn 2019) and Ritual and Rhythm in Electoral Systems (2015), co-authored The Law of Deliberative Democracy (2016), co-edited Realising Democracy (2003), Electoral Democracy: Australian Prospects (2011) and The Cambridge Handbook of Deliberative Constitutionalism (2018) and edited 3 symposia on the law of politics. His doctoral thesis explored the nature and regulation of electoral bribery. In the field of the law of politics, he does consultancy and pro bono work, and regular media commentary. Graeme has published over 100 commentary pieces in both the traditional press and online outlets.
Graeme has also published extensively in labour law, the law of negligence and on issues of language and law. Currently he is the legal adviser on the NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote panel and was recently part of the Australian Republican Movement’s Constitutional Advisory Board that drafted a model for an elected Head of State.
An Associate to two judges in the Federal Court of Australia and solicitor of the Queensland Supreme Court, prior to joining UQ Graeme was also an Associate Professor at Griffith University, where he taught for 13 years. In recent times he has been international editor of the Election Law Journal and board member of the Australian Journal of Labour Law. He was formerly managing editor of the Griffith Law Review, columnist with the Alternative Law Journal on sport's links to law, and employment law columnist with the Australian Journal of Administrative Law. He currently authors the entry on Australia for The Annual Register, a 257 year old almanac of world affairs.
He has been elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (2014) and the Australian Academy of Social Sciences (2020).
Availability
- Professor Graeme Orr is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor of Law, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework) of Law, University College London
- Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Griffith University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University
Research interests
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Law of politics: parliamentary law and electoral law
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Non-instrumental approaches to Law and Politics (ritual, symbols, language)
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Labour and employment law
Works
Search Professor Graeme Orr’s works on UQ eSpace
2003
Journal Article
The Currency of Democracy: Campaign Finance Law in Australia
Orr, Graeme (2003). The Currency of Democracy: Campaign Finance Law in Australia. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 26 (1), 1-31.
2003
Book Chapter
Dealing in Votes: Regulating Electoral Bribery
Orr, Graeme (2003). Dealing in Votes: Regulating Electoral Bribery. Realising Democracy: Electoral law in Australia. (pp. 130-142) edited by Graeme Orr, Bryan Mercurio and George Williams. Annandale, NSW Australia: Federation Press.
2003
Book
Realising Democracy: Electoral Law in Australia
Graeme Orr, Bryan Mercurio and George Williams eds. (2003). Realising Democracy: Electoral Law in Australia. Annandale, Australia: Federation Press.
2002
Journal Article
A Politician's Word: the Legal (Un)enforceability of Political Deals
Orr, Graeme (2002). A Politician's Word: the Legal (Un)enforceability of Political Deals. Constitutional Law and Policy Review, 5 (1), 1-11.
2002
Journal Article
Cricket and the Common Law of Tort
Orr, Graeme (2002). Cricket and the Common Law of Tort. Baggy Green: Journal of Australian Cricket, 4 (2), 37-43.
2002
Journal Article
Ballot Order: Donkey Voting in Australia
Orr, Graeme (2002). Ballot Order: Donkey Voting in Australia. Election Law Journal, 1 (4), 573-578. doi: 10.1089/153312902760403914
2001
Journal Article
Agency Shops in Australia? Compulsory Bargaining Fees, Union (In)security and the Rights of Free-Riders
Graeme Orr (2001). Agency Shops in Australia? Compulsory Bargaining Fees, Union (In)security and the Rights of Free-Riders. Australian Journal of Labour Law, 14 (1), 1-35.
2001
Journal Article
Electoral Challenges: Judicial Review of Parliamentary Election in Australia
Orr, Graeme and Williams, George (2001). Electoral Challenges: Judicial Review of Parliamentary Election in Australia. Sydney Law Review, 23 (1), 53-94.
2001
Journal Article
Overseeing the gatekeepers: should the preselection of political candidates be regulated?
Orr, Graeme (2001). Overseeing the gatekeepers: should the preselection of political candidates be regulated?. Public Law Review, 12 (2), 89-94.
2001
Journal Article
From Slogans to Puns: Australian Legislative Titling Revisited
Graeme Orr (2001). From Slogans to Puns: Australian Legislative Titling Revisited. Statute Law Review, 22, 160-161.
2001
Journal Article
Preferenda: the Constitutionality of Multiple Option Referenda
Orr, Graeme (2001). Preferenda: the Constitutionality of Multiple Option Referenda. Constitutional Law and Policy Review, 3 (4), 68-72.
2000
Journal Article
Name without frontiers: legislative titles and sloganeering
Orr, Graeme (2000). Name without frontiers: legislative titles and sloganeering. Statute Law Review, 21, 188-212.
2000
Journal Article
The conduct of referenda and plebiscites in Australia: a legal perspective
Orr, Graeme (2000). The conduct of referenda and plebiscites in Australia: a legal perspective. Public Law Review, 11, 117-132.
2000
Journal Article
The Law Comes to the Party: the Continuing Juridification of Australian Political Parties
Orr, Graeme (2000). The Law Comes to the Party: the Continuing Juridification of Australian Political Parties. Constitutional Law and Policy Review, 3, 41-49.
1999
Book Chapter
Local Government: Council Elections and Polls
Graeme Orr (1999). Local Government: Council Elections and Polls. Halsbury's Laws of Australia (vol17). (pp. 1-1) Australia: Butterworths.
1999
Journal Article
Of Electoral Jurisdiction, Senate Ballot Papers and Fraudulent Party Registrations: New Developments in Electoral Case Law
Orr, Graeme (1999). Of Electoral Jurisdiction, Senate Ballot Papers and Fraudulent Party Registrations: New Developments in Electoral Case Law. Constitutional Law and Policy Review, 2, 32-40.
1998
Journal Article
Conspiracy on the Waterfront
Orr, Graeme (1998). Conspiracy on the Waterfront. Australian Journal of Labour Law, 11 (3), 159-185.
1998
Journal Article
Verbosity and richness: current trends in the craft of the high court
Orr, Graeme (1998). Verbosity and richness: current trends in the craft of the high court. Torts Law Journal, 6, 291-302.
1998
Journal Article
Ballotless and behind bars: Commonwealth Electoral Law and the denial of votes to prisoners
Orr, Graeme (1998). Ballotless and behind bars: Commonwealth Electoral Law and the denial of votes to prisoners. Federal Law Review, 26, 55-82.
1998
Journal Article
Tinkering with convention: Voluntary voting at Australia's 1997 constitutional convention election
Orr, G (1998). Tinkering with convention: Voluntary voting at Australia's 1997 constitutional convention election. Electoral Studies, 17 (4), 575-581.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Graeme Orr is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Representative Democracy and Political Constitutionalism in Practice: Opposition to Indigenous Representative Bodies in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Dr Dylan Lino
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Doctor Philosophy
Proposed PhD - Disability within the judiciary: An analysis of the barriers for lawyers with visual disabilities to be appointed to the judicial branch of government in New Zealand and Australia.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Harpur
Completed supervision
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2023
Master Philosophy
Forward with fairness: conceptualising just transition for Australian labour law and the coal-fired power generation industry
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Justine Bell-James
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Securing Freedom of Information in Vietnamese Government and Law
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Billings
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Constitutional Transformations: Failure and Opportunity in Post-Independence South Sudan
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Caitlin Goss
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Locating the Public in Australian Public Enterprise: Reinforcing the Public Objectives and Public Accountability of Australian Government-Owned Businesses
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ross Grantham
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
A Government for a Sovereign People: The Expectations and Intentions of the Framers of the Australian Constitution regarding Responsible Government
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nicholas Aroney
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Graeme Orr directly for media enquiries about:
- constitutional law
- Employment and labour law
- Language and law
- Law of elections
- Law of politics
- Political Parties and Finance
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