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
2020
Journal Article
Demos in Pandemic: How Should We Stage Elections in a Health Emergency?
Orr, Graeme (2020). Demos in Pandemic: How Should We Stage Elections in a Health Emergency?. Inside Story
2020
Book Chapter
The law of electoral democracy: theory and purpose
Orr, Graeme (2020). The law of electoral democracy: theory and purpose. The constitution of social democracy: essays in honour of Keith Ewing. (pp. 161-177) edited by Alan Bogg, Jacob Rowbottom and Alison L. Young. Oxford, England: Hart Publishing.
2020
Book Chapter
Australia
Orr, Graeme (2020). Australia. The 2020 Annual Register: world events 2019. (pp. 334-336) edited by D. S. Lewis and Wendy Slater. Cambridge, England and Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest.
2019
Journal Article
Parliamentary disqualification for financial conflicts
Orr, Graeme (2019). Parliamentary disqualification for financial conflicts. Federal Law Review, 47 (4), 583-605. doi: 10.1177/0067205X19875033
2019
Journal Article
A hoax of blokes: Election 2019
Orr, Graeme (2019). A hoax of blokes: Election 2019. Alternative Law Journal, 44 (3), 1037969X1986476-175. doi: 10.1177/1037969X19864768
2019
Other Outputs
High Court Challenge in Kooyong and Chisholm unlikely to win, but may still land a blow
Orr, Graeme (2019, 08 01). High Court Challenge in Kooyong and Chisholm unlikely to win, but may still land a blow The Conversation
2019
Journal Article
Is My Foreign Yours? The Concept of Foreignness in the Regulation of Political Finance
Orr, Graeme (2019). Is My Foreign Yours? The Concept of Foreignness in the Regulation of Political Finance. Representation: Journal of Representative Democracy, 55 (2) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00344893.2019.1645038, 179-195. doi: 10.1080/00344893.2019.1645038
2019
Conference Publication
Qualifications to Be an Elected Representative
Orr, Graeme (2019). Qualifications to Be an Elected Representative. Sixth Biennial Electoral Regulation Research Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 14-15 November 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
'Choice of the manner in which thou wilt die': the Australian courts on compulsory voting
Orr, Graeme (2019). 'Choice of the manner in which thou wilt die': the Australian courts on compulsory voting. Elections, Engagement and Democracy, Parkville, VIC Australia, 16 July 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Compulsory voting and the law
Orr, Graeme (2019). Compulsory voting and the law. A Century of Compulsory Voting in Australia: Genesis, Impact and Future, Caulfield, VIC, Australia, 5-6 June 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Election Law as a Discipline
Orr, Graeme (2019). Election Law as a Discipline. Sixth Biennial Electoral Regulation Research Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 14-15 November 2019.
2019
Book Chapter
Australia
Orr, Graeme (2019). Australia. The 2019 Annual Register: a record of world events and developments in 2018. (pp. 331-333) Cambridge, England and Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest.
2019
Conference Publication
The law on compulsory voting
Orr, Graeme (2019). The law on compulsory voting. A Century of Compulsory Voting: Genesis, Impact and Future, Clayton, VIC Australia, 5-6 June 2019.
2018
Other Outputs
A Solution in Search of a Problem [Voter ID in Australia]
Orr, Graeme (2018, 12 11). A Solution in Search of a Problem [Voter ID in Australia] Inside Story
2018
Journal Article
My vote counts: the basis and limits of a constitutional requirement of political disclosure
Orr, Graeme (2018). My vote counts: the basis and limits of a constitutional requirement of political disclosure. Constitutional Court Review, 8 (1), 52-73. doi: 10.2989/ccr/2016.0003
2018
Journal Article
Fertilizing a Thicket: Section 44, MP Qualifications and the High Court
Orr, Graeme (2018). Fertilizing a Thicket: Section 44, MP Qualifications and the High Court. Public Law Review, 29 (1), 17-23.
2018
Journal Article
Integrity on the line: judicial power over elections in Papua New Guinea
Orr, Graeme (2018). Integrity on the line: judicial power over elections in Papua New Guinea. LAWASIA Journal, 2018, 65-81.
2018
Conference Publication
Parliamentary disqualification and financial conflicts: re Day (No 2) and Alley v Gillespie
Orr, Graeme (2018). Parliamentary disqualification and financial conflicts: re Day (No 2) and Alley v Gillespie. 2018 Constitutional Law Conference, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 22-23 February 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Regulating money in electoral politics: an international perspective
Orr, Graeme (2018). Regulating money in electoral politics: an international perspective. 5th National Indonesian Constitutional Law Conference (Konferensi Hukum Tata Negara ke-5), Batusangkar, Indonesia, 9-11 November 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
In memoriam Professor Colin A Hughes: a Queensland perspective
Orr, Graeme (2018). In memoriam Professor Colin A Hughes: a Queensland perspective. Fifth Biennial Electoral Regulation Research Network Conference, University of Western Australia, 9-10 November 2017. University of Melbourne: Electoral Regulation Research Network, University of Melbourne.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Graeme Orr is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
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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