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Professor Graeme Orr
Professor

Graeme Orr

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 53014

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

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

  • Law of politics: parliamentary law and electoral law

  • Non-instrumental approaches to Law and Politics (ritual, symbols, language)

  • Labour and employment law

Works

Search Professor Graeme Orr’s works on UQ eSpace

226 works between 1995 and 2024

81 - 100 of 226 works

2017

Conference Publication

Citizen Initiated Referendums (Broader Governance Reform Panel)

Orr, Graeme (2017). Citizen Initiated Referendums (Broader Governance Reform Panel). Northern Territory Governance Summit, Darwin, NT, Australia, 23-24 February 2017.

Citizen Initiated Referendums (Broader Governance Reform Panel)

2017

Book Chapter

Voluntary voting for referendums in Australia: old wine, new bottle

Orr, Graeme (2017). Voluntary voting for referendums in Australia: old wine, new bottle. New directions for law in Australia: essays in contemporary law reform. (pp. 359-368) edited by Ron Levy, Molly O'Brien, Simon Rice, Pauline Ridge and Margaret Thornton. Canberra, ACT, Australia: ANU Press. doi: 10.22459/NDLA.09.2017

Voluntary voting for referendums in Australia: old wine, new bottle

2016

Journal Article

To save democracy, reform it

Levy, Ron and Orr, Graeme (2016). To save democracy, reform it. AusPubLaw.

To save democracy, reform it

2016

Journal Article

Why Australians should Say 'Yes' to marriage equality plebiscite

Orr, Graeme (2016, 09 15). Why Australians should Say 'Yes' to marriage equality plebiscite

Why Australians should Say 'Yes' to marriage equality plebiscite

2016

Journal Article

Time to tighten the reins on politicians and their 'Truths'

Orr, Graeme (2016, 07 15). Time to tighten the reins on politicians and their 'Truths'

Time to tighten the reins on politicians and their 'Truths'

2016

Journal Article

Popular memories: commemoration, participatory culture and democratic citizenships

Orr, Graeme (2016). Popular memories: commemoration, participatory culture and democratic citizenships. Perspectives On Politics, 14 (2), 578-580. doi: 10.1017/S1537592716000803

Popular memories: commemoration, participatory culture and democratic citizenships

2016

Journal Article

Speaking with: Graeme Orr on the festival of elections

Orr, Graeme and Isdale, William (2016, 05 17). Speaking with: Graeme Orr on the festival of elections

Speaking with: Graeme Orr on the festival of elections

2016

Journal Article

Regulating opinion polling: a deliberative democratic perspective

Orr, Graeme and Levy, Ron (2016). Regulating opinion polling: a deliberative democratic perspective. The University of New South Wales Law Journal, 39 (1), 318-340.

Regulating opinion polling: a deliberative democratic perspective

2016

Journal Article

Elections as rituals: private, communal, public

Orr, Graeme (2016). Elections as rituals: private, communal, public. Papers on Parliament, 66, 1-20.

Elections as rituals: private, communal, public

2016

Conference Publication

'Commentary, 'Democracy and Political Ignorance'', Book Launch of 'Political Ignorance' (2nd Ed, 2016, Stanford UP) by Prof Ilya Somin

Orr, Graeme (2016). 'Commentary, 'Democracy and Political Ignorance'', Book Launch of 'Political Ignorance' (2nd Ed, 2016, Stanford UP) by Prof Ilya Somin. Hosted by AACL and AIP, Supreme Court Library, Queensland, 16 May 2016.

'Commentary, 'Democracy and Political Ignorance'', Book Launch of 'Political Ignorance' (2nd Ed, 2016, Stanford UP) by Prof Ilya Somin

2016

Conference Publication

Elections As Rituals

Orr, Graeme (2016). Elections As Rituals. Senate Occasional Lecture Series, Parliament House, Canberra, 6 February.

Elections As Rituals

2016

Conference Publication

My vote counts case: FOI, good governance and political finance

Orr, Graeme (2016). My vote counts case: FOI, good governance and political finance. Constitutional Court Review (South Africa) Annual Conference, SAIFAC, Johannesburg, South Africa, 9-10 December 2016.

My vote counts case: FOI, good governance and political finance

2016

Book Chapter

Australia

Orr, Graeme (2016). Australia. The 2016 Annual Register: A Record of World Events (257th Edition, Covering 2015). (pp. 338-340) edited by D. S. Lewis and Wendy Slater. United Kingdom: ProQuest.

Australia

2016

Journal Article

Rethinking voter identification: its rationale and impact

Orr, Graeme and Arklay, Tracey (2016). Rethinking voter identification: its rationale and impact. Australian Journal of Political Science, 51 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/10361146.2016.1197181

Rethinking voter identification: its rationale and impact

2016

Book Chapter

Putting the cartel before the house? Public funding of parties in Queensland

Orr, Graeme (2016). Putting the cartel before the house? Public funding of parties in Queensland. Party rules? Dilemmas of political party regulation in Australia. (pp. 123-145) edited by Anika Gauja and Marian Sawer. Acton, ACT, Australia: ANU Press.

Putting the cartel before the house? Public funding of parties in Queensland

2016

Journal Article

Party finance law in Australia: innovation and enervation

Orr, Graeme (2016). Party finance law in Australia: innovation and enervation. Election Law Journal, 15 (1), 58-70. doi: 10.1089/elj.2015.0333

Party finance law in Australia: innovation and enervation

2016

Conference Publication

The Evolution of Parliamentary Democracy and the Political Scene in Australia

Orr, Graeme (2016). The Evolution of Parliamentary Democracy and the Political Scene in Australia. 27th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Seminar, Parliament House, Queensland, 5-11 June.

The Evolution of Parliamentary Democracy and the Political Scene in Australia

2016

Journal Article

When referendums go wrong: Queensland's 2016 fixed, four-year term proposal

Orr, Graeme and Cassar, Samara (2016). When referendums go wrong: Queensland's 2016 fixed, four-year term proposal. Australasian Parliamentary Review, 31 (2), 161-175.

When referendums go wrong: Queensland's 2016 fixed, four-year term proposal

2015

Journal Article

Does an unqualified but losing candidacy upset an election?

Orr, Graeme (2015). Does an unqualified but losing candidacy upset an election?. Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy, 14 (4), 424-429. doi: 10.1089/elj.2015.0336

Does an unqualified but losing candidacy upset an election?

2015

Journal Article

Regulating 'third parties' as electoral actors: comparative insights and questions for democracy

Orr, Graeme and Gauja, Anika (2015). Regulating 'third parties' as electoral actors: comparative insights and questions for democracy. Interest Groups and Advocacy, 4 (3), 249-271. doi: 10.1057/iga.2015.2

Regulating 'third parties' as electoral actors: comparative insights and questions for democracy

Funding

Past funding

  • 2017
    Comprehensive free access to Australian industrial and workplace law (ARC LIEF project administered by University of Technology Sydney)
    University of Technology Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    The Law of Deliberative Democracy: Theory and Reform
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Dollars and Democracy: The dynamics of Australian political finance and its regulation (ARC Discovery Project Administered by The University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant

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

  • 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

  • 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

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

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au