
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 was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (2014-24) and has been an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences since 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
2017
Other Outputs
On Political Donations, Queensland Sets the Pace
Orr, Graeme (2017, 03 13). On Political Donations, Queensland Sets the Pace Inside Story
2017
Conference Publication
Fixing democracy
Orr, Graeme (2017). Fixing democracy. Pitch-Drop (Public Panel), New Globe Theatre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 9 January 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Candidate (dis)qualifications: a way through the thicket?
Orr, Graeme (2017). Candidate (dis)qualifications: a way through the thicket?. Fifth Biennial Electoral Regulation Research Network Conference, University of Western Australia, 9-10 November 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Electoral Reform (Electoral and Related Issues Panel)
Orr, Graeme (2017). Electoral Reform (Electoral and Related Issues Panel). Northern Territory Governance Summit, Darwin, NT, Australia, 23-24 February 2017.
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.
2017
Book Chapter
Australia
Orr, Graeme (2017). Australia. The Annual Register: World Events (258th Edition). (pp. 334-336) edited by D.S. Lewis and Wendy Slater. Cambridge, United Kingdom: ProQuest.
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
2016
Journal Article
To save democracy, reform it
Levy, Ron and Orr, Graeme (2016). To save democracy, reform it. AusPubLaw.
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
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'
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
2016
Journal Article
Elections as rituals: private, communal, public
Orr, Graeme (2016). Elections as rituals: private, communal, public. Papers on Parliament, 66, 1-20.
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
A National Indigenous Representative Body in Australia: Reception and Rejection of an Enduring Institutional Concept
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: 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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