Follows on from the First and the Second editions of which White was the editor and wrote some of the chapters. In those earlier editions many eminent Australian maritime lawyers contributed chapters from their own point of view but in this new edition the author has tried to bring a consistency of treatment of topics which flows from the one author writing the entire work.
Text for law students and practitioners providing information about the nature and origins of admiralty jurisdiction, courts and jurisdiction, admiralty claims, practice, procedure and precedents. Includes table of cases, table of statutes, references, bibliography and index. The author is a senior lecturer in law at Deakin University.
The Australia Acts, one enacted in Australia and the other in the United Kingdom, are fundamental constitutional documents for Australia: they terminated the remaining constitutional links between the two countries. Negotiated behind closed doors, little has been known of their background and purpose.Using previously confidential documents, this book reveals what was intended, what was disputed and what was rejected. It analyses each provision, its background, objectives, drafting changes and its current operation. It also provides a close analysis of the power to enact the Australia Acts, the validity of the provisions and their impact on the Crown and Australia's independence.The book addresses fundamental historical, political and constitutional matters, such as:the current basis for Australian sovereignty and the binding nature of the Constitution the relationship between federalism and the Crownthe status of the Queen of Australia and whether there is also a separate Queen of each State, and the source of the power to amend Australia's constitutional documents and the limits on its exercise. It is also essential for those who need to ascertain the extent of State legislative power, including:the reach of the extra-territorial power of the States and whether a nexus is neededwhether the States can constitutionally entrench laws, such as a bill of rightswhy the States cannot abdicate or limit the scope of their legislative powerswhether the States can apply the Australia Acts with retrospective effect to validate defective State laws.
Although the book extends to all aspects of jurisdiction, it covers the whole of federal jurisdiction, and provides not only an accessible analysis for practitioners and courts, but also a thoughtful and detailed account of the underlying principle and decisions.
