Pandora's Box is the Annual Academic Journal of the University of Queensland's Justice and the Law Society. It has been published since 1994 and aims to bring academic discussion of legal, social justice and political issues to a wider audience. Pandora’s Box is not so named because of the classical interpretation of the story: of a woman’s weakness and disobedience unleashing evils on the world. Rather, we regard Pandora as the heroine of the story, and like Pandora, we encourage readers to delve into complex and challenging topics with an open and inquisitive mind, prepared to explore a variety of ideas with a balanced and critical eye - as that is what the legal mind should be.
Our ISSUES
2023 - The LAW AND THE LAYPERSON
This year’s theme, ‘The Law and The Layperson,’ delves into the everyday interactions between individuals without a professional background in the law, and the legal system.
Editors
Samuel Vecchi • Anna Harisson
Contributors
Professor Rick Bigwood • Professor Margaret Thornton • Ms. Faye Austen-Brown • Ms. Megan Mahon • The Honourable Wayne Martin AC KC • Ms. Margaret Castles • Mr. Stan Winford • Mr. Stephen Grace • Mr. Nickolas Sofios
2022 - Poverty and the Law in Australia
The theme for this edition of Pandora’s Box is ‘Poverty and the Law in Australia’. This edition broadly considers the question of poverty and sets out to investigate what the law can and should do about it.
Editors
Asha Varghese • James Arthur
Contributors
The Honourable Ronald Sackville AO KC • Professor Tamara Walsh • The Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC • Bridget Burton • Russell Solomon • Karyn Walsh AM • Dr Lyndal Sleep • Debbie Kilroy OAM • William Mitchell OAM • Julian Porter
2021 - Unsustainable practices: Law and the environment
Editors
Thomas Moore • Rachna Nagesh
Contributors
The Honourable Justice Brian Preston • The Honourable President Fleur Kingham • Cr Jonathan Sri • Professor Lee Godden • Professor Sue Jackson • Associate Professor Melissa Castan • Associate Professor Kate Galloway • Dr Kamalesh Adhikari • Dr Emma Carmody • Dr Johnathan Fulcher • Dr Lana Hartwig • Dr David J. Jefferson • Dr Chris McGrath • Associate Professor Justine Bell-James • Associate Professor Bridget Lewis • Harry Jonas
2020 - The law and the human condition
This edition seeks to explore law as a human endeavour by examining the psychological and philosophical underpinnings of various aspects of the law. It is only by viewing the law as a creation of human ingenuity that we can seek to enhance the good achieved by legal institutions, and to reform and transform those laws which do not promote justice.
Editors
Heidi Moc • Lilian Burgess • Rory Brown • Tian Behenna • Melanie Karibasic • Mitree Vongphakdi
Contributors
Emeritus Professor Arie Frieberg • Professor Jeremy Gans • Professor Kieran Tranter • Dr Holly Doel-Mackaway • Robyn Bradey • Madeleine Castles • Carly Dennis • Kieran Pender • Emma Phillips
2018 - LAW IN FIRST PERSON
The title of the 2018 issue of Pandora’s Box was chosen to acknowledge the status of Indigenous people as the first people of not only Australia, but of many different countries around the world. Contrary to the historical marginalisation of the perspectives, law and sovereignty of Indigenous people, this edition seeks to place their experiences at the centre of our examination of the law.
Editors
Molly Thomas • Julius Moller
Contributors
Judge Nathan Jarro • Ken Taylor • Associate Professor Asmi Wood • Associate Professor Claire Charters • Alison Whittaker • Dr Anthony Hopkins • Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC • Associate Professor Thalia Anthony • Benjamin Teng • Sophie Ryan • Jocelyn Bosse • Samantha O’Donnell
2017 - War and pieces
The 2017 issue of Pandora's Box explores issues in the law of armed conflict. Covering difficult topics from the rules of engagement, to changing political climates and contemporary humanitarian responses, this 2017 issue is a detailed and considered examination of the extremes of human behaviour.
Editors
Samantha Johnson • Eloise Gluer
Contributors
The Hon Dean Mildren AM RFD QC • Christine Smyth • Professor Dale Stephens • Professor Penelope Mathew • Professor Peter Stone OBE • Assistant Professor Mahdev Mohan • Dr Alison Pert • Associate Professor Peter Billings • Damian Copeland and Luke Reynoldson • Kevin Boreham • Erin Germantis • Alexander White and Matthew Paterson • Fauve Kurnadi
2016 - Law & Technology
With the exponential rise of technology in the modern world, so we are increasingly forced to adapt to greater capabilities and a faster pace of life. The 2016 edition of Pandora's Box sought to examine the ways in which the law has dealt with some of the challenges presented by constantly evolving technologies.
Editors
Michael Potts • Madeleine Gifford
Contributors
Professor Stuart Hargreaves • Associate Professor Marie-Helen Maras • Fabian Horto • Keith Kaplan • Associate Professor Xingan Li • Stephen Mason • Dr Matthew Rimmer • Professor Anne Wallace • Professor Zheng Sophia Tang and and Xu Lu • Associate Professor Elizabeth Siew-Kuan Ng • Professor Bryan Mercurio • Professor Brad Sherman • Professor Megan Richardson • Eliza Mik • Professor Burkhard Schafer • Angus Fraser (Essay Competition Winner)
2015 - Crime, justice & the people
In 2015, the theme of Pandora's Box was 'Crime, Justice and the People'. This edition sought to examine the citizens who make up the system and those who are affected by it. Marginalised groups, victims, juries and criminal lawyers themselves all received treatment in this volume.
Editors
Michael Potts • Wendy Pei
Contributors
Professor Simon Bronitt • Professor Heather Douglas • Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty • Associate Professor Tamara Walsh • Dr Tyrone Kirchengast • Rebecca Wallis and April Chrzanowski • Soraya Ryan QC • Mr Greg Barns (Tas Bar) • Mr Stephen Keim SC (Qld Bar) and Ms Bridget Armstrong (ALHR) • Ms Melinda Taylor (ICC) • Simon Lamb • Sam Walpole
2014 - Law, Liberties and Rights
In a nation where our constitutional structure is not framed in terms of express individual rights, the need to vigilantly uphold law, liberties and rights is particularly significant. The 2014 issue of Pandora's Box combines a domestic evaluation of the Australian civil liberty and human rights experience with a number of diverse comparative international contributions.
Editors
Alasdair McCallum • Tristan Pagliano
Contributors
Walter Sofronoff QC • Peter Callaghan SC • Professor Steven Freeland • Professor James Allan • Associate Professor Anna High • Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh • Mandy Lim, Rebecca Chong and Dr Mark Burdon • Dan Rogers • Joseph Lelliott • Dr Jonathan Fulcher on Native Title Law • Dr Jo Bird • William Isdale
2013 - A Trip Abroad
In 2013, Pandora's Box took its readers on 'A Trip Abroad', with an international and comparative law theme. The volume featured a wide range of contributions, from cultural heritage law to the French criminal justice system. Inside, you will find a variety of insights from highly distinct and equally distinguished voices - taking readers to the high seas, the streets of Paris, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Niger River delta, the high-rise firms of Japan, the Pyramids of Giza, and around the globe again many times over.
Editors
Samel Walpole • Allister Harrison
Contributors
Professor Sarah Derrington • Professor Donald Rothwell • The Hon Justice James Douglas • Professor Hilary Charlesworth • Dr Warren Swain • Paul Kettle • Professor Gillian Triggs • Jonathan Kolieb • Eve Massingham • Associate Professor Leon Wolff • Associate Professor Craig Forrest • Jordan Sosnowski • Lauren Dancer
2012 - Law, People and Politics
In our 2012 edition, Pandora’s Box got political! In the pages herein you’ll find articles, interviews and book reviews about the history and future of the referendum; about political finance law and potential reforms; about the High Court’s Mabo judgment and the native title system; about Australia’s first female High Court Justice and how she viewed the law as a tool for achieving social justice; about deliberative democracy and the rule of law; and much, much more.
Editors
Samel Walpole • William Isdale
Contributors
Professor George Williams • Ms Pamela Burton • Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC • Dr Ron Levy • Andrew Fraser • Professor Charles Sampford • Professor Graeme Orr • Dr Joo-Cheong Tham • Ms Laura Hilly
2011 - Law as it is, and as it ought to be
In our 2011 edition, Pandora's Box explores the complex tension between the slow evolution of black letter law and the relatively swift progression in social morality. Contributors this year were invited to explore whether reform can ever keep up with public sentiment - and more importantly, should it?
Editors
Samand Hooshmand • William Isdale
Contributors
Prof. Mark Murphy • Dr. Jonathan Crowe • Assoc. Prof. Graeme Orr • Asst. Prof. Dan Priel • The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG • Ms. Kyla Reid • Ms. Seone Woolf • Dr. Amelia Brown • Mr Michael Phillis • Ms. Alejandra Mancilla
2010 - Dissenting opinions
The 2010 edition of Pandora's Box, “Dissenting Opinions”, represents a departure from the norm. To honour the retirement in 2009 of The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG, renowned as “The Great Dissenter,” instead of focussing the edition on a specific issue, we invited submissions on a wide range of legal and social issues, but with an emphasis on submissions that presented unorthodox or challenging perspectives.
Editors
Samuel Volling • Joshua Underwood
Contributors
The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG • Assoc. Prof. Kerrie Sadiq • Rod Morgan • Dr Taiji Watanabe • Paul Smith • Tracy Lau • David Birch •
2009 - Advance Australia Fair
In our 2009 edition, Pandora’s Box invited contributors to submit papers examining a wide range of social, political and legal reforms in the face of climate change, rapid population growth, the worldwide economic crisis and community pressure for change.
Editors
Laura Hogarth • Yii Fen Tan
Contributors
Stephen Keim SC • Heather Douglas and Dr Tamara Walsh • Elizabeth Harvey • Sina Hutton • Samuel Volling • Nicole Choolun • Nicholas Elias • Thomas GT Graham
2008 - In the Service of Justice
In keeping with the Pandora’s Box 2008 theme “in the service of justice”, contributors were invited to submit papers examining the people, processes and institutions that serve justice, as well as the meaning and relationship of justice and law.
Editors
Laura Hogarth • Eleanor Proust
Contributors
The Hon Justice Michael Kirby • The Hon Justice Margaret McMurdo AC • Stephen Keim SC • Aaron Rathmell • Professor George Williams • Professor Margaret Thornton • David Morrison and Clare Cappa • Sanmati Verma • Anita Clifford • Rachel Docker • Nora Götzmann
2007 - Look the world straight in the eye
The 2007 issue of Pandora's Box was named for Helen Keller's enduring advice:
"Never bend your head
Always hold it high
Look the world straight in the eye."
Editors
Thy Nguyen • Nina Valentine
Contributors
The Hon Justice Debra Mullins • Clare Cappa • Dr Rachel Baird • Magistrate Di Fingleton • Rohan Price • Yasmin Gunn • Professor Loane Skene • Professor Rachel Field • Irene Watson • Neroli Holmes • Jo-Anne Bragg • Neha Chhatbar • Yii Fen Tan • Wylie Nunn
2006 - Women & Peace
The 2006 edition was inspired by the International Women’s Day celebration “Women Striving for a Peaceful Society," and aimed to recognise that although peace is still not a reality for many women throughout the world, there are many dedicated individuals striving for a peaceful society both in Australia and internationally. We hope that reading the 2006 edition of Pandora’s Box not only provokes consideration of the daily struggles of many women towards peace but also inspires action as exemplified by the women identified within this edition.
Editors
Gail Blaber • Bridget Daly
Contributors
Chris Henderson • Maree Klemm • Elisabeth Porter • Ann Black • Barbara Sullivan • Holly Kluver • Louise Stevanovic • Melody Kemp • Breanna Hamilton • Neha Chhatbar • Tristan Fitzgerald
2005 - Women of the world
This edition of Pandora’s Box highlighted and gave praise to “Women of the World”. From women’s rights in Indonesia to girls as child soldiers, the 2005 edition of Pandora’s Boxhighlighted important issues on an international level as well as within Australia. Essays from the WATL Magistrates program were also published. These essays covered thought-provoking issues from judicial discretion to the effectiveness of the Murri Court and Drug Court in Brisbane.
Editors
Jessica Cameron • Holly Kluver • Penny Allman-Payne
Contributors
Hilary Charlesworth • Dr Mark Zirnsak • Dorne Boniface • Dr Pamela Nilan Prahastiwi Utari • Jennifer Zeng • Prof. Madhu Dandavate • Megan Breen • Jessica Howley • Bridget Daly • Tamlyn Mills • Kathryn Purcell • Evita Ymer
2004 - power and justice
This year’s articles investigated topics as varied as comparative terrorism laws, the boundaries of religious freedom, stolen wages, women in developing East Timor and the Australian sex industry. There are also articles from legal practitioners that provide inspiration and reinforce the importance of careful examination of the social implications of the law and the way it is practiced.
Editors
Laura Cameron • Ruth Catts • Revel Pointon
Contributors
Oahn Tran • Julian Burnside QC • Mary Graham • Nicky Jones • Jennifer Batrouney SC • Susan Harris Rimmer • Christine Howes • Janelle Fawkes • Helen McEniery • Ben Bertoldi
2003 - Different women, different lives, same struggle
The 2003 theme “Different Women, Different Lives, Same Struggle” recognised that despite the significant differences in the status of women across the world all women share a universal struggle for equality. From as far as Iran to Indonesia contributions were received encouraging proactivity and highlighting the responsibility of women in changing the world.
Editors
Megan Breen • Amy Lee • Catherine McDougall • Katrina Piva
Contributors
Jacqueline Jago • Trudy Jacobsen • Prof. Margaret Reynolds • Helen McEniery • Nisha Bajpe • Lynda Blanchard • Kirstie Marshall MLA • Golrokh Jahanshahrad • Debbie Kilroy • Nina Nurmila • Senator Natasha Stott Despoja • Liz MacKinlay, Kristy Thatcher and Camille Seldon • Carla Klease and Kirsten Hagon • Robyn Lamsam • Kim Rubenstein • Dr. Seyed Javad Emamjomehzadeh and Houri Jahanshahrad • Sarah McCosker • Philippa Hall • Victoria Lenton
2002 - Women around the globe
This edition welcomed alternative forms of expression namely poetry and reviews as well as featuring contributions that profess an expansive range of perspectives on women’s relationships with the law, dovetailing general themes of emerging norms of human rights law in addition to touching on environmental concerns.
Editors
Katarina Konkoly • Zara Spencer • Tiffany Stephenson
Contributors
Zenovia Pappas • Katie Sutton and Jayne Huckerby • MTC Cronin • Lee Galloway • Desire Timngum • Susan Gail Harris • Helen Liebling and Shilu Shah • Kirsten Macey • Susan Gail Harris • Michelle Butler
2001 - International human rights
This year Pandora’s Box extended its horizons to a transnational focus: international human rights. WATL drew together contributors from women in diverse sectors of society, including the judiciary, the diplomatic corps, the police service, academia, non-governmental organisations and politics. The journal provided a forum for women’s reflections on a range of local and national issues: women and policing in our community, legal aid, justice for women in Australia and international human rights obligations.
Editors
Nicky Jones • Sarah McCosker • Tiffany Stephenson
Contributors
Cheryl Kernot MP • Dr Suzanne Dixon • Sergeant Maree Foelz • Vivienne Wynter • Justice Roslyn Atkinson • Justice Margaret McMurdo • Senator Vicki Bourne • Prof. Margaret Reynolds • Prof. Hilary Charlesworth • Senator Vicki Bourne • Katarina Månsson • High Commissioner designate Penny Wensley • Jessie Wells • Louise Paw • Hamid Mirza
2000 - Women & the new millenium
The topics of violence, rape and prostitution were the focus of this year’s edition. Pandora’s Box assembled a wide variety of styles from authors with some very different backgrounds. For the first time the winning entry from the WATL student paper competition was included. Abstracts from the other entries were included in recognition of the quality of entries received.
Editors
Kate Deere • Megan Hirst • Suzanne Marlow
Contributors
The Hon. Justice Debra Mullins • Susan Halliday and Sabina Lauber • Natasha Stott Despoja • Marilyn Lake • Susanna Lobez • Sarah McCosker • Annie Cossin • Hannah McGlade • Belinda Carpenter • Cubby Fox • Johanna Gibson • Nicky Jones • Helen McEniery • Suzanne Marlow
1998 - Age of advancement
This year we were fortunate to have collected articles from contributors with distinctly different roles within the law- High Court Justice, academic, barrister and police officer. Their varied perspectives converged in this publication, producing a timely reminder of one indisputable truth- women in the law cannot lapse into complacency and resigned indifference. Women involved in the law must persevere in their criticisms of how the law impacts upon women in the various roles they play in both the private and public sphere.
Editors
Marie Foyle • Katie Curchin
Contributors
The Hon. Justice Mary Gaudron • Anne C. Thacker • Eileen Baldry • Sergeant Lisa Roiser
1995 - life and the law
In its second edition, Pandora’s Box focused on providing a forum where issues relating to women and their participation in the law could be presented and debated. In recognition of the plurality of experience, articles discussing problematic or largely unrecognised areas of the law and their effects on women were discussed.
Editors
Kristin Natalier • Alan King
Contributors
Sabina Lauber • Susan Harris • Dahlia Eissa • Zoe Farmer • Robyn Mills • Natalie Hamilton • Rhonda Penny • Bernadette Rogerson • Ruth Mortimer
1994 - Pandora's Box
The first edition of Pandora’s Box was launched in September 1994. Inspired by the eponymous Greek myth, the editors saw Pandora as an inquisitive heroine, fearless in her search for answers. Like the fabled artefact, delving into complex legal research, especially on issues of reform can often lead to unexpected and difficult results - or lead one down a rabbit hole of questions - but instead of shying away from these challenges, the Women and the Law Society saw Pandora's Box as a means of celebrating the inquisitive and critical nature of the legal mind.