In the relation of states, treaties are a matter of great importance. The law of treaties and the study of treaty-making procedures in municipal law systems have become both from a theoretical and practical point of view, subjects of increasing interest. The United Nations Legal Committee as well as the International Law Commission have published studies concerned with the relationship of international law and municipal law, emphasizing national practices concerning the conclusion of treaties. In the case of some countries, such as Great Britain and the United States, numerous studies of treaty making problems have been made, but much less has been published in the case of many other countries such as Australia, Canada or India. In the case of Australia, research on treaty-making has resulted in comparatively few published articles in scholarly and legal journals and only a few comments in general legal treatises. But no comprehen sive legal analysis of the subject has as yet appeared. This study aims to present a comprehensive survey and analysis of actual treaty making procedures and practices in Australia against the setting of the relevant constitutional and other legal norms of the Australian political system. The analysis of treaty-making will consider both normative and empirical legal aspects. Basic constitutional norms, legal principles derived from common and constitutional law and statutes will be discussed, as well as the actual practices and procedures used in the exercise of the treaty-making power.

Legislative drafting is an extremely onerous, exacting and highly-skilled task. What is clearly conceived in the mind may not be easily expressed with clarity and precision in words. It is a highly technical discipline, and one of the most vigorous forms of writing. Few lawyers have the special combination of skills, aptitudes and temperament necessary for a competent draftsperson. This book provides, for the first time, detailed commentary on legislative drafting with a specific focus on the Commonwealth, covering: the ethics of legislative drafting, teaching, training and retention of drafters, the role of legislative drafting in good governance, keeping the statute book up-to-date, drafting by more than words: the use of graphics, labels and formulae in legislation; and the particular challenges of drafting for small states. It constitutes a key reference for legislative drafters, parliamentary counsel and professionals involved in this field in the Commonwealth and beyond. This book was based on a special issue of Commonwealth Law Bulletin.

Concise Legal Research details the technical aspects of a huge number of legal sources and explains how to research law with confidence and in good time.This new edition focuses on the impact of online access and the need for the researcher to move seamlessly between traditional and electronic resources. All strategies that have been created to incorporate hard copy researching techniques have been updated with alternate electronic methods.Particular attention has been paid to the chapter on secondary sources, and with the maintenance of a structured approach to research, recognises that online research - with its many inherent pitfalls - must carefully fit within rules of research required by the discipline.