Beyond Borders: How International Law Shapes Australia's Highest Court
A conversation with Dr Christopher Ward SC on how the High Court of Australia has shaped, and been shaped by, international law since 1903
The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, along with the Victorian Chapter of the International Law Association (Australia Branch), invite you to an evening conversation with Dr Christopher Ward SC on his new book, International Law and the High Court of Australia (Melrose Legal Publishers, 2026), the first comprehensive examination of the High Court's engagement with public international law since the Court's establishment in 1903.
Tracing the development of the Court's approach from early uncertainty to a modern and coherent framework, the book covers constitutional foundations, human rights, indigenous rights, refugees and citizenship, criminal law and extradition, and state immunities — offering a detailed picture of international law's role in contemporary Australian domestic legal analysis. The foreword is by The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG.
Dr Ward will be in conversation with Dr Elizabeth Sheargold, Castan Centre member and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Monash University.
Presented by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the International Law Association.
Event Details
Beyond Borders: How International Law Shapes Australia's Highest Court
Date: Tuesday 10 November 2026
Time: 6-7pm AEDT
Campus: Monash University Law Chambers
555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Speakers
Dr Christopher Ward SC
Dr Christopher Ward SC is a Senior Counsel at 6 St James Hall Chambers, Sydney, and an Associate Member of 3 Verulam Buildings Barristers, London. He is Vice-Chair of the International Law Association and an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, with an extensive practice spanning public international law, constitutional law, human rights, extradition, and
international criminal law.
Dr Ward holds a BSc from the University of Sydney, an LLB (First Class Honours, Pitt Cobbett Prize for International Law) from the University of Sydney, an LLM (First Class, Clive Parry Prize for International Law) from Cambridge University, and a PhD from the Australian National University.
His new book, International Law and the High Court of Australia, published in June 2026, is the first systematic account of the High Court's treatment of international law across its entire history.
Moderator
Dr Elizabeth Sheargold
Dr Elizabeth Sheargold is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law. Her research is primarily in the field of international economic law, with a particular interest in the intersection between international trade and investment agreements and environmental policy, including climate policy and natural resource management. In addition, she is currently working on a project funded by the Department of Defence titled Australia and Weaponised Trade: Threats and Responses.
Enquiries
For all event enquiries, please email: law-engagement@monash.edu