Melbourne Law School - Research Publications

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    THE BRUMMAGEM COUP THE START OF SELF-GOVERNMENT IN VICTORIA
    Waugh, J (ROYAL HISTORICAL SOC VICTORIA, 2006-11)
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    Contempt of Parliament in Victoria
    Waugh, J (Adelaide Law Review Association, 2005)
    The wide powers of State Parliaments to punish members and outsiders vary from State to State. Authorities on contempt of Parliament have compared the different jurisdictions, but there has been no specific study of contempt of the Victorian Parliament. Its powers are different from those of the Commonwealth, New South Wales and Tasmanian parliaments, and it has a distinctive record of little-known contempt cases. This article provides an overview of the Victorian Parliament’s powers and the way they have been used.
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    New Federation History
    Waugh, J (Melbourne University Law Review Association, 2000)
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    Framing the First Victorian Constitution, 1853–5
    Waugh, J (Faculty of Law, Monash University, 1997)
    As the approaching centenary of federation renews interest in Australian constitutional history, it is timely to examine the colonial constitutions that were current law for the framers of the Commonwealth Constitution. They were the result of the first Australian exercises in constitution-making. Many of their provisions are still in force. This article describes the framing of one of the new constitutions of the 1850s, the Victorian Constitution Act of 1855. The work of the politicians who dominated Victoria at the start of the gold rush, it created the framework for the constitutional crises of the 1860s and 1870s and remains the source of many provisions of the Constitution Act 1975 (Vic).
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    The Victorian Government and the Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
    Waugh, J (Law School, University of New South Wales, 1996)
    Recent events have directed attention to the place of the Supreme Court of Victoria in the State constitutional structure, as argument has emerged in the press and elsewhere about legislation reducing the Court's jurisdiction. This article considers the legislation which has led to this controversy, the significance of Victoria's distinctive constitutional entrenchment of Supreme Court jurisdiction, and other aspects of the constitutional position of the Supreme Court.
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    Government control of royal assent in Victoria
    WAUGH, JOHN ( 2006)
    The giving of royal assent to proposed laws was the centre of a controversy in Victoria in 2005. These events directed fresh attention to the power of the Queen's representative, the Governor, and of the Victorian Government, over Bills that have passed both Houses of Parliament but not yet become law. This article comments on the legal basis of royal assent and the question of whether the government can advise the Governor to withhold assent to a Bill that has passed both Houses.
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    Blocking supply in Victoria
    WAUGH, JOHN ( 2002)
    In Australian parliaments, the power to block supply (where it survives) is the ultimate weapon of an upper house majority that wants to force the Government to call an election. Its effect is to cut off the Government authority to continue the part of its spending that Parliament must authorise afresh each year. This article comments on the distinctive law and history concerning supply deadlocks in Victoria, where the upper house has blocked supply more often than in any other Australian parliament.
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    Minority government in Victoria
    WAUGH, JOHN ( 2000)
    State elections in Victoria, Australia, in September 1999 resulted in a hung parliament. This comment notes the constitutional situation that followed the election and the agreement between the Opposition and three independent members of parliament that led to a change of government.
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    A question of capacity: the case of Justice Bruce
    WAUGH, JOHN ( 1998)
    In 1998, complaints against Justice Vince Bruce of the New South Wales Supreme Court led to an investigation by the state's Judicial Commission and a parliamentary debate on the judge's removal. This comment notes the history of removal of judges in Australia, the framework for investigation of judicial complaints in New South Wales, and the outcome of the inquiry into Justice Bruce.
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    The Victorian government and the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
    WAUGH, JOHN ( 1996)
    In the mid-1990s, controversy erupted over the number of acts of parliament that were reducing the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Victoria. This article analyses the legislation that led to this controversy, the significance of Victoria distinctive constitutional entrenchment of Supreme Court jurisdiction, and other aspects of the constitutional position of the Supreme Court.