Surviving Constitutional Law

In this episode we will be going over the history and scope of the Trade and Commerce Power set out in s 51(i) of the Commonwealth Constitution. Within this, I will also discuss some of the implied and express limits on the power - in particular, the "free trade" provision found in s 92.

This episode covers all the major cases, so it is perfect for a pre-class or pre-exam crash course of the topic!

In this episode we start our discussion on the Commonwealth legislature with a crash course of the basics. In law school these introductory topics are usually taken for granted by teachers who assume students will know the fundamental aspects relating to the legislature. As such, it is rare you will find an overview on the structure of the legislature, its elections, members, rules and powers - but that's why you have this podcast!

In this episode we will build an understanding of the Senate, House of Representatives and the respective roles of each chamber within the Commonwealth Parliament. We will also go over the sources of legislative power within our constitution, and the unique role of the Monarch - whose role transcends the Legislative / Executive distinction. Building from this basic overview, the episode also provides some comparative discussions of the U.K, U.S. and Canadian legislatures to place our law within the context of the broader field of constitutional theory. 

So, sit back, relax, and let's dive into the topic...   

On this episode of the podcast, we will be continuing to develop our understanding of the Australian States by looking at the nature of their constitutions and how they can be amended. 

In this instalment we will go over several important cases, such as:

In addition to these cases and their significance, the episode also offers a brief contrast to some of the relevant state law in the U.S.A to offer you a greater contextual understanding of the area. 

On the second episode of the podcast, we are going to build on our understanding of Australia's federal system by covering State governments, their constitutions and also the plenary nature of their power.

Welcome to the first episode of 'Surviving Constitutional Law'. In today's podcast we will go over some of the basic aspects of constitutional law, and explore some of the history and influences which have impacted our legal development. This episode is titled 'Foundations' as it is a crash course on the 'essentials' which will prepare you for more complex topics being discussed in later installments.  

If you know nothing about the area, this is a good place to start. So sit back, relax and we will begin our journey of understanding Australian constitutional law!

Here is a quick introduction to the Surviving Constitutional Law podcast and its host Cameron Shamsabad. Whether you are a student trying to survive a core unit of your Australian law degree, or a consti' nerd (like Cam), this is the podcast for you. In this episode, the vision for the future of the podcast is set out. Stay tuned for the next episode dropping real soon...