My main teaching and research interest at the moment is the law of Torts. I teach this in the undergraduate LLB program at the University of Newcastle. I am a member of the Editorial Board of the Torts Law Journal, and was co-author of the 6th edition of a major Australian torts textbook, Luntz & Hambly et al, as well as the 10th edition of Fleming's Law of Torts. I have also just published a book on Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia. I have been teaching a course in Occupational (now Workplace) Health and Safety Law at the University since 1996. My LLM thesis related to the individual legal responsibility of company officers for OHS breaches committed by companies (in civil law, general criminal law such as manslaughter, and specific OHS laws.) I am continuing research on the interaction between tort law and OHS responsibilities, particularly the impact of newer models of OHS regulation on the classic workplace injury tort remedy provided by the tort of "breach of statutory duty". I have also been involved in teaching and publication on the law of Property, Intellectual Property, and Law and Religion issues.
Torts
Statutes and Civil Liability in the Commonwealth and the United States: A Comparative Critique, Sixth Biennial Conference on the Law of Obligations: Challenging Orthodoxy (2012)
Both the major “common law” systems of private law allow breach of a criminal statute...
Defamation and Vilification: Rights to Reputation, Free Speech and Freedom of Religion at Common Law and under Human Rights Laws, Freedom of Religion under Bills of Rights (2012)
Laws prohibiting religious vilification (or religious ‘hate speech’) are controversial and often criticised. On the...
Review of "Liability for Wrongful Interferences with Chattels" by Simon Douglas (2011), Canadian Business Law Journal (2012)
A review of a recent monograph dealing with the way the common law protects property...
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia Update No 1, WHSLA Updates (2012)
This is one of a series of updates I will be issuing to provide notes...
Private Rights and Public Regulation: Breach of Statutory Duty and Workplace Safety, Conference on "Private and Public Law - Intersections in Law and Method" The T C Beirne Law School at the University of Queensland, Brisbane; July 21-22, 2011 (2011)
For many years the tort of “breach of statutory duty” (“BSD”) has operated at the...
Occupational Health and Safety Law
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia Update No 2, WHSLA Updates (2012)
One of the problems we face in reading the Work Health and Safety Act 2011...
Directors and Due Diligence in Workplace Safety, Safety in Action Conference 2012 (2012)
The duties of directors and other company officers under s 27 of the model Work...
Update on the national work health and safety harmonisation process, Employment Law Bulletin (2012)
Describes the current stage of implementation of the new model Work Health and Safety Act...
Property and Intellectual Property
Book Review: Digital Copyright and the Consumer Revolution: Hands off My iPod by Matthew Rimmer, Media and Arts Law Rev (2009)
'Vigilant Protection' of the Olympic brand - too fast, too high, too strong?, Australian & New Zealand Trade Practices Law Bulletin (2000)
Discusses some cases where "over-zealous" protection of the "Olympics" brand may have been contrary to...
Liability of company officers
Directors and Due Diligence in Workplace Safety, Safety in Action Conference 2012 (2012)
The duties of directors and other company officers under s 27 of the model Work...
You can’t do that! Directors insuring against criminal WHS penalties, Insurance Law Journal (2012)
This article considers the question of whether it is possible for company officers, who may...
Directors Insuring Against Criminal OHS Wrongdoing – the Common Law position, Conference on Insurance Issues and Corporate Crime; sponsored by the Corporate and White Collar Crime Network, Essex University (2010)
This paper considers the question of whether it is possible for company officers, who are...
Towards a National OHS Law, 18th Annual Labour Conference (2010)
The biggest change in the OHS legal environment in Australia in over 25 years is...
Personal Corporate Officer Liability under the Model Work Health and Safety Bill (2010)
For many years it has been acknowledged that the possibility of personal criminal liability of...
Religion and Law
Jesus: Dead or Alive? Evaluating the evidence for the Resurrection (2013) (2013)
This paper (a slightly updated version of one I produced a few years ago) considers...
Freedom of Religion and Law Schools: Trinity Western University (2013)
Discusses the recent controversy over whether a Christian Law School in Canada should be allowed...
Decision in Eweida, Ladele etc appeal (2013)
A brief overview of the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights on...
Freedom of religion for boarding house owners denied (2012)
Discusses the decision of the English Court of Appeal in Bull & Bull v Hall...
Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW) s 151P
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia Update No 1, WHSLA Updates (2012)
This is one of a series of updates I will be issuing to provide notes...
Psychiatric Injury Following Workplace Trauma or Death: Actions by Fellow-Workers and Relatives in New South Wales, Tort Law Review (2004)
Peter Handford's Note ("Psychiatric Injury: Duty to Employees' Children" (2003) 11 Tort L Rev 127)...
Theology and Biblical Studies
Glorification in John's Gospel: Not only the Cross (2010)
This paper explores the meaning of Jesus' "glorification" in John's gospel and suggests that some...
What happened to the Resurrection? (2009)
This paper suggests that evangelicals need to make sure that the resurrection of Jesus, as...
Defamation and Vilification
Defamation and Vilification: Rights to Reputation, Free Speech and Freedom of Religion at Common Law and under Human Rights Laws, Freedom of Religion under Bills of Rights (2012)
Laws prohibiting religious vilification (or religious ‘hate speech’) are controversial and often criticised. On the...
Workplace Health and Safety Law
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia Update No 2, WHSLA Updates (2012)
One of the problems we face in reading the Work Health and Safety Act 2011...
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia (2012)
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia provides an introduction to the law of workplace...
Workplace Health and Safety Law in Australia Update No 1, WHSLA Updates (2012)
This is one of a series of updates I will be issuing to provide notes...