The IILAH Podcast

In this episode, Dr Kathleen Auld presents on the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. The adoption of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) in 2022 was hailed by many as a triple win for environment, development, and trade. The idea of a ‘triple win’ is not unique to the WTO and reflects the broader rhetoric around sustainable development. Yet the idea of facilitating environmental and social protection through trade liberalisation is in stark contrast to the traditional practices of trade bodies. Trade agreements, if they include environmental and social protection at all, generally do so to offset the negative externalities caused by greater liberalisation of trade. The bans on fisheries subsidies implemented by the AFS and regional trade agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), thus represent an interesting case study on whether complementarities between trade, environment, and development goals are possible and realistic. The presentation focuses on the AFS and its potential real-world impacts, to understand if the idealistic vision of a triple win has materialised, or if ongoing negotiations will need to do more to realise this ambition. The episode is an edited recording of a seminar presented on 6 November 2024, chaired by Professor Margaret Young and co-hosted by the Institute for International Law and the Humanities and the Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment. Dr. Kathleen Auld is a Lecturer in Ocean Sustainability, Governance, and Management within the World Maritime University’s Masters in Maritime Affairs programme. Dr. Auld’s research focuses primarily on sustainable fisheries and oceans as well as the relationship between trade and fisheries. Her particular research interests include IUU fishing, socio-economic aspects of fishing and ocean governance, and fisheries subsidies.

In this insightful discussion, experts explore the complexities of the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Israel's occupation. Sophie Rigney highlights the right to self-determination, while Haris Jamil addresses norm violations and third-party obligations. Julia Dehm dives into the significance of natural resource exploitation and reparations. Ntina Tzouvala critiques the framing of occupation, and Shahd Hammouri discusses pathways to implement the advisory opinion. Together, they navigate the challenging intersection of law, justice, and Palestinian rights.

On Wednesday 17 July 2024, the Institute for International Law and the Humanities (IILAH) at Melbourne Law School, hosted a seminar chaired by IILAH Director, Professor Margaret Young, and presented by Associate Professor Daniel Joyce (UNSW Sydney). This episode explores the ways in which private actors like Facebook (now re-branded Meta) are responding to criticism by turning to human rights. These platforms have been enabled by a techno-libertarian form of freedom of expression and international law’s failure to capture economic dimensions such as monopoly and taxation in approaching questions of information governance. Responding to the resulting scandals, the platforms have sought to blend pre-existing self-governance structures with procedures and regulatory concepts drawn from international human rights law. For example, Meta’s Oversight Board now embraces a form of rights-based decision making in reviewing online content decisions. This episode examines the stakes involved for human rights and media governance when they become so associated with private power. To do so, this critique of the Oversight Board engages with aspects of Cornelia Vismann’s media theory including her approach to law as a cultural technique.

This podcast captures the conversation between Dr Alice Palmer and Professor Gerry Simpson at the launch of Alice's new book 'Natural Perception: Environmental Images and Aesthetics in International Law'. Professor Margaret Young introduces the conversation and provides a brief summary of the event. The Institute for International Law and the Humanities and the Melbourne Centre for Law and the Environment were pleased to celebrate the publication of Dr Alice Palmer's new book at the launch on Monday 8 April 2024. Alice was joined in conversation with Professor Gerry Simpson, author of 'The Sentimental Life of International Law' and Professor of Public International Law at LSE Law School. They discussed the whys, hows and wheretos of seeing environmental images in international legal process.

In this episode, Julian A. Hettihewa presents on ‘The Principle of Distinction in International Humanitarian Law’. According to the principle of distinction, the parties to a conflict shall at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants. Described as one of the cardinal principles of international humanitarian law, the principle thus requires that civilians are never made objects of attacks. Underneath these seemingly objective and neutral concepts are real human beings. Available data indicates that the vast majority of victims of direct conflict are young men. Against this background, this talk seeks to examine the relevance of the principle of distinction for young people. It suggests that youth as a social category is constructed by international law as dream/nightmare and that this may inform decisions on targeting. The talk concludes with an invitation to use existing critical approaches to explore further areas of international law with a sensibility for young people and youth. The episode is an edited recording of a seminar presented on 5 December 2023, chaired by Dr Carrie McDougall and hosted by IILAH. Julian A. Hettihewa is a research assistant and PhD candidate at the Institute for Public International Law, University of Bonn. His research focusses on the relationship between youth and international law and forms part of what may be called Young Approaches to International Law.

In this podcast on ‘The Role of International Law in the Rise of Populism’, Professor Margaret Young (IILAH Director, Melbourne Law School) and Chair Dr Alice Palmer (IILAH Program Director, Melbourne Law School) are joined by Professor Peter Danchin, University of Maryland Carey School of Law, and Professor Jolyon Ford, ANU College of Law. This seminar addresses work being undertaken as part of a 2022-26 Australian Research Council Discovery project on “Reconceiving Engagement with International Law in a Populist Era” that seeks to address the fundamental problem of how to reconceive engagement by states with the international legal order in the face of a sustained populist backlash. The chief investigators are Professors Jeremy Farrall and Jolyon Ford and Associate Professor Imogen Saunders from ANU College of Law and partner investigators Peter Danchin from the University of Maryland and Shruti Rana from Indiana University.

In this episode, Dr Ben Golder (UNSW Law School), Dr Kathleen Birrell (La Trobe Law and Humanities Network) and Professor Sundhya Pahuja (Melbourne Law School) are joined by Associate Professor Tim Peters (UniSC School of Law and Society) to discuss applying for grants for law and humanities research. Associate Professor Tim Peters is a critical and cultural legal scholar based in the School of Law and Society of the University of the Sunshine Coast . His research interests operate at the intersections between legal theory, theology and culture.

In this episode, Dr Ben Golder (UNSW Law School), Dr Kathleen Birrell (La Trobe Law and Humanities Network) and Dr Adil Hasan Khan (Melbourne Law School) are joined by Manav Kapur (Princeton University) to discuss Archival research in the South. Manav is based in the Department of History at Princeton University.

In this episode, Dr Ben Golder (UNSW Law School), Dr Kathleen Birrell (La Trobe Law and Humanities Network) and Professor Sundhya Pahuja (Melbourne Law School) are joined by Associate Professor Connal Parsley (Kent Law School) to discuss working with other fields and across disciplines. Connal is Reader in Law and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. He graduated from the University of Melbourne with degrees in linguistics and law, before practising commercial property and constitutional and administrative law in the Melbourne offices of the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS). An interdisciplinary legal scholar, his research is grounded in critical legal studies, cultural studies, and the humanities, emphasising the need to reinvent central aspects of the legal tradition through new creative and intellectual resources. He has been visiting fellow at the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy), the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing (Berkeley, USA), and Melbourne Law School (Australia).

In this episode, Dr Ben Golder (UNSW Law School), Dr Kathleen Birrell (La Trobe Law and Humanities Network), Professor Sundhya Pahuja (Melbourne Law School) and André Dao (Melbourne Law School) are joined by Associate Professor James Parker (Melbourne Law School) to discuss Non-traditional Research Outputs. James is the Director of a research program on Law, Sound and the International at the Institute for International Law and the Humanities (IILAH). His research focuses on the relations between law, sound and listening, with a particular emphasis on international criminal law, the law of war and privacy. James’ published research includes a book exploring the trial of Simon Bikindi, who was accused by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda of inciting genocide with his songs, articles and book chapters on the judicial soundscape, the gavel and the weaponisation of sound. He is currently working on the socio-legal history of eavesdropping and putting together an edited collection entitled Acoustic Justice.