Ms Melissa Castan - Researcher Profile

Biography

Melissa Castan is a Senior Lecturer, and Deputy Director for the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. Her teaching and research interests are Constitutional Law, Indigenous Legal Issues and Legal Education .

She is co-author, with Dr Sarah Joseph, and Jenny Schultz of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Commentary and Materials (2004), and with Dr Sarah Joseph of Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View (2006).

A selection of Ms Castan's publications is available at:

Areas of Expertise

Indigenous legal issues
Constitutional law
Australian legal systems

Research & Supervision Interests

Aborigines and the Law

Australian Legal System

Constitutional Law

Human Rights

Intellectual Property

International Human Rights Law

International Law

Land Title

Legal History

Qualifications

BACHELOR OF LAWS (HONS)

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2005

BACHELOR OF ARTS

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2005

MASTER OF LAWS

Institution: University of Melbourne

Year awarded: 2005

Publications

Books

Gerber, P., Castan, M. (eds), 2013, Contemporary Perspectives on Human Rights Law in Australia, Thomson Reuters, Sydney Australia.

Castan, M., Farrell, J. (eds), 2012, The Alternative Law Journal, Legal Services Bulletin Co-Operative Ltd, Melbourne Australia.

McKemmish, S., Russell, L., Castan, M., Iacovino, L. (eds), 2012, Archival Science - Special Issue: Keeping Cultures Alive: Archives and Indigenous Human Rights, Springer, Dordrecht Netherlands.

Castan, M., Drury, A., Swales, P. (eds), 2011, Alternative Law Journal, Legal Service Bulletin Co-operative Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia.

Castan, M. (ed), 2011, Alternative Law Journal, Legal Services Bulletin Co-operative Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia.

Joseph, S., Castan, M., 2010, Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View, Thomson Reuters, Pyrmont, NSW, Australia.

Castan, M. (ed), 2009, Alternative Law Journal, Legal Services Bulletin Co-op., Melbourne Vic Australia.

Castan, M. (ed), 2009, Handbook for Interns, The Aurora Project, Sydney NSW Australia.

Castan, M., 2008, Constitutional Law, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW.

Joseph, S.L., Castan, M., 2006, Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View, Thomson Lawbook Co., Sydney NSW Australia.

Joseph, S.L., Schultz, J.A., Castan, M., 2004, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials and Commentary, Oxford University Press, Oxford UK.

Joseph, S.L., Castan, M., 2001, Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View, Lawbook Co., Pyrmont NSW Australia.

Joseph, S., Schultz, J., Castan, M., 2000, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials, and Commentary, Oxford University Press, New York USA.

Book Chapters

Castan, M., 2010, DRIP feed: the slow reconstruction of self-determination for Indigenous peoples, in Research Handbook on International Human Rights Law, eds Sarah Joseph and Adam McBeth, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, pp. 492-511.

Joseph, S.L., Schultz, J.A., Castan, M., 2004, Part I: Introduction, in The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials, and Commentary, eds Sarah Joseph, Jenny Schultz and Melissa Castan, Oxford University Press Inc., New York USA, pp. 3-52.

Castan, M., 2000, Reconciliation, law and the Constitution, in Reconciliation: Essays on Australian Reconciliation, Black Inc. (Bookman Press Pty Ltd), Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 202-209.

Journal Articles

Batagol, B.M., Castan, M., 2012, Citations, sources and references: the quagmire of legal footnoting, Alternative Law Journal [P], vol 37, issue 1, Legal Service Bulletin Co-operative Ltd, Clayton Vic Australia, pp. 50-51.

McKemmish, S., Iacovino, L., Russell, L., Castan, M., 2012, Editors' introduction to Keeping cultures alive: Archives and Indigenous human rights, Archival Science [P], vol 12, issue 2, Springer, Dordrecht Netherlands, pp. 93-111.

Castan, M., Debeljak, J., 2012, Indigenous peoples' human rights and the Victorian Charter: a framework for reorienting recordkeeping and archival practice, Archival Science [P], vol 12, issue 2, Springer, Dordrecht Netherlands, pp. 213-233.

Galloway, K., Greaves, K., Castan, M., 2012, Interconnectedness, multiplexity and the global student: the role of blogging and micro blogging in opening students' horizons, Journal of the Australiasian Law Teacher's Association [E], vol 5, issue 1-2, Australasian Law Teachers Association, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 177-188.

Castan, M., Litaba, H.O.E., 2012, Lawyers' conduct and social media: tips and traps, Precedent [P], vol 2012, issue 110, Australian Lawyers Alliance, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 26-30.

Gerber, P., Castan, M., 2012, Practice meets theory: using moots as a tool to teach human rights law, Journal of Legal Education [P], vol 62, issue 2, Association of American Law Schools, Los Angeles USA, pp. 298-310.

Gargett, A., Gerber, P., Castan, M., 2011, A right to birth registration in the Victorian Charter? Seek and you shall not find!, Monash University Law Review [P], vol 36, issue 3, Monash University, Clayton Vic Australia, pp. 1-32.

Castan, M., 2011, Constitutional deficiencies in the protection of indigenous rights: reforming the 'races power', Indigenous Law Bulletin [P], vol 7, issue 25, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 12-17.

Gerber, P., Gargett, A., Castan, M., 2011, Does the right to birth registration include a right to a birth certificate?, Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights [P], vol 29, issue 4, Intersentia, Utrecht The Netherlands, pp. 434-459.

Castan, M., Gerber, P., Gargett, A., 2011, Indigenous Australians' access to birth registration systems: a breach of international human rights law?, Australian Journal of Human Rights [P], vol 17, issue 1, LexisNexis Butterworths, Chatswood Vic Australia, pp. 55-89.

McKemmish, S., Iacovino, L., Ketelaar, E., Castan, M., Russell, L., 2011, Resetting relationships: archives and Indigenous human rights in Australia, Archives & Manuscripts [P], vol 39, issue 1, Australian Society of Archivists, Brisbane Qld Australia, pp. 107-144.

Castan, M., Paterson, J., Richardson, P., Watt, H., Dever, M., 2010, Early optimism? First-year law students' work expectations and aspirations, Legal Education Review [P], vol 20, issue 1 and 2, Australasian Law Teachers Association, Lindfield, NSW, Australia, pp. 1-11.

Castan, M., Paterson, J., 2010, From supergirl to invisible woman: the divide between student perception and professional reality in corporate legal practice, Alternative Law Journal [P], vol 35, issue 3, Legal Service Bulletin Co-Operative Ltd, Clayton, Vic, Australia, pp. 138-141.

Castan, M., 2010, Remembering the rule of law, Alternative Law Journal [P], vol 35, issue 4, Legal Service Bulletin Co-Operative Ltd, Clayton, Vic, Australia, pp. 233-234.

Stephensen, M., Morse, B., Robertson, L., Castan, M., 2009, International and comparative indigenous rights via videoconferencing, Legal Education Review [P], vol 19, issue 2, Australian Law Teachers Association, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 238-255.

Castan, M., Yarrow, D., 2008, Charter rights: Self detemination for Indigenous Victorians, Indigenous Law Bulletin [P], vol 7, issue 9, University of New South Wales - Indigenous Law Centre, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 9-13.

Castan, M., Yarrow, D.M., 2006, A charter of (some) rights ... for some?, Alternative Law Journal, vol 31, issue 3, Legal Service Bulletin Co-operative Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 132-136.

Castan, M., Kee, S.D., 2003, The jurisprudence of denial, Alternative Law Journal, vol 28, issue 2, Legal Service Bulletin Co-operative Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 83-87.

Castan, M., Naylor, B., 2000, The hardest bridge, Alternative Law Journal [P], vol 25, issue 3, Legal Service Bulletin Co-Operative Ltd, Clayton, Vic, Australia, p. 102.

Castan, M., 1999, Evaluating the Legal System, Alternative Law Journal, vol 24 issue 5, Legal Service Bulletin Co-op Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, p. 220.

Castan, M., 1999, Native title, sea rights and international law, International Law News, vol issue 39, Law Council of Australia, Canberra ACT Australia, pp. 28-31.

Castan, M., 1998, Adrift in the South China Sea: International Dispute Resolution and the Spratly Islands Conflict, Asia Pacific Law Review, vol 6 issue 1, Kluwer Law International, London UK, pp. 93-107.

Castan, M., 1997, Review of Three Books on Indigenous People, Monash University Law Review, vol 23, Monash University, Clayton Vic Australia, pp. 494-496.

Castan, M., Schultz, J., 1997, Teaching Native Title, Legal Education Review, vol 8, Legal Education Review, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 75-98.

Conference Proceedings

Castan, M., Debeljak, J., 2010, The human rights impact of the Victorian Charter for indigenous peoples' record-keeping and archiving?, Towards an Understanding of the Archival and Recordkeeping Implications of Australian ans International Human Rights for Indigenous Australians, 12/10/2010, Australian Society of Archivists, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, pp. 1-14.

Teaching Commitment

Constitutional law 306 (LAW3201)

Introduction to legal reasoning (LAW1101)

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Aboriginal people and access to justice: Are their rights being protected..

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Joint-co), Russell, L (Joint).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Indigenous recognition, reconciliation and the case for moving beyond `race?: to what extent should Australia embed the principle of equality before the law in the Constitution, law and public policy?.

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Joint-co), Emerton, P (Joint).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Not Just Another Stakeholder: Indigenous Water Rights - a Comparative Legal Analysis..

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Main).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The Koori Court of Victoria:An Answer to Cultural and Language Disadvantage for Indigenous Offenders.

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Main), Burridge, K (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The western legal response to sorcery in colonial Papua New Guinea.

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Joint-co), Powles, G (Joint).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Unregistered and Invisible: An Examination of Indigenous Birth Certification and Registration in Aus.

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Joint-co), Russell, L (Joint).

Completed Supervision

Student:

Gray, S.

Program of Study:

Pastoralists, protectors and thieves: the 'stolen wages' issue in the Northern Territory of Australia. (PHD) 2008.

Supervisors:

Goldsworthy, J (Main), Castan, M (Associate).

Student:

Mckillop, K.

Program of Study:

Providing effectively for Indigenous customary law: New Zealand, Canada and Australia and Indigenous customary adoptions. (PHD) 2009.

Supervisors:

Castan, M (Main).

Student:

Sexton, S.

Program of Study:

Digging for fire: legal pluralism in the native title era 1992-2005. (PHD) 2007.

Supervisors:

O''Connor, P (Main), Castan, M (Associate).