The establishment clause: A search for meaning

Article

Mortensen, Reid. 2014. "The establishment clause: A search for meaning." University of Queensland Law Journal. 33 (1), pp. 109-129.
Article Title

The establishment clause: A search for meaning

ERA Journal ID33967
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorMortensen, Reid
Journal TitleUniversity of Queensland Law Journal
Journal Citation33 (1), pp. 109-129
Number of Pages21
Year2014
PublisherThe University of Queensland Press
Place of PublicationBrisbane, Australia
ISSN0083-4041
Web Address (URL)http://www.law.uq.edu.au/uqlj
Abstract

The article is a critique of the current interpretation of the establishment clause of section 116 of the Australian Constitution. Following the Defence of Government Schools (DOGS) Case in 1981, the prevailing view of the establishment clause is that, in effect, it does nothing. It was for this reason that, in the Schools Chaplains Case (Williams v Commonwealth (No 1)), the litigants and the High Court of Australia did not even consider that the establishment clause was relevant - even though it plainly speaks to questions of church and state. The author argues that this understanding of the establishment clause is wrong, on the basis of interpretation of section 116 before the DOGS Case and the unorthodox methods of adjudication taken by the High Court in that case. He offers a principle of non-discrimination as a coherent approach to giving meaning to the establishment clause.

Keywordsconstitutional law, religion and the law, school chaplains, section 116, Australian Constitution
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020480702. Constitutional law
Public Notes

The article was one of the contributions to the After Williams Colloquium, held at the University of Southern Queensland, 4 October 2013. Published Version deposited In accordance with publisher copyright policy.

Byline AffiliationsSchool of Law and Justice
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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