Research guide

In this charming and concise book, Nicholas Brown looks beyond the clichés to illuminate the colourful history of Australia's capital.

The last continent to be claimed by Europeans, Australia began to be settled by the British in 1788 in the form of a jail for its convicts. While British culture has had the largest influence on the country and its presence can be seen everywhere, the British were not Australia's original populace. The first inhabitants of Australia, the Aborigines, are believed to have migrated from Southeast Asia into northern Australia as early as 60,000 years ago. This distinctive blend of vastly different cultures contributed to the ease with which Australia has become one of the world's most successful immigrant nations. The A to Z of Australia relates the history of this unique and beautiful land, which is home to an amazing range of flora and fauna, a climate that ranges from tropical forests to arid deserts, and the largest single collection of coral reefs and islands in the world. Through a detailed chronology, an introduction, appendixes, a bibliography, and cross-referenced dictionary entries on some of the more significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets, author James Docherty provides a much needed single volume reference on Australia, from its most unpromising of beginnings as a British jail to the liberal, tolerant, democracy it is today.

The Government and Copyright: The Government as Proprietor, Preserver and User of Copyright Material Under the Copyright Act 1968 focuses on the interplay between law, policy and practice in copyright law by investigating the rights of the government as the copyright owner, the preserver of copyright material and the user of other's copyright material under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The first of two recurring themes in the book asks the question whether the needs and status of government should be different from private sector institutions, which also obtain copyright protection under the law. The second theme aims to identify the relationship between government copyright law and policy, national cultural policy and fundamental governance values. "As the first authoritative treatise on government copyright to be published in Australia, this book will be of immediate interest and relevance to Australian lawyers and policy makers, particularly in the light of ongoing efforts to ensure that the intellectual property system stimulates innovation and fosters trade and investment. Given that government copyright is recognised to some extent in most countries worldwide, this book is a valuable contribution to the international literature on this topic, which remains sparse." From the Introduction by Dr Anne Fitzgerald and Prof. Brian Fitzgerald

Introduction : what is Australian public law? -- Constitution I : the history of the Australian state -- Constitution II : the structure of the Australian state -- Legitimation : justifying state power -- Legislation : making valid law -- Administration : governing lawfully -- Adjudication : determining and applying law -- Validation : reviewing state action -- Protection : human rights and Australian public law -- Direction : future trends in Australian public law.