The Small Brown Bird: Values, Aspirations and the Australian Constitution’
International Journal of Constitutional Law, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 60-79, 2016
19 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2015 Last revised: 15 Jul 2020
Date Written: November 25, 2015
Abstract
This article, a contribution to a Symposium on Australasian Constitutionalism, addresses the disinclination of Australians to treat their Constitution as a source of shared values or aspirations. In this article the authors argue that there is, nonetheless, a meaningful way that the Australian Constitution articulates the values of the Australian people. Moreover, it is argued that recent movements for constitutional reform suggest a shift in Australian constitutional culture towards an acceptance that the Constitution does and should define the values of the Australian people.
Keywords: Constitutional Law; Australia
JEL Classification: K19, K39
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation