Dr William Isdale is a Senior Legal Officer with the Australian Law Reform Commission, and an Adjunct Fellow of the T.C. Beirne School of Law. Previously he worked as a solicitor in private practice, where he specialised in financial services, regulatory and general commercial legal advice. Before commencing practice he was an Associate to the Hon. Justice John Dowsett AM on the Federal Court of Australia.
William holds a PhD in law for a thesis on native title compensation, which was supervised by Adjunct Professors Jonathan Fulcher and the Hon. Justice Andrew Greenwood (a judge of the Federal Court of Australia). His thesis addressed issues relating to native title law, tort law, constitutional law, and the law of remedies. A version of his thesis won the 2021 Holt Prize, and will be published as a book by Federation Press in early 2022.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University. He is currently studying part-time for an LLM in International Financial and Commercial Law with King’s College London.
William is a weekly contributor of case notes to the Queensland Law Reporter, and has published articles in a number of journals on both public and private law issues. He is particularly interested in the intersection of law with public policy. He maintains an avid interest in moral, political and legal philosophy, particularly their practical applications and implications for law reform.
Journal Article: Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2022). Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk. Proctor.
Journal Article: Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk: the ALRC’s new Background Paper on Risk and Reform in Australian Financial Services Law
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2022). Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk: the ALRC’s new Background Paper on Risk and Reform in Australian Financial Services Law. Australian Law Reform Commission.
Journal Article: COVID-19, the Principle of Legality and the "Legislative Bulldozer" of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth)
Walpole, Samuel and Isdale, William (2022). COVID-19, the Principle of Legality and the "Legislative Bulldozer" of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth). Public Law Review, 32 (4), 287-290.
Isdale, William (2022). Compensation for Native Title. Sydney, NSW, Australia: The Federation Press.
Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2022). Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk. Proctor.
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2022). Shifting sands in the regulation of financial risk: the ALRC’s new Background Paper on Risk and Reform in Australian Financial Services Law. Australian Law Reform Commission.
Walpole, Samuel and Isdale, William (2022). COVID-19, the Principle of Legality and the "Legislative Bulldozer" of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth). Public Law Review, 32 (4), 287-290.
"Manner and form" requirements and the Australia Act 1986 (Cth)
Walpole, Samuel and Isdale, William (2022). "Manner and form" requirements and the Australia Act 1986 (Cth). Public Law, 2022 (Apr), 338-341.
Tidying our house of law: bringing the Marie Kondo philosophy to the Commonwealth statute book
Simoes da Silva, Nicholas and Isdale, William (2022). Tidying our house of law: bringing the Marie Kondo philosophy to the Commonwealth statute book. Australian Public Law Blog.
Cutting back the thicket of corporations and financial services law
Isdale, William and Ash, Christopher (2021). Cutting back the thicket of corporations and financial services law. Proctor.
Undue complexity in Australia’s corporations and financial services legislation
Isdale, William and Ash, Christopher (2021). Undue complexity in Australia’s corporations and financial services legislation. Australian Law Reform Commission.
What are the limits to agreeing a civil penalty with a regulator?
Isdale, William and Walpole, Samuel (2021). What are the limits to agreeing a civil penalty with a regulator?. Proctor.
Legislative morass and the rule of law: a warning, and some possible solutions
Isdale, William and Ash, Christopher (2021). Legislative morass and the rule of law: a warning, and some possible solutions. Australian Public Law Blog.
Business Interruption Insurance and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Walpole, Samuel and Isdale, William (2021). Business Interruption Insurance and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Australian Business Law Review, 49 (1), 73-77.
Apprehended bias and the nuclear effect - lessons from the New Acland proceedings
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2021). Apprehended bias and the nuclear effect - lessons from the New Acland proceedings. Australian Public Law Blog.
Developing the law reform mindset: reflections on the move from private practice to the ALRC
Isdale, William (2021). Developing the law reform mindset: reflections on the move from private practice to the ALRC. Australian Law Reform Commission.
Duties of applicants in ex parte applications: lessons from Mineralogy v Western Australia
Isdale, William and Walpole, Samuel (2021). Duties of applicants in ex parte applications: lessons from Mineralogy v Western Australia. Proctor.
You’re almost 20, Corporations Act
Isdale, William and Simoes da Silva, Nicholas (2021). You’re almost 20, Corporations Act. Australian Law Reform Commission.
Amenability of the executive power to pardon to judicial review
Walpole, Samuel , Moss, Aaron and Isdale, William (2020). Amenability of the executive power to pardon to judicial review. Australian Journal of Administrative Law, 27 (4), 193-197.
Northern Land Council v Quall - implications for the exercise of statutory functions by corporations
Isdale, William and Walpole, Samuel (2020). Northern Land Council v Quall - implications for the exercise of statutory functions by corporations. AUSPUBLAW.
Doing without the Wagyu and Shiraz: the Westpac automated loans decisions
Isdale, William and Walpole, Sam (2020). Doing without the Wagyu and Shiraz: the Westpac automated loans decisions. Proctor.
Indemnity of a reasonable settlement
William Isdale and Sam Walpole (2020). Indemnity of a reasonable settlement. Proctor, 40 (4), 34-36.
Dr Yunupingu’s claim for native title compensation – the Constitutional path not yet trodden
Isdale, William (2020). Dr Yunupingu’s claim for native title compensation – the Constitutional path not yet trodden. Australian Public Law Blog.
Where to next? Native Title compensation following Timber Creek
Moss, Aaron and Isdale, William (2019). Where to next? Native Title compensation following Timber Creek. Australian Public Law Blog.
Timber Creek: the most significant native title decision since Mabo
Abraham, Richard and Isdale, William (2019). Timber Creek: the most significant native title decision since Mabo. MinterEllison Insight.
Are there moral reasons to remember the First World War?
Isdale, William (2015). Are there moral reasons to remember the First World War?. Think: Philosophy for Everyone, 14 (41), 89-97. doi: 10.1017/s1477175615000226
Three proposals to increase Australia's organ supply
Isdale, William and Savulescu, Julian (2015). Three proposals to increase Australia's organ supply. Monash Bioethics Review, 33 (2-3), 91-101. doi: 10.1007/s40592-015-0030-2
Bicameralism: an antipodean perspective
Aroney, Nicholas and Isdale, William (2014). Bicameralism: an antipodean perspective. Verfassungsblog: On Matters Constitutional.
Pathologies in Queensland law-making: repairing political constitutionalism
Isdale, William and Orr, Graeme (2014). Pathologies in Queensland law-making: repairing political constitutionalism. Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity, 2 (1), 126-143.
Responsible government, federalism and the school chaplaincy case
Orr, Graeme and Isdale, William (2013). Responsible government, federalism and the school chaplaincy case. Alternative Law Journal , 38 (1), 3-7. doi: 10.1177/1037969X1303800102
Compensation for native title: similitude or sui generis
Isdale, William (2021). Compensation for native title: similitude or sui generis. PhD Thesis, T.C. Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/9ae5908
Landmark High Court decision guides how compensation for native title losses will be determined
Isdale, William and Fulcher, Jonathan (2019, 03 14). Landmark High Court decision guides how compensation for native title losses will be determined The Conversation
Isdale, William and Fulcher, Jonathan (2018, 09 04). How will Indigenous people be compensated for lost native title rights? The High Court will soon decide The Conversation
Why remembering wars is a moral concern for all of us
Isdale, William (2017, 08 20). Why remembering wars is a moral concern for all of us Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Exploring the future of legal work
Isdale, William (2017, 05 17). Exploring the future of legal work Melbourne Law School News
The moral lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Isdale, William (2015, 10 20). The moral lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Oxford Practical Ethics Blog