Helen Irving


Helen Irving is Professor Emerita at Sydney Law School, University of Sydney, Australia. Irving's research is in constitutional law, employing an historical perspective of the political and social context of Australian constitutional law and citizenship. Research interests include: Australian and comparative constitutional law, gender and constitutionalism, constitutional history and theory, constitutional citizenship.
In 2022 Irving completed an ARC Discovery Grant project on constitutional citizenship and allegiance.
Irving retired in 2020 from the University of Sydney Law School after 19 years of service.
Irving resides in Sydney Australia. She was married to philosopher and British historian Stephen Gaukroger (dec.2023), they have two children.
She is a recipient of the Commonwealth of Australia Centenary medal for services to the Centenary of Federation celebrations in 2001 and Finalist for the .

Appointments

Between 1997 and 2013, Irving served as a member of the Advisory Council of the National Archives of Australia.
Irving has held international visiting positions in Hong Kong, London, the Fernaund Braudel Senior Fellowship at the European University Institute and Harvard Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard Law School.
Expert witness for various Commonwealth Parliament committees.
Member on the Advisory Committee, Museum of Democracy, “Democracy DNA” exhibition.

Education

Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne ; Bachelor of Law and PhD, University of Sydney. In the interim, Irving completed a Masters of Philosophy at University of Cambridge, England.

Contributions outside academia

By invitation of United Nations Development Program, Irving co-authored a report on gender equality and constitution-making for Iraq in 2003. She contributed by invitation to UN Women workshops on women and constitutional design in New York and Santiago, the latter as a joint UN Women and Chilean government initiative on Chilean constitutional reform. She has also advised international organisations on constitutional design and gender equality, including on the development of a practical guide to constitution-making for women in countries embarking on constitutional reform.
Irving has written over 50 opinion pieces for newspapers and journals on constitutional history and citizenship, in particular during the years leading to the centenary of federation, the republic debate, and the debate on the proposed adoption of a national Human Rights Act, and on citizenship.

Awards

Source:

Honours

External sources

  • Speech by Helen Irving-, NSW Parliament House, 4 June 1999
  • - Launch Irving's The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation, 1 November 1999
  • Helen Irving on via YouTube