According to its Constitution,[1] the Australian Academy of Law comprises individuals of exceptional distinction from all parts of the legal community, including academia, the practising profession (including private and public sector lawyers), and the judiciary.
[3] The Academy is a Deductible Gift Recipient, specifically listed in Division 30 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth).
The fourth and present Patron of the Academy is the Hon Stephen Gageler AC, Chief Justice of Australia.
In 2024, the essay topic was “Taking into account the decision of the High Court in NZYQ v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2023] HCA 37 and the response by government to it, what is the law of preventative detention in Australia: Commonwealth, State and Territory?
If not, how and by reference to what principles should it be reformed?”[11] The 2024 joint prize winners were Ms Ashleigh Barnes for her essay “Legislative Purpose, Fact-Finding And Preventative Detention following Lim-NZYQ” and Mr Zachary Gomes, Mr Aryan Mohseni and Mr Charlie Ward for their essay ”Going Out On A Lim: Reconceptualising The Constitutional Limit On Preventative Detention”.
[12] As well, the Academy awards annually the Michael Coper Memorial Prize of $1,500 to the winner of the Paper Presentation Competition conducted by the Australian Law Students' Association, and a prize of $1,500 for the best presentation at the Australian and New Zealand Law Honours Conference.