Professor Elisa Arcioni
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Professor Elisa Arcioni

BA (Italian with Distinction) Wollongong LLB (Hons I) Wollongong GradDipLegPrac College of Law PhD Sydney
Professor of Public and Constitutional Law
Professor Elisa Arcioni

Elisa is a leading scholar of constitutional identity. She works in the field of public law, focusing in particular on questions of inclusion and exclusion under the Constitution.

Elisa is currently engaged in a 3 year project on claims on belonging in Australian law and history (with Helen Irving and Rayner Thwaites) and is writing a sole-authored monograph on Constitutional Identities.

Elisa is a member of the Management Board for CERIDAP:https://ceridap.eu/en/ceridap-english/, an outgoing convenor of the International Association of Constitutional Law Research Group on Membership and Exclusion under Constitutions, a former Executive Council member of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law and former Editor of the Sydney Law Review.

Elisa joined the University of Sydney Law School in 2012, prior to which she was lecturer in law at the University of Wollongong and associate to the Honourable Justice Michael Kirby, High Court of Australia.

  • Constitutional Identity
  • Membership and Exclusion under the Constitution
  • 'The people' under the Constitution
  • Australian Constitutional Law - particularly with respect to questions of membership and exclusion

Joint ARC project (with Prof Helen Irving and Dr Rayner Thwaites) titled 'Citizenship and Claims of Belonging in Australian Law and History' (2023-2026)

Monograph on Constitutional Identities (2025-2028)

'The people' in Federations (with Jelena Dzankic) (2025-2026)

  • Australian Association of Constitutional Law
  • International Society of Public Law

In 2017 Elisa was awarded the Cheryl Saunders Prize for Excellence in Constitutional Law Scholarship

Publications

Book Chapters

  • Arcioni, E., Gordon, J. (2025). An Ongoing Engagement: The Australian High Court and Foreign Case Law. In Tania Groppi, Marie-Claire Ponthoreau, Irene Spigno (Eds.), Judicial Bricolage: The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in the 21st Century. London: Bloomsbury. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2023). The Australian Constitution and Australian National Identity - the Past, the Present and the Possibilities. In Anna Olijnyk and Alexander Reilly (Eds.), The Australian Constitution and National Identity, (pp. 15-38). Canberra: ANU Press. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E., Weatherall, K. (2022). The Internet and freedom of speech in Australian constitutional law: no fundamental change, just a new set of facts. In Concetta Giunta (Eds.), "e-Constitution": la metamorfosi dei diritti nell'era digitale ["e-Constitution": the metamorphosis of rights in the digital era], (pp. 267-278). Naples: Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane.

Journals

  • Arcioni, E., Crawford, E. (2024). Not one constitution but three constitutions in a trench coat. Meanjin, 83(2).
  • Arcioni, E. (2023). Competing Visions of 'The People' in Australia: First Nations and the State. Comparative Constitutional Studies, 1(1), 75-100. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2023). Membership of the Voice. Public Law Review, 34(1), 10-14. [More Information]

Conferences

  • Aoun, F., Arcioni, E., Boon-Kuo, L., Di Bartolomeo, L. (2024). Ngara: embedding truth-telling about the legal system in the Sydney Law School curriculum. Australasian Law Academics Annual conference, Adelaide: Presentation.

Magazine / Newspaper Articles

  • Arcioni, E. (2013). Who Are We?: 'The People' and the Australian Constitution. jurist.diction, Spring 2013.

Report

  • Arcioni, E. (2006). Representation for the Italian Diaspora.

Other

  • Arcioni, E. (2024), Fraternity in the Indian Constitution: Response. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E., Koch, C., McIntyre, J., Noakes, S., Renshaw, C. (2024), Submission 45 and 45.1: Inquiry into civics education, engagement, and participation in Australia.
  • Appleby, G., Brennan, S., Davis, M., Arcioni, E., McDonald, S., Stephenson, S. (2023), Constitutional drafting: Key questions, AUSPUBLAW, The Australian Public Law Blog. [More Information]

2025

  • Arcioni, E., Gordon, J. (2025). An Ongoing Engagement: The Australian High Court and Foreign Case Law. In Tania Groppi, Marie-Claire Ponthoreau, Irene Spigno (Eds.), Judicial Bricolage: The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in the 21st Century. London: Bloomsbury. [More Information]

2024

  • Arcioni, E. (2024), Fraternity in the Indian Constitution: Response. [More Information]
  • Aoun, F., Arcioni, E., Boon-Kuo, L., Di Bartolomeo, L. (2024). Ngara: embedding truth-telling about the legal system in the Sydney Law School curriculum. Australasian Law Academics Annual conference, Adelaide: Presentation.
  • Arcioni, E., Crawford, E. (2024). Not one constitution but three constitutions in a trench coat. Meanjin, 83(2).

2023

  • Arcioni, E. (2023). Competing Visions of 'The People' in Australia: First Nations and the State. Comparative Constitutional Studies, 1(1), 75-100. [More Information]
  • Appleby, G., Brennan, S., Davis, M., Arcioni, E., McDonald, S., Stephenson, S. (2023), Constitutional drafting: Key questions, AUSPUBLAW, The Australian Public Law Blog. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2023). Membership of the Voice. Public Law Review, 34(1), 10-14. [More Information]

2022

  • Arcioni, E., Gover, K. (2022). Aboriginal Identity and Status under the "Australian Constitution: Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs v Montgomery". Sydney Law Review, 44(1), 137-151.
  • Arcioni, E., Gover, K. (2022), Aboriginality and Alienage: will Montgomery overturn Love?, The Indigenous Constitutional Law Blog. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2022). Chetcuti and exclusion under the Australian Constitution: the ongoing story of alien status. Public Law Review, 33(1), 3-7.

2021

  • Arcioni, E., Thwaites, R. (2021), "Chetcuti" and constitutional membership: context, case and implications, AUSPUBLAW, The Australian Public Law Blog. [More Information]
  • Duke, G., Arcioni, E. (2021). Between Constituent Power and Constituent Authority. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 42(1), 345-365. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2021). Chetcuti v Commonwealth: Justice Nettle's Last Words. Public Law Review, 32, 3-7.

2020

  • Arcioni, E., Thwaites, R. (2020), Aboriginal Australians not vulnerable to deportation, EUI Global Citizenship Observatory. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E., Thwaites, R. (2020), Aboriginal Australians Not Vulnerable to Deportation, LSJ Online. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2020). Constituting Citizenship - The Evolution of Australian Citizenship Law. In Austin Sarat (Eds.), Studies in Law, Politics, and Society: Special Issue: Law and the Citizen, (pp. 1-19). Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. [More Information]

2019

  • Arcioni, E., Irving, H., Thwaites, R. (2019), Submission 151 to the Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy 2020. [More Information]
  • Simpson, A., Arcioni, E. (2019), Symposium: Guest Editors' Introduction: IACL's New Research Group on Membership and Exclusion under Constitutions, IACL-AIDC Blog. [More Information]

2018

  • Arcioni, E. (2018). Citizenship. In Cheryl Saunders, Adrienne Stone (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Australian Constitution, (pp. 339-356). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2018), Evidence given to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters - Matters relating to section 44 of the Constitution.

2017

  • Arcioni, E., Irving, H. (2017), Dual citizenship and eligibility to serve as a member of Parliament - the evolving story in Australia - BlogPost.
  • Arcioni, E., Irving, H. (2017), Form over substance? Foreign citizenship and the Australian Parliament - BlogPost.
  • Arcioni, E. (2017). We, what People? This Century's Review, 2, 34-36.

2016

  • Arcioni, E. (2016). The Core of the Australian Constitutional People - 'The People' as 'The Electors'. UNSW Law Journal, 39(1), 421-449. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E., Stone, A. (2016). The small brown bird: Values and aspirations in the Australian Constitution. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 14(1), 60-79. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2016). Tracing the ethno-cultural or racial identity of the Australian constitutional people. Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal, 15(2), 173-195. [More Information]

2015

  • Arcioni, E., McLeod, A. (2015). Cautious but Engaged - An Empirical Study of the Australian High Court's Use of Foreign and International Materials in Constitutional Cases. International Journal of Legal Information, 42(3), 437-470.
  • Arcioni, E. (2015). Historical facts and constitutional adjudication: the case of the Australian constitutional preamble. Giornale di Storia Costituzionale [Journal of Constitutional History], 30, 107-124.

2014

  • Arcioni, E. (2014). Constructing Identity in Australian Constitutional Law. In V. K. Bhatia, G. Garzone, R. Salvi, G. Tessuto, C. Williams (Eds.), Explorations in Language and Law: Language and Law in Academic and Professional Settings: Analyses and Applications 1/2014, (pp. 135-147). Roma: Nova Logos.
  • Arcioni, E. (2014). Democracy and the Constitution: The People Deciding the Identity of 'the people'. In Glenn Patmore, Kim Rubenstein (Eds.), Law and Democracy: Contemporary Questions, (pp. 11-25). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press. [More Information]
  • Arcioni, E. (2014). Identity at the edge of the constitutional community. In Fiona Jenkins, Mark Nolan, Kim Rubenstein (Eds.), Allegiance and Identity in a Globalised World, (pp. 31-51). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]

2013

  • Arcioni, E. (2013). Section 53 of the Constitution: An overlooked reference to the constitutional people. Australian Law Journal, 87(11), 784-792.
  • Arcioni, E. (2013). Who Are We?: 'The People' and the Australian Constitution. jurist.diction, Spring 2013.

2012

  • Arcioni, E. (2012). Excluding Indigenous Australians from 'The People': A Reconsideration of Sections 25 and 127 of the Constitution. Federal Law Review, 40(3), 287-315.
  • Arcioni, E. (2012), Submission 3 to the Inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill 2012. [More Information]

2010

  • Arcioni, E. (2010). Some comments on amici curiae and 'the people' of the Australian Constitution. Bond Law Review, 22(3), 148-155.

2009

  • Arcioni, E. (2009). Farewell, Justice Kirby. Alternative Law Journal, 34(1), 46-47.

2006

  • Arcioni, E. (2006). Representation for the Italian Diaspora.

2005

  • Arcioni, E. (2005). Developments in Free Speech Law in Australia: Coleman and Mulholland. Federal Law Review, 33(2), 333-354.
  • Arcioni, E., Mitchell, G. (2005). When the RATS became IRATE: A study of environmental justice in Australia. Environmental Politics, 14(3), 363-379. [More Information]

2004

  • Arcioni, E. (2004). What's in a name? The changing definition of weeds in Australia. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 21(6), 450-466.

2003

  • Arcioni, E. (2003). Defining native title (Indigenous Australian cultural knowledge and the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)). Southern Cross University Law Review, 7, 50-88.
  • Arcioni, E. (2003). Out damned weeds! Weed management in Australia - Keeping them at bay. Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and Policy, 8(1), 75-122.
  • Arcioni, E. (2003). Politics, police and proportionality - an opportunity to explore the Lange test: Coleman v Power. Sydney Law Review, 25(3), 379-390.

2001

  • Arcioni, E. (2001). Can catchment management deliver coordination of resources management in New South Wales? Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and Policy, 7(2), 169-195.

Selected Grants

2021

  • Citizenship and Claims of Belonging in Australian Law and History, Thwaites R, Arcioni E, Irving H, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Special Research Initiative: Australian Society, History and Culture

In the media