People_
Professor Tim Stephens
BA (Hons) LLB (Hons) (Sydney) MPhil (Cambridge) PhD (Sydney) FAAL
Professor of International Law
Address
F10 - Law School (Camperdown)
The University of Sydney
Details
Member of Sydney Environment Institute
Member of Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
Dr Tim Stephens is Professor of International Law at the University of Sydney Law School. He teaches and researches in public international law, with his published work focussing on the international law of the sea, international environmental law and international dispute settlement.
Tim is an author or editor of 12 books. His major publications include The International Law of the Sea (Hart/Bloomsbury, 2010, 2016, 2023) co-authored with Donald R Rothwell, and International Courts and Environmental Protection (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
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- Public international law
- International law of the sea
- International environmental law
- International dispute resolution
- International law of the polar regions
- Constitutional law
- Fellow,Australian Academy of Law.
- Expert the Field of Fisheries,South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
- Arbitrator,Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
- Member,Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Standing Committee on the Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS).
- Past President,Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (2015-2019).
- Advisory Group,Sydney Environment Institute.
- Research Fellow,Earth System Governance Project.
- Terry Connolly Friend of the Jessup Award (2021).
- Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2015-2019).
- Steven M Schneebaum Award to a National Administrator of the Jessup International Law Moot (2014).
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature Academy of Environmental Law Junior Scholarship Prize (2010).
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Artificial islands as an adaptive response to climate change – Has UNCLOS and Customary International Law hindered its progress? Considering artificial islands as a solution to loss of territory arising from climate change. | Thomas CHAN |
| Dispute Resolution and the Discretionary Powers of the International Seabed Authority under Part XI: Section 5 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea | Nathan EASTWOOD |
Selected publications
Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System
(Springer Singapore, 2024)
The International Law of the Sea, 3rd Edition
(Hart Publishing, 2023)
Research Handbook on Ocean Acidification Law and Policy
(Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2021)
Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law
(Cambridge University Press, 2018)
The International Law of the Sea - 2nd Edition
(Hart Publishing, 2016)
Antarctica in International Law
(Hart Publishing, 2015)
Climate Change and Forest Governance: Lessons from Indonesia
(Routledge, 2015)
The Oxford Handbook of the Law of the Sea
(Oxford University Press, 2015)
Polar Oceans Governance in an Era of Environmental Change
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014)
Climate Change and Australia: Warming to the Global Challenge
(The Federation Press, 2012)
The International Law of the Sea
(Hart Publishing, 2010)
International Courts and Environmental Protection
(Cambridge University Press, 2009)
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Publications
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Books
- Rothwell, D., Stephens, T. (2023). The International Law of the Sea, 3rd Edition. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
- Rothwell, D., Stephens, T. (2016). The International Law of the Sea - 2nd Edition. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
- Butt, S., Lyster, R., Stephens, T. (2015). Climate Change and Forest Governance: Lessons from Indonesia. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. [More Information]
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Edited Books
- Scott, S., Stephens, T., McGee, J. (2024). Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System. Singapore: Springer Singapore. [More Information]
- VanderZwaag, D., Oral, N., Stephens, T. (2021). Research Handbook on Ocean Acidification Law and Policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. [More Information]
- Craik, N., Jefferies, C., Seck, S., Stephens, T. (2018). Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
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Book Chapters
- Stephens, T. (2024). Climate Change and the Polar Regions. In Rachael Johnstone, Yoshifumi Tanaka and Vibe Ulfbeck (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Polar Law, (pp. 205-219). Oxon: Routledge.
- Stephens, T. (2024). Environmental Change and Geopolitical Tension in the Antarctic Treaty System. In Shirley V. Scott, Tim Stephens, Jeffrey McGee (Eds.), Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System, (pp. 155-167). Singapore: Springer Singapore. [More Information]
- Stephens, T., McGee, J. (2024). Synthesis and Lessons Drawn. In Shirley V. Scott, Tim Stephens, Jeffrey McGee (Eds.), Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System, (pp. 351-357). Singapore: Springer Singapore. [More Information]
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Journals
- Stephens, T. (2025). The Influence of Public International Law on English Contract Law. Contract and Commercial Law Review, 2(3), 155-163. [More Information]
- Anggadi, F., Yiallourides, C., Guilfoyle, D., Scott, K., Stephens, T. (2024). A First Reading of ITLOS’ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Implications for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Australian and New Zealand Society for International Law Perspective, 41. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2023). Introductory Note to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. International Legal Materials. [More Information]
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Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Stephens, T. (2021). Mr Morrison, please don't make empty promises: enshrine our climate targets in law. The Conversation. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2020). The law of the sea prevents us dispatching these hulking hotels off our coast. Sydney Morning Herald. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2019). See you in court? A rising tide of international climate litigation. The Interpreter. [More Information]
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Report
- Stephens, T., French, D. (2016). ILA Study Group on Due Diligence in International Law - Second Report. [More Information]
- French, D., Stephens, T. (2014). ILA Study Group on Due Diligence in International Law - First Report. [More Information]
Other
- Owens, K., Lyster, R., Bates, G., Stephens, T., Couzens, E., Graham, N., Taylor, M. (2020), Submission to the EPBC Act Review.
- Stephens, T. (2018), Submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications Inquiry into Australia's Faunal Extinction Crisis. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2017), Submission to the Australian Government's Review of Climate Change Policies. [More Information]
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Research Reports
- Stephens, T. (2016). Australia and the United States in Antarctica: Warm Partners on the Coldest Continent, (pp. 1 - 9). Sydney, NSW, Australia: United States Studies Centre. [More Information]
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2025
- Stephens, T. (2025). The Influence of Public International Law on English Contract Law. Contract and Commercial Law Review, 2(3), 155-163. [More Information]
2024
- Anggadi, F., Yiallourides, C., Guilfoyle, D., Scott, K., Stephens, T. (2024). A First Reading of ITLOS’ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Implications for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Australian and New Zealand Society for International Law Perspective, 41. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2024). Climate Change and the Polar Regions. In Rachael Johnstone, Yoshifumi Tanaka and Vibe Ulfbeck (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Polar Law, (pp. 205-219). Oxon: Routledge.
- Stephens, T. (2024). Environmental Change and Geopolitical Tension in the Antarctic Treaty System. In Shirley V. Scott, Tim Stephens, Jeffrey McGee (Eds.), Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System, (pp. 155-167). Singapore: Springer Singapore. [More Information]
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2023
- Stephens, T., Couzens, M. (2023). International Law and Australian Law. In Emily Crawford, Alison Pert and Ben Saul (Eds.), Public International Law, (pp. 83-106). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2023). International Law of the Sea. In Emily Crawford, Alison Pert and Ben Saul (Eds.), Public International Law, (pp. 346-371). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2023). Introductory Note to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. International Legal Materials. [More Information]
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2022
- Stephens, T. (2022). Climate Change Adaptation in Marine and Coastal Areas and International Law. In Jonathan Verschuuren (Eds.), Research Handbook on Climate Change Adaptation Law - 2nd Edition, (pp. 254-274). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2022). Global Ocean Governance in the Anthropocene: From Extractive Imaginaries to Planetary Boundaries? Global Policy, 13(Suppl. 3), 76-85. [More Information]
- Arpi, B., McGee, J., Jackson, A., Press, A., Stephens, T., Goldsworthy, L., Haward, M. (2022). The Antarctic Treaty System in 2021: Important Anniversaries but Challenges for Consensus Decision-Making. Polar Perspectives, 9(March).
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2021
- Stephens, T. (2021). Environmental Litigation by Asia-Pacific States at the International Court of Justice. Melbourne Journal of International Law, 21(3), 653-675.
- Stephens, T. (2021). International Environmental Law in National/Regional Courts: Oceania. In Lavanya Rajamani and Jacqueline Peel (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of International Environmental Law, (pp. 1091-1096). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Stephens, T. (2021). Mr Morrison, please don't make empty promises: enshrine our climate targets in law. The Conversation. [More Information]
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2020
- Stephens, T. (2020). Book review: "Governing marine living resources in the polar regions", edited by Nengye Liu, Cassandra M Brooks and Tianbao Qin, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019, 256 pp., (hardcover), ISBN 9781788977425. The Polar Journal. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2020). Governing Antarctica in the Anthropocene. In Elizabeth Leane and Jeffrey McGee (Eds.), Anthropocene Antarctica, (pp. 17-32). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2020). Ocean acidification at the Poles: regional responses to marine environmental change in the Anthropocene. In Karen N. Scott and David L. VanderZwaag (Eds.), Research Handbook on Polar Law, (pp. 434-454). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [More Information]
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2019
- Stephens, T. (2019). Professor Ivan Shearer AM RFD FAAL RAN (RTD) 1938-2019: Tribute. Adelaide Law Review, 40(2), 415-416.
- Stephens, T. (2019). See you in court? A rising tide of international climate litigation. The Interpreter. [More Information]
- Crump, J., Jacob, K., King, P., Mangalagiu, D., Zickgraf, C., Abiodun, B., Armiento, G., Bailey, R., Baker, E., Bowen, K., Stephens, T., et al (2019). Systemic Policy Approaches for Cross-cutting Issues. In UN Environment (Eds.), Global Environment Outlook - GEO-6: Healthy Planet, Healthy People, (pp. 425-450). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
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2018
- Stephens, T. (2018). Environmental Principles and the International Court of Justice. In Ludwig Kramer, Emanuela Orlando (Eds.), Principles of Environmental Law, (pp. 557-567). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [More Information]
- Craik, N., Jefferies, C., Seck, S., Stephens, T. (2018). Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
- Jefferies, C., Seck, S., Stephens, T. (2018). International Law, Innovation, and Environmental Change in the Anthropocene. In N. Craik, C. Jefferies, S. Seck, T. Stephens (Eds.), Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law, (pp. 1-17). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
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2017
- Stephens, T. (2017). An icy reception or a warm embrace? The Antarctic Treaty System and the international law of the sea. In Klaus Dodds, Alan D Hemmings, Peder Roberts (Eds.), Handbook on the Politics of Antarctica, (pp. 439-452). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2017). Article 197 - Cooperation on a global or regional basis. In Alexander Proelss (Eds.), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: A Commentary, (pp. 1328-1333). Germany: Hart Publishing.
- Stephens, T. (2017). Article 198 - Notification of imminent or actual damage. In Alexander Proelss (Eds.), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: A Commentary, (pp. 1333-1338). Germany: Hart Publishing.
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2016
- Stephens, T. (2016). Australia and the United States in Antarctica: Warm Partners on the Coldest Continent, (pp. 1 - 9). Sydney, NSW, Australia: United States Studies Centre. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2016). Australia proved it was an environmental world leader with the Antarctica agreement. We need to do it again. The Sydney Morning Herald. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2016). China's Claims Dashed in South China Sea Arbitration. Law Society Journal, 25.
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2015
- Saul, B., Stephens, T. (2015). Antarctica in International Law. Oxford, United Kingdom: Hart Publishing.
- Stephens, T. (2015). Book Review - Stefan Talmon and Bing Bing Jia (eds), The South China Sea Arbitration: A Chinese Perspective. Hart Publishing, Portland (2014). 274 pp. ISBN: 9781849465472. Australian and New Zealand Maritime Law Journal, 29(2), 124-126.
- Rothwell, D., Oude Elferink, A., Scott, K., Stephens, T. (2015). Charting the Future for the Law of the Sea. In Donald R. Rothwell, Alex G. Oude Elferink, Karen N. Scott, Tim Stephens (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Law of the Sea, (pp. 888-912). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
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2014
- Stephens, T. (2014). After the Storm: The Whaling in the Antarctic Case and the Australian Whale Sanctuary. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 31(6), 459-469.
- Stephens, T. (2014). Book Review: The Law of Nuclear Energy, by Helen Cook, (Sweet & Maxwell, 2013), 678pp., hardback, £240.00, ISBN: 978-0-41402-315-4. International Energy Law Review, 2014 (6), 222.
- French, D., Stephens, T. (2014). ILA Study Group on Due Diligence in International Law - First Report. [More Information]
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2013
- Stephens, T. (2013). A reprieve, but the Great Barrier Reef remains on death row. The Conversation. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2013). Book Review: Alexander Zahar, Jacqueline Peel and Lee Godden, Australian Climate Law in Global Context (Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-521-14210-6). Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, 15(1), 195-200.
- Butt, S., Garcia, B., Parsons, J., Stephens, T. (2013). Brazil and Indonesia: REaDD+y or not? In Rosemary Lyster, Catherine MacKenzie, Constance McDermott (Eds.), Law, Tropical Forests and Carbon: The Case of REDD+, (pp. 251-274). New York, United States: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
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2012
- Stephens, T. (2012). A Model Litigant? Australia's Record in Transboundary Environmental Litigation. In Not known (Eds.), Transboundary Environmental Governance: Inland, Coastal and Marine Perspectives, (pp. 243-263). TBC.
- Stephens, T. (2012). Antarctic security in the twenty-first century: legal and policy perspectives, edited by Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell and Karen N. Scott, Abingdon, Routledge, 2012, 368 pp. The Polar Journal, 2(2), 464-466. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2012). As Asia faces climate change upheaval, how will Australia respond? The Conversation. [More Information]
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2011
- Stephens, T. (2011). A whale of a story. The Drum. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2011). David Leary and Balakrishna Pisupati (eds), The Future of International Environmental Law (United Nations University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-92-808-1192-6). Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, 14(1/2), 213-217.
- Stephens, T. (2011). Reimagining International Water Law. Maryland Law Review, 71, 20-40.
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2010
- Christie, E., Hunt, E., Ramesh, N., Simons, M., Stephens, T., Yeoum, A. (2010). Cases before Australian Courts and Tribunals Involving Questions of Public International Law 2008. Australian Yearbook of International Law, 29, 241-264.
- Stephens, T. (2010). High seas high jinks. The Drum. [More Information]
- Stephens, T. (2010). International Courts and Climate Change: 'Progression', 'Regression' and 'Administration'. In Rosemary Lyster (Eds.), In the Wilds of Climate Law, (pp. 53-70). Australia: Australian Academic Press.
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2009
- Hemmings, A., Stephens, T. (2009). Australia's Extended Continental Shelf: What Implications for Antarctica? Public Law Review, 20(1), 9-16.
- Stephens, T. (2009). Australian Cases before Australian Courts and Tribunals Involving Questions of Public International Law 2007. Australian Yearbook of International Law, 28, 221-253.
- Brown, C., Mowbray, J., Stephens, T., Williams, B. (2009). Australian Cases Before International Courts and Tribunals Involving Questions of Public International Law 2007. Australian Yearbook of International Law, 28.
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2008
- Stephens, T. (2008). A Slow Burn: The Emergence of Climate Change Law in Australia. In T Rajitha (Eds.), Global Warming: Fostering Solutions, (pp. 147-165). Hyderabad, India: Amicus Books, The ICFAI University Press.
- Stephens, T. (2008). Book Review: Tim Bonyhady and Peter Christoff (eds), Climate Law in Australia, 2008. Australian International Law Journal, 15, 285-289.
- Stephens, T. (2008). Fisheries-Led Development in the South Pacific: Charting a "Pacific Way" to a Sustainable Future. Ocean Development and International Law, 39(3), 257-286. [More Information]
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2007
- Stephens, T. (2007). A slow burn: the emergence of climate change law in Australia. In Gavin Birch (Eds.), Water Wind Art and Debate - How environmental concerns impact on disciplinary research, (pp. 1-22). Sydney: Sydney University Press.
- Stephens, T., Boer, B. (2007). Enforcement and Compliance in the Australian Antarctic Territory:Legal and Policy Dilemmas. In Lorne K. Kriwoken, Julia Jabour and Alan D. Hemmings (Eds.), Looking South: Australia's Antarctic Agenda, (pp. 54-70). Australia: Federation Press.
- Stephens, T. (2007). Japanese Whaling in Antarctica: Humane Society International Inc. v. Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd. Review of European Community and International Environmental Law, 16(2), 243-246.
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2006
- Stephens, T. (2006). Book review: Climate Change Damage and International Law: Prevention Duties and State Responsibility by Phoda Verheyen. Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, 9(4), 361-365.
- Stephens, T. (2006). Multiple International Courts and the 'Fragmentation' of International Environmental Law. Australian Yearbook of International Law, 25, 227-271.
2005
- Mills, A., Stephens, T. (2005). Challenging the Role of the Judges in Slaughter's Liberal Theory of International Law. Leiden Journal of International Law, 18(1), 1-30. [More Information]
2004
- Rothwell, D., Stephens, T. (2004). Case Note: Law Of The Sea - The 'Volga' Case (Russian Federation V Australia) Itlos No.11. Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce, 35(2), 283-291.
- Rothwell, D., Stephens, T. (2004). Dispute Resolution And The Law Of The Sea: Reconciling The Interaction Between The Los Convention And Other Environmental Instruments. In Alex G. Oude Elferink & Donald R. Rothwell (Eds.), Oceans Management in the 21st Century: Institutional Frameworks and Responses, (pp. 209-229). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
- Stephens, T. (2004). Enforcing Australia's Fisheries Laws: Testing The Limits Of Hot Pursuit In Domestic And International Law. Public Law Review, 15(1), 12-16.
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2003
- Stephens, T. (2003). Bowling for Paranoid Nationalism - Review of Michael Moore's film, 'Bowling for Columbine' after reading Ghassan Hage's book, 'Against a Paranoid Nationalism'. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 14(3), 324-327.
- Stephens, T. (2003). Storm warning for fishing pirates. Sydney Morning Herald. [More Information]
2002
- Stephens, T. (2002). Review: Rubenstein, K (ed), "Individual, Community, Nation: Fifty Years of Australian Citizenship". Sydney Law Review, 24(1), 135-138.
- Stephens, T. (2002). The International Criminal Court and the Australian Constitution. Public Law Review, 13(4), 246-251.
- Stephens, T. (2002). The LaGrand Case (Federal Republic of Germany V United States of America): The Right to Information on Consular Assistance under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations: A Right for What Purpose? Melbourne Journal of International Law, 3(1), 143-164.
2001
- Stephens, T. (2001). A Paper Umbrella which Dissolves in the Rain? Implications of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Case for the Compulsory Resolution of Disputes Concerning the Marine Environment under the 1982 LOS Convention. Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, 6(3/4), 1-23. [More Information]
1997
- Stephens, T. (1997). Justice Kenneth Madison Hayne: A Capital Appointment? Polemic, 8(3), 18-19.
Selected Grants
2018
- Geopolitical change and the Antarctic Treaty System, Haward M, Stephens T, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
- What possibilities does 'planetary thinking' hold for reimagining environmental justice and governance, Schlosberg D, Biermann F, Sluga G, Park S, Selchow S, Lyster R, Stephens T, Kalfagianni A, Robeyns I, Westerhuis G, Hajer M, Office of Global Engagement/Partnership Collaboration Awards
2017
- Creating a Unique Open Access Database on Antarctic Law and Governance, Haward M, Stephens T, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF)
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In the media
Professor Stephens regularly comments on international law issues in the media, and he has been published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and The Conversation.
