Professor James Allan: Canadian by birth, Professor Allan has worked at the Bar in London and taught Law in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA before taking up his present Chair as Garrick Professor of Law at the University of Queensland.

Alan Anderson is a Melbourne-based lawyer. He previously practised law with Allens Arthur Robinson, and was a regular opinion columnist in The Sydney Morning Herald. He was a senior adviser to Treasurer Peter Costello and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock. (2008).

Dr David Bennett AC, QC was the Commonwealth Solicitor-General (1998-2008). He is a former President of the New South Wales and Australian Bar Associations, the Medico-Legal Society of New South Wales and the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Hon Bruce Debelle QC is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia. He is a former President of the Law Society of South Australia, Vice President of the Law Council of Australia and Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Prior to his retirement he was Chairman of the Judicial Conference of Australia.

Miranda Devine is an opinion columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun Herald. She was previously an assistant editor, columnist and reporter on The Daily Telegraph and a feature writer on The Boston Herald.

Hon John Hatzistergos MLC is the NSW Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations. A barrister in 1999 he was elected as a Labor Member of the NSW Legislative Council. He has served as Minister in a range of portfolios including Health and Justice.

Professor Dean Jaensch AO is Professor of Politics at Flinders University. He is the author and co-author of more than 20 books, and of numerous chapters and articles, mainly on themes of Australian politics. His major research interests include political history, institutions, political parties, electoral matters, State and local government.

John Nethercote worked for a range of Commonwealth agencies including the Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration, and the Defence Review Committee. He has written, edited or co-edited a range of books on politics and public administration including, most recently, Restraining Elective Dictatorship: The Upper House Solutions?

Bryan Pape is a barrister and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of New England. Earlier this year he brought a case unsuccessfully challenging the Commonwealth's power to make stimulus payments. His argument was based on a paper previously presented to SGS.

Professor Jonathan Pincus: is Visiting Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Adelaide. He has been a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University and held chairs at Flinders University and the University of Adelaide.

Hon Christian Porter MLA is the Western Australian Attorney-General and Minister for Corrective Services. Prior to being elected to the State Parliament in 2008 he was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia and a Senior State Prosecutor in the Office of the DPP (WA).

Professor Scott Prasser is the inaugural Executive Director of the Public Policy Institute at the Australian Catholic University. Prior to joining ACU he held senior academic positions across a number of universities in Queensland and New South Wales. With Nicholas Aroney and John Nethercote he edited Restraining Elective Dictatorship: The Upper House Solutions.

Professor Ivan Shearer AM, RFD is Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Sydney, Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of South Australia, former Challis Professor of International Law, Judge ad hoc at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a former member (2001-2008) and Vice President (2006-2008) of the UN Human Rights Committee and a Past President of the Australian Branch of the International Law Association.