Stephen John Parker AO is a legal academic and practitioner who was

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the University of Canberra 2007-2016. He was made an Officer in the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2014 for services to tertiary education.

Education

Professor Parker was born in the north of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He graduated from the

University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick univer ...

with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

. He went on to obtain a PhD from the University of Wales.

Law

He practised law in the UK before moving to Australia in 1988. Professor Parker is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, Barrister-at-Law of the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to he ...

and Solicitor of the

Supreme Court of England and Wales The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales. The United Kingdom does not have a ...

Academic life

He first worked as an academic at University College, Cardiff. Between 1988 and 1994, he was Senior Lecturer and Reader in law at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. He was then Professor of Law at Griffith University. In 1999, he was appointed Dean of Monash University Law School, a position he held until 2003. He then became Deputy Vice-Chancellor of

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

. He was appointed

of the University of Canberra in 2007 and was profiled o
ABC Radio
due to his opposition in 2014-15 to proposals to deregulate higher education fees in Australia. In September 2015, Parker announced that he would retire from the University of Canberra in July 2016, having served nine years (two terms) in the position. University of Canberra vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Parker announces resignation
ABC News Online, 15 September 2015 He is currently an Honorary Professorial Fellow at th
Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

Podcast and Publications

With Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley, he co-hosts a podcast series
Law in Context
designed as a critical introduction to law for the general public and intending student. His books include the first and second editions of ''Law in Context'', ''Informal Marriage, Cohabitation and the Law 1750-1989'', ''Courts and the Public'', the first and second editions of ''Australian Family Law in Context,'' ''Negotiating By The Light of the Law'', three editions of ''Cohabitees'', and ''Cohabitants''. He has written numerous articles and chapters on higher education, legal philosophy, contract law, family law, judges and lawyers, including "Rebuilding a sustainable and fair tertiary education system for Australia" "Rights and Utility in Anglo-Australian Family Law", "Rule Following, Rule Scepticism and Indeterminacy in Law", and "Judicial Independence" in ''The Australian Federal Judicial System.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Stephen John Academic staff of the University of Canberra British expatriate academics British legal scholars Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Alumni of Newcastle University Alumni of the University of Wales Academic staff of Monash University Australian barristers British barristers Academics of Cardiff University Academic staff of the Australian National University Academic staff of Griffith University