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Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights

by Shiyao Wang 1
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PSSA  2025 4(1):16; https://doi.org/10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
Received: / Accepted: / Published Online: 31 January 2025
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Abstract

This paper explores the tension between parliamentary sovereignty and judicial review in Australia, focusing on the High Court's role in protecting implied constitutional rights. Unlike the UK, where Parliament's legislative power is supreme, Australia's Constitution allocates powers between the Commonwealth and states, and judicial review plays a key role in limiting Parliament's authority. The paper examines three significant High Court cases—Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1992), Coleman v Power (2004), and Mabo v Queensland [No 2] (1992)—which highlight the Court's power to strike down unconstitutional laws and protect unenumerated rights, such as freedom of political communication and expression, and Indigenous land rights. These rulings emphasize the High Court's function in safeguarding constitutional principles, ensuring that legislative actions do not infringe on implied rights. Through these judicial interventions, the paper argues that the High Court strengthens the constitutional framework and limits parliamentary sovereignty, contributing to the protection of democracy and individual rights in Australia.

Keywords: Judicial Review; Parliamentary Sovereignty; Constitutional Rights;
Copyright: © 2025 by Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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APA Style
Wang, S. (2025). Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts, 4(1), 16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
ACS Style
Wang, S. Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts, 2025, 4, 16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
AMA Style
Wang S. Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts; 2025, 4(1):16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
Chicago/Turabian Style
Wang, Shiyao 2025. "Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights" Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts 4, no.1:16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131

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ACS Style
Wang, S. Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts, 2025, 4, 16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
AMA Style
Wang S. Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts; 2025, 4(1):16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
Chicago/Turabian Style
Wang, Shiyao 2025. "Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights" Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts 4, no.1:16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131
APA style
Wang, S. (2025). Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Review in Australia The High Court's Role in Protecting Implied Constitutional Rights. Perspectives in Social Sciences and Arts, 4(1), 16. doi:10.69610/j.pssa.20250131

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