Dr Vanitha Karean

• LLB (Hons) (University of London)
• LLM (University of Malaya)
• PhD (University of Queensland)

Dr Karean received the University of Queensland Graduate School Research Award in January 2001 and obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in November 2004. Her thesis entitled Individual Empowerment in Labour Law examines the protection of individual labour rights from a constitutional perspective using Hohfeldian and Dworkinian jurisprudence.

While at the T C Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, Dr Karean lectured and tutored Australian Constitutional Law and Australian Administrative Law on the LLB and Juris Doctor programmes.

Teaching

Dr Karean teaches business law and information technology. She has, in her previous academic positions, taught Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Labour Law on the University of Malaya’s Bachelor of Jurisprudence programme, Constitutional & Administrative Law on various UK LLB twinning programmes and Law of Employment on the Charles Sturt University Bachelor of Business programme.

Research

Dr Karean’s research interests are in the field of Comparative Employment Law and Comparative Public Law.

Recent publications and presentations

• Karean V, "Can the Right to Life Include the Right to Livelihood?" (2005) The Law Review 42
• Karean V, "The Constitutional Protection of the Right to Livelihood in Malaysia: Reality or Mere Fallacy?" (2003) 11 Asia Pacific Law Review 23
• Karean V, Book Review, "Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa’s Political Reconstruction", Klug H, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000 in Proctor (Queensland Law Society) Vol.21 No. 5 June 2001, 38-39

Conference papers

"Towards a New Labour Law" presented at the New Researchers, New Research Conference, University of Adelaide, 30 September – 2 October 2004

Research-in-progress

Co-author for publication due September 2006: "Australian Constitutional Law: Commentary and Materials", Oxford University Press (Responsible for chapters on Industrial Relations Power, Express Rights, Implied Rights and Indigenous People.)