The Constitution of Independence: The Development of Constitutional Theory in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

The Constitution of Independence traces constitutional theory in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from early domination by British Imperial ideas, through contemplation of constitutional equality, to the eventual achievement of irreversible constitutional independence in the 1980s. In these countries, a series of fascinating developments have been under way for more than a decade, characterized by independent thinking, experimentation, and cross-Commonwealth borrowing of constitutional ideas.

Peter Crawford Oliver is Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, King’s College London.