Kylie Evans SC

Bar Roll: 2011 Silk: 2023
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Kylie Evans appears in all courts and tribunals in public, administrative and human rights law matters.

Kylie has significant litigation experience acting for non-government and government clients in public, administrative and human rights law matters in Courts and tribunals across Australia. She regularly appears in inquiries as Counsel Assisting the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commissioner.

She is a leading expert in human rights law having published three texts in the area and holds an academic position at the Melbourne Law School as a Senior Fellow. Kylie is currently listed in Doyle’s Guide to Leading Administrative & Public Law Barristers – Australia, 2021 and in Best Lawyers Australia for Public Law.

She holds first class honours degrees in Law from the University of Melbourne and at the University of Cambridge (Masters of Law) and a first class Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne.  She was Associate to the late Honourable Justice David Hunt AO QC at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1999 and a Research Fellow for the late Honourable Professor James Crawford AC SC FBA (formerly a Justice of the International Court of Justice) from 2002-2005.

 

*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation

Aged CareConfidential InformationConstitutional LawCustomsDisciplinary ProceedingsDiscrimination/Equal OpportunityElectoral LawEmployment and Industrial RelationsFOI/PrivacyHuman RightsInquestsJudicial ReviewMerits ReviewMigrationNative TitleProfessional NegligencePublic International LawPublic LawPublic LawRegulatoryRoyal Commissions/Government Inquiries

The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Victoria) is the means by which the civil and political rights of all people in Victoria are brought to bear on the interpretation of Victorian legislation and the policies and practices of the state government and public authorities. When the well-received first edition of this text was published in 2008, the obligations imposed by the Charter had just commenced. Now, barristers Alistair Pound and Kylie Evans again annotate the Charter, this time drawing on over a decade of operation, found in reported decisions in all courts and tribunals in Victoria, as well as in the High Court and Federal Court. As the authors say in their Preface, these cases “demonstrate that the Charter is, gradually, establishing its place in Victorian law and stimulating the development of a distinctly Victorian human rights jurisprudence”. Annotated Victorian Charter of Rights 2e is a valuable practitioner-focused reference for lawyers needing to identify when and how to apply this significant instrument.

Every Victorian lawyer is affected by the 1 January 2008 commencement of obligations under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Victoria). The Charter immediately affects those making new laws and policies, imposing on them requirements of scrutiny and assessment. It also imposes obligations on a wide range of service providers, including government and the public service, to act consistently with the human rights protected under the Charter. All Victorian legislation must now be interpreted compatibly with human rights and the Victorian Supreme Court can require the government to reconsider legislation that does not meet the Charter’s standards. Moreover, while there is no independent right to legal action for breach of the Charter, human rights arguments may be raised in courts and tribunals. And while it is of significant interest from a criminal and administrative law perspective, the Charter’s relevance to other practice areas, such as commercial law, should not be overlooked. Recognising the wide-ranging impact of this legislation, ‘An Annotated Guide to the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities’ offers timely guidance on how the Charter might operate. Commentary on the provisions of the Charter is set out in an annotated format and an introduction to each of the substantive rights is provided. The operative provisions of the Charter, including interpretative and remedial provisions, as well as those relating to the limitation of rights, are examined in detail, drawing on case law on similar legislation in other jurisdictions. Professor George Williams, Chair of the Consultation Committee responsible for its development, has contributed an introductory chapter that details the process of the Charter’s formulation and its intent. The helpful analysis provided by Pound and Evans will assist all those negotiating the changes wrought by this new legislation.

QUALIFICATIONS

BCom, LLB(Hons), LLM(Cantab)

Kylie Evans SC

Bar Roll: 2011 Silk: 2023
print vcard

Profile

Kylie Evans appears in all courts and tribunals in public, administrative and human rights law matters.

Kylie has significant litigation experience acting for non-government and government clients in public, administrative and human rights law matters in Courts and tribunals across Australia. She regularly appears in inquiries as Counsel Assisting the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commissioner.

She is a leading expert in human rights law having published three texts in the area and holds an academic position at the Melbourne Law School as a Senior Fellow. Kylie is currently listed in Doyle’s Guide to Leading Administrative & Public Law Barristers – Australia, 2021 and in Best Lawyers Australia for Public Law.

She holds first class honours degrees in Law from the University of Melbourne and at the University of Cambridge (Masters of Law) and a first class Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne.  She was Associate to the late Honourable Justice David Hunt AO QC at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1999 and a Research Fellow for the late Honourable Professor James Crawford AC SC FBA (formerly a Justice of the International Court of Justice) from 2002-2005.

 

*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation

Areas of Practice

Aged CareConfidential InformationConstitutional LawCustomsDisciplinary ProceedingsDiscrimination/Equal OpportunityElectoral LawEmployment and Industrial RelationsFOI/PrivacyHuman RightsInquestsJudicial ReviewMerits ReviewMigrationNative TitleProfessional NegligencePublic International LawPublic LawPublic LawRegulatoryRoyal Commissions/Government Inquiries

Publication

The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Victoria) is the means by which the civil and political rights of all people in Victoria are brought to bear on the interpretation of Victorian legislation and the policies and practices of the state government and public authorities. When the well-received first edition of this text was published in 2008, the obligations imposed by the Charter had just commenced. Now, barristers Alistair Pound and Kylie Evans again annotate the Charter, this time drawing on over a decade of operation, found in reported decisions in all courts and tribunals in Victoria, as well as in the High Court and Federal Court. As the authors say in their Preface, these cases “demonstrate that the Charter is, gradually, establishing its place in Victorian law and stimulating the development of a distinctly Victorian human rights jurisprudence”. Annotated Victorian Charter of Rights 2e is a valuable practitioner-focused reference for lawyers needing to identify when and how to apply this significant instrument.

Every Victorian lawyer is affected by the 1 January 2008 commencement of obligations under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Victoria). The Charter immediately affects those making new laws and policies, imposing on them requirements of scrutiny and assessment. It also imposes obligations on a wide range of service providers, including government and the public service, to act consistently with the human rights protected under the Charter. All Victorian legislation must now be interpreted compatibly with human rights and the Victorian Supreme Court can require the government to reconsider legislation that does not meet the Charter’s standards. Moreover, while there is no independent right to legal action for breach of the Charter, human rights arguments may be raised in courts and tribunals. And while it is of significant interest from a criminal and administrative law perspective, the Charter’s relevance to other practice areas, such as commercial law, should not be overlooked. Recognising the wide-ranging impact of this legislation, ‘An Annotated Guide to the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities’ offers timely guidance on how the Charter might operate. Commentary on the provisions of the Charter is set out in an annotated format and an introduction to each of the substantive rights is provided. The operative provisions of the Charter, including interpretative and remedial provisions, as well as those relating to the limitation of rights, are examined in detail, drawing on case law on similar legislation in other jurisdictions. Professor George Williams, Chair of the Consultation Committee responsible for its development, has contributed an introductory chapter that details the process of the Charter’s formulation and its intent. The helpful analysis provided by Pound and Evans will assist all those negotiating the changes wrought by this new legislation.

Qualifications & Memberships

QUALIFICATIONS

BCom, LLB(Hons), LLM(Cantab)