The Australian legal system is not an island, and Australian law has felt the influence of law and legal ideas from other jurisdictions, particularly other common law countries. Australian law has also been shaped by public international law both directly and indirectly and this interaction has become increasingly important as the scope and content of international law have grown. The relationship between Australian law and international law is mediated by Australia’s constitutional framework in which the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the courts holds central place. Unlike the constitutions in many other legal systems, the Australian Constitution does not address the relationship between international and domestic law, and most of the relevant legal principles are to be found in the common law. This chapter examines how each arm of government in Australia has engaged with international law, identifying areas where the relationship is well settled (as it is in relation to treaties) and areas where there remains some uncertainty (as in relation to customary international law).

This book has been written specifically for nurses training and practising within Australia, to assist and encourage them to develop a strong and well-defined sense of professional and moral identity. It endeavours to provide an integrated, practical framework for understanding the ethical and legal dimensions of nursing practice in Australia by referencing Australian law and reflecting the Australian clinical context and cultural norms.

This book refers to ‘patients’ rather than ‘clients’. The question of which term is most appropriate is not easily resolved – if it can be at all – because there are many ways to interpret both terms. Consequently, we have made the decision to use the term ‘patients’ because it best approximates our use of the concept of vulnerability.

A chain novel is written by two or more authors. The first author writes a few hundred words, then passes it on to the next author, who picks up the story and then passes it on to another author, and so on. Each author tries their best to develop a coherent story, based on everything that has come before, while adding their own changes and developments in the most recent chapter. It’s a lot of fun.

This book has considered ethics in the context of human vulnerability. We are vulnerable because we can be affected by things across the life span, and we can be affected by things because we are physical beings – part of the world around us and subject to the passage of time. Consequently, a life can come to an end at any time. For this reason, death is not only completely normal, but inevitable. Nevertheless, death is typically regarded as something regrettable. Issues of personhood and autonomy lie at the centre of bioethical debates about the ending of human life, especially where this involves abortion and euthanasia. Against the backdrop of these issues, this chapter provides an overview of the main legal and ethical considerations relating to abortion and euthanasia.