Professor Penelope Weller
Details
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Department: School of Law
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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penelopejune.weller@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID:
0000-0003-4659-3561
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
About
Professor Penelope Weller is a Professor of Law in the School of Law at RMIT University. She is the Health lead in the Centre for Business and Human Rights (BHRIGHT) and a Fellow of the Britsh Academy. Penelope graduated with Bachelor degrees in Arts and Law (Monash University), Masters in Health Law (Latrobe University) and PhD in the sociology of law (Victorian Unversisity). Penelope is an elected member of Academic Board and Chair of Programs Committee. She is co-editor of the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry (Q1) and has been a member of the Mental Health Tribunal in Victoria since 2013.
Penelope's research is concerned with the realisation of human dignity, justice and equality for those who interact with health and mental health systems. Specifically, the work entials socio-legal and doctrinal analyses of the impact of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other human rights frameworks on the formulation of mental health and disability legislation. She is a Chief Investigator (CI) the FACTORS Project (ARC Discovery 2023), which is examining variations in the use of community treatment orders in Australia and New Zealand, and the STILS Project, (ARC Linkage 2023) which is investigating the impact of trauma informed lawyering with industry partner with National Legal Aid. She is also a senior lead on a competative tender with the Victorian Department of Health evaluating the new Mental Health Rights Legal Service. From 2012-2018 she was CI on the PULSAR Project, lead by Professor Graham Meadows, investigating the impact of recovery-oriented practice. These interdisciplinary projects have pioneered lived experience leadership in the conduct of mental health research.
Weller has advised govenments in West Australia, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania, Northern Ireland, Scoltand and New Zealand on mental health law reform. She has also consulted to the Queensland Mental Health Commission and the Commownweth Government and has presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the recommendations of the Royal Commssion into Victoria's Mental Health System.
Her books include 'New Law and Ethics in Mental Health Advance Directives' (Routledge 2013) and co-edited volumes 'The Legacies of Institutionalisation' (Hart 2020), 'Health Law: framworks and Context' (CUP 2017), and 'Rethinking Right Base Mental Health Laws (Hart 2010).
UN sustainable development goals
- 10 Reduced Inequalities
- 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- 5 Gender Equality
- 3 Good Health and Well Being
Non-academic positions
- Tribunal Member
- Mental Health Tribunal
- Department of Health
- Melbourne, Australia
- 2013 – Present
Supervisor projects
- The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Promoting Access to Justice: A Case Study of the Legal Aid Sector in Afghanistan.
- 7 Mar 2024
- What do courts in Victoria mean by `community expectations' in the context of sentencing in criminal proceedings and options for reform?
- 23 Aug 2023
- Using 'care of the self' to advance Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations
- 5 Jun 2019
- Choice and Control? Understanding how Residents with Psychosocial Disabilities Remain in `Transinstitutional' Settings Despite the `Once In A Lifetime' Opportunity of The National Disability Insurance Scheme
- 1 Mar 2017
- An investigation into the need for further regulation of puffery in advertisements, in light of e-commerce
- 4 Oct 2016
- Corruption Cases and Law Enforcement in Public Investment: a Vietnam Perspective
- 28 May 2015
- Lawyers’ Engagement with Procedural Justice: Emerging Practice from the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria
- 2 Mar 2015
- Accountability of the Executive Branch of Australian Government: The Courts' Oversight of Officers of the Commonwealth
- 12 Sep 2014
Teaching interests
Penelope currently teaches Principles of Administrative Law. Other teaching areas include Health Law, Human Rights Law, Innovative Justice and Jurisprudence.
Research interests
Penelope's research is concerned with the realisation of human dignity, justice and equality for those who interact with health and mental health systems. Specifically, the work entials socio-legal and doctrinal analyses of the impact of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other human rights frameworks on the formulation of mental health and disability legislation. She is a Chief Investigator (CI) the FACTORS Project (ARC Discovery 2023), which is examining variations in the use of community treatment orders in Australia and New Zealand, and the STILS Project, (ARC Linkage 2023) which is investigating the impact of trauma informed lawyering with industry partner with National Legal Aid. She is also a senior lead on a competative tender with the Victorian Department of Health evaluating the new Mental Health Rights Legal Service. From 2012-2018 she was CI on the PULSAR Project, lead by Professor Graham Meadows, investigating the impact of recovery-oriented practice. These projects have pioneered lived experience leadership in the conduct of mental health research.
Weller has advised govenments in West Australia, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania, Northern Ireland, Scoltand and New Zealand on mental health law reform. She has also consulted to the Queensland Mental Health Commission and the Commownweth Government and has presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the recommendations of the Royal Commssion into Victoria's Mental Health System.
Her books include 'New Law and Ethics in Mental Health Advance Directives' (Routledge 2013) and co-edited volumes 'The Legacies of Institutionalisation' (Hart 2020), 'Health Law: framworks and Context' (CUP 2017), and 'Rethinking Right Base Mental Health Laws (Hart 2010).
