The University of Western Australia

Assoc/Prof Daniel Stepniak

Associate Professor
Law School

Contact details

Address

Law School
The University of Western Australia (M253)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 3565

Fax

6488 1045

Email

daniel.stepniak@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BA LLB ANU, DipEd CCAE, LLM NSW, PhD Melb.

Biography

Daniel has worked as a solicitor with the Legal Aid Office (ACT) and the Office of the Solicitor for Public Prosecutions (NSW), as a secondary school teacher of legal studies and politics, and as a media presenter/producer.

Prior to taking up his position at UWA, Daniel lectured in law at The University of Melbourne and at Griffith University. He has also held the positions of Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Idaho and Presenter in Oxford University'S 'Comparative Media Law and Policy' Summer Programme.

Daniel's tertiary qualifications include Bachelor of Arts (History/Politics) and Bachelor of Laws degrees from ANU; a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from the CCAE; a Master of Laws degree from UNSW; and a PhD from the University of Melbourne. The topic of his doctoral thesis was 'Electronic Media Coverage of Court Proceedings: Australian Experiences in the Light of Overseas Developments'.

Ofice: Lawlink Building Room 1.36

Key research

While Daniel's research interests encompass constitutional law, comparative law, cultural and religious diversity, jurisprudence, legal ethics, mental health law, and legal education, electronic media coverage of courts is Daniel's field of international expertise and the main focus of his research for publication.

In the course of his comparative research of cameras in courts, Daniel has undertaken research and contributed to the debate and reform of various aspects of this issue internationally, particularly in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

He was commissioned to prepare a report for the Federal Court of Australia ('Electronic Media Coverage of Courts', 1998), has assisted the Canadian Judicial Commission and the Lord Chancellor's Department, and has worked with Court Public Information Officers and Judges in the United States and New Zealand.

Publications

2006

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Stepniak, D. Court TV – Coming to an Internet Browser Near You: an Update on Developments and Current Issues, Journal of Judicial Administration, (Pending – May 2006)

2005

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. Overseas Themes and Lessons, Department for Constitutional Affairs Broadcasting Courts Seminar, London,
http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courts/speeches/stepniak.htm (2005)


Stepniak, D. Court TV – Coming to an Internet Browser Near You: An Update on Developments and Current Issues, 23rd AIJA Annual Conference - Technology, Communication, Innovation, Wellington, NZ, http://www.aija.org.au/ac05/papers.htm (2005)

OTHER

Stepniak, D. Cultural Difference: the case of Stack v WA, Alternative Law Journal, 30:2, p 96 (2005)

2004

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Stepniak, D. The Broadcast of court proceedings in the Internet Age, Reform, Summer 2004/05:85, pp 33-37,60 (2004)

Stepniak, D. The Context and Questions of Legal Education Reform, Alternative Law Journal, 29:6, pp 265-271 (2004)

Stepniak, D. Technology and Public Access to Audio-Visual Coverage and Recordings of Court Proceedings: Implications for Common Law Jurisdictions, William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal, 12:3, pp 791-823 (2004)

Stepniak, D. A Comparative Analysis of First Amendment Rights and the Televising of Court Proceedings, Idaho Law Review, 40:2, pp 315-349 (2004)

OTHER

Stepniak, D. Teaching Leaders - Perspective of a UWA Lecturer Issues of Teaching and Learning, 10:1, p 4, http://www.catl.osds.uwa.edu.au/publications/ITL/2004/1/lecturer (2004).

Stepniak, D. Promoting Public debate - The Last Word, UWAnews, 23:3 (5 April), p 12, http://www.publishing.uwa.edu.au/uwanews/2004/uwanews20040405.pdf (2004).

Stepniak, D. Tackling Legal Issues: Topical but Taboo Religion, Peppercorn 4, pp. 24-5, (2004).

2003

BOOKS AND CHAPTERS

Stepniak, D. Cameras in Courts: For Whose Benefit?, Legal Explorations: Essays in Honour of Professor Michael Chesterman, ed Kam Fan Sin, Pyrmont, Australia, Thomson Lawbook Co., pp 239-265 (2003)

Stepniak, D. British justice: not suitable for public viewing?, Criminal Visions Media representations of crime and justice, ed Paul Mason, Devon, United Kingdom, Willan Publishing, pp 254-277 (2003)

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. Cameras in Courts, April 15 Law & Journalism session of The 13th Commonwealth Law Conference 2003 held in Melbourne 13-17 April 2003.

OTHER

Stepniak, D. Cameras in Courts, Peppercorn 3, July, Canberra, Australia (2003)

2002

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. Religious Freedom, Tolerance and Diversity in Australian Democratic Society: The Ideal, the Reality, and the Future, 2002 History Teachers Association (WA), www.htawa.iinet.net.au/news.htm#conftexts (2002)

OTHER

Stepniak, D. Review of G. Lindell & R. Bennett (eds) Parliament: The Vision in Hindsight (Federation Press, 2001) in Australian Law Librarian, 10:1, pp. 84-90, (2002).

2001

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak D., Warner M., and Santhanam E., 'Law and Religion: Towards a More Inclusive Legal Education', Volume 24 Proceedings of the Annual HERDSA Conference 2001, Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Inc., ACT, (2001).

2000

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Stepniak, D. and Mason, P. 'Court in the web': the impact of the Internet on the cameras in court debate, Alternative Law Journal, 25:2, pp 71-74 (2000)

OTHER

Stepniak, D. Religion & Education: Tertiary Level Religion - Directions in Education, 9:9 (July), p 21, (2000).

Stepniak, D. The Value of Research and Postgraduate Study, The Georgian, 25: 3, p 1 (2000).

1999

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. Law and Religion, Australasian Law Teachers Association, Wellington NZ, Australasian Law Teachers Association, 2: pp 174, i-vi (1999).

BOOKS AND CHAPTERS

Stepniak, D. and Warner M. Law and Religion, in Achieving Diversity and Inclusivity in Teaching and Learning at the University of Western Australia (1999) 60-66, published as a monograph and on the Internet, see – http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/adi/report/ (1999).

OTHER

Stepniak, D. A Legal Obsession Onyx, 8:1, pp. 11-13, (1999).

1998

BOOKS AND CHAPTERS

Stepniak, D. Electronic Media Coverage of Courts, Melbourne, Victoria, Federal Court of Australia (1998)

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. An evaluation of teaching strategies designed to include and accommodate disadvantaged students and those of diverse backgrounds, Australasian Law Teachers Association Newsletter, 4:2, pp. 5-6, (1998).

1997

OTHER

Stepniak, D. The Multiculturalist Backlash and Cultural Diversity, Floodgates, (1997:2), pp. 15-19, (1997).

1996

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

Stepniak, D. The "ordinary person" test of provocation in multicultural Australia: it's time to stop the tail wagging the dog, 1996 Annual Conference of the Australasian Law Teachers' Association, Flinders University, Adelaide SA, 10-13 July 1996, Interest Group papers Vol. 1 pp. 47-55, (1996).

1995

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Stepniak, D. Televising of Court Proceedings, University of New South Wales Law Journal Newsletter, (1995:1), pp. 4-6, (1995); Republished as Stepniak, D. Televising of Court Proceedings, University of New South Wales Law Journal, 18 (2), pp. 489-92, (1995).

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Stepniak, D. Public Scrutiny, Social Justice and Opposition to the Televising of Court Proceedings in Proceedings of the 49th Annual Conference of the Australasian Law Teachers Association, (University of Tasmania Law Press, 1995) Vol. 2, 1176-88, (1995).

Stepniak, D. Minority Values and the Reasonable Person of Torts in M. Chanock and L. Marks (Eds), Cross Currents: Internationalism, National Identity & Law: 50th Australasian Law Teachers’ Association Conference 1995, (La Trobe University Press, 1995) pp. 405-19,
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgibin/disp.pl/au/special/alta/alta95/stepniak.html?query=%7e+stepniak, (1995).

1994

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Stepniak, D. Why shouldn't Australian Courtroom Proceedings be Televised?, University of New South Wales Law Journal, 17, pp. 345-382, (1994).

SEE ALSO: Unpublished conference and seminar papers http://www.law.uwa.edu.au/page/88002

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

Daniel is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Australia, and the Supreme Courts of Western Australia, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, and a Solicitor of the Supreme Courts of Queensland and New South Wales.

In legal practice Daniel specialized in the areas of Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Confiscation of Profits of Crime, and Child Sexual Assault.

Currently his legal practice is confined to his work as a Legal Member of the WA Mental Health Review Board ( http://www.mhrbwa.org.au/ )

Daniel is a member of the law school's Library, Equity, and Teaching and Learning committees. His work at UWA includes his current appointment as an Equity and Diversity Adviser for 2005-2007.

Teaching

Daniel Stepniak BA LLB ANU, Dip Ed CCAE, LLM UNSW, PhD Melb. has taught a wide range of legal subjects including:

- Information Management Law
- Law and Cultural Diversity
- Environmental Law
- Torts Law
- Legal Process
- Property Law
- Constitutional Law
- Legal Theory
- Law and Contemporary Social Problems, and
- Law and Religion.

In 2003, Daniel received two UWA Excellence in Teaching awards; one for his unit Law and Religion, the other for the inclusivity of his teaching.

In 2006, Daniel's teaching responsibilities are: Legal Process and Constitutional Law 1 in Semester 1, and Law and Contemporary Social Problems and Constitutional Law 2 in Semester 2.

Research profile

Research profile and publications