PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ANU LAW REFORM & SOCIAL JUSTICE – FOLLOWED BY A PANEL DISCUSSION

The Kerrigan family are your typical blue-collar residents of 90’s Melbourne suburbia. Affable patriarch Darryl (Michael Caton) believes that there is nothing more perfect than his less-than-perfect house, so he is understandably shocked when he receives notice that the government is evicting the Kerrigans from their home as part of the planned expansion of a neighbouring airport. Not wanting to be bullied into giving up his rightful piece of heaven, Darryl uses all means at his disposal in his quest to fight the eviction by taking the government to court.

The Castle presents a novel depiction of the ‘Aussie battler’ through Darryl’s persistence to hold onto what he loves most. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, there’s no better time to revisit this classic Australian comedy – which is mandatory viewing for all law students; call it procrastination.

ANU Law Reform & Social Justice will be presenting a panel discussion following the film to examine its significant legal and cultural impact 25 years on. Panellists will include:
• Professor Asmi Wood, whose research and publications on Constitutional recognition of Indigenous people in Australia have been relied upon by The Australian Parliament, Government agencies, community organisations, schools and Indigenous groups.
• Honorary Lecturer Kieran Pender, a senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, specialising in democratic freedoms and whistleblower protections. He is also an accomplished writer, who wrote an article in The Guardian about the film's legacy earlier this year.
• Emerita Professor Fiona Wheeler, a scholar of the Australian Constitution who has researched and published on public law issues for over two decades, with a particular interest in the High Court of Australia.