Steven Freeland
Steven Freeland is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University, where he was previously the Dean of the School of Law, and Professorial Fellow at Bond University. He also holds Visiting or Adjunct positions at various other Universities/Institutes in Copenhagen, Vienna, Toulouse, Hong Kong, Montreal, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and London.
Prior to becoming an academic, he had a 20-year career as an international commercial lawyer and investment banker.
He is a Member of the Australian Space Agency Advisory Board and has been an advisor to the Australian, New Zealand, Norwegian and several other Governments on issues relating to national space legislative frameworks and policy. He has represented the Australian Government at Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) meetings and was appointed in June 2021 by UNCOPUOS as Vice-Chair of a 5-year Working Group looking at issues regarding the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of space resources.
He has also been a Visiting Professional within the Appeals Chamber at the International Criminal Court, and a Special Advisor to the Danish Foreign Ministry in matters related to the International Criminal Court.
He is a Co-Principal of specialised space law firm Azimuth Advisory, a Director of the International Institute of Space Law, and a Member of the Space Law Committee of the International Law Association and the Space Law and War Crimes Committees of the International Bar Association. In addition to co-Editing the Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals book series, he also sits on the Editorial Board / Advisory Board of a number of internationally recognised academic journals.
Latest articles by Steven Freeland
Outer space is not the 'Wild West': There are clear rules for peace and war
By Kuan-Wei Chen, Bayar Goswami, Ram S. Jakhu, Steven Freeland published
Our increasing reliance on space infrastructure makes modern economies increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of accidents and unlawful or irresponsible acts in space.
Space exploration should aim for peace, collaboration and co-operation, not war and competition
By Kuan-Wei Chen, Ram S. Jakhu, Steven Freeland published
When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, it represented humanity’s first significant foray into the cosmos.
Cyberspace and outer space are new frontiers for national security, according to an expert report
By Steven Freeland, Danielle Ireland-Piper, Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Jonathan Crowe, Samuli Haataja, Wendy Bonython published
What do cyberspace and outer space have in common?
It's not how big your laser is, it's how you use it. Space law is an important part of the fight against space debris.
By Steven Freeland, Annie Handmer published
Space is getting crowded.
'War in space' would be a catastrophe. A return to rules-based cooperation is the only way to keep space peaceful
By Steven Freeland, David Kuan-Wei Chen, Ram S. Jakhu published
In 2019, US President Donald Trump declared “space is the new war-fighting domain”.
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