DrBruce Chen

Bruce Chen is a Senior Lecturer in Deakin Law School. He was an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow from 2021-2023.

Bruce's research and teaching interests are in human rights law, public law, and statutory interpretation. He has extensive experience presenting on bills of rights, and has provided media commentary on such issues.

His PhD (Monash University) and Research Fellowship project (Deakin University) researched statutory interpretation using human rights, common law rights and freedoms, and constitutional freedoms.

Bruce has previously worked in several senior legal and legal policy advisory positions within the Victorian public service. He is passionate about working in government as a potential career pathway for students and new lawyers.

Bruce has worked in the following government roles:
* Principal Legal Policy Officer, and later Acting Manager, Human Rights Unit, Department of Justice and Community Safety
* Senior Legal Adviser, Legal Unit, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
* Senior Solicitor, Government and Public Law Branch, Victorian Government Solicitor's Office (VGSO)
* Solicitor assisting General Counsel, VGSO
* VGSO team supervisor and advocate, Child Protection Litigation Office, Department of Human Services (secondment).

Bruce had a broad practice base in human rights, particularly the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) (the Charter), public law and statutory interpretation. He provided advice to the Attorney-General for the State of Victoria, Secretaries to Departments, Commissioners and other public servants. Bruce was co-coordinator of the Victorian Public Sector Human Rights Network, hosted by VEOHRC.

Prior to this, Bruce was a judge's associate in the Supreme Court of Victoria and to past President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the Honourable Justice Kevin Bell AO KC. He worked with his Honour on a number of early precedential cases on the Charter and across a range of matters (residential tenancies, mental health, anti-discrimination, planning and environment, and FOI).

Bruce is currently the Co-Chair of the Law Institute of Victoria's Human Rights Committee.

Bruce has previously taught at La Trobe Law School as a seminar leader/tutor, in a education project team nominated as a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Commission's Government Award 2018, and as a volunteer tutor for AMES Australia.

He has a particular interest in 'dialogue model' bills of rights, having been a visiting scholar at the University of Auckland, New Zealand Centre for Public Law, Victoria University of Wellington, and Public Law Centre, University of Ottawa.