Sarah Moulds

Teaching Strengths

Public law
Legislation
Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Law
Criminal Law
Administrative Law

APrf Sarah Moulds

Associate Professor of Law

School of Law

College of Business and Law

Available For Media Comment.

Dr Sarah Moulds is an Associate Professor in Law UniSA: Justice + Society and co-founder of the Rights Resource Network SA.  She is passionate about parliaments and connecting citizens and communities with law makers, and her book Committees of Influence explores the important role parliamentary committees play in rights protection in Australia.  Dr Moulds has been actively engaged in local, national and international conversations about emergency law-making in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role parliaments can and should play in holding government's to account.  In 2022 Dr Moulds was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore how to empower young people to engage effectively with Australian parliaments. She is currently the Editor of the Australasian Parliamentary Review and the Deputy Chair of the International Parliamentary Engagement Network.
Dr Moulds' career has a strong law reform focus and includes seven years at the Law Council of Australia including as Director of Criminal Law and Human Rights, and more recently as a Senior Project Officer at the South Australian Law Reform Institute. 
Dr Moulds publishes frequently in print and online media as well as national and international academic journals.  She is a member of a range of professional and community bodies seeking to make a positive difference to the law and lawmaking in Australia. 
In 2019 Dr Moulds' PhD Thesis was awarded the University of Adelaide's 2018 Doctoral Research Medal. She also holds a Masters of Comparative Law, Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of International Studies.

My PhD Thesis, entitled ‘The Rights-Protecting Role and Impact of Commonwealth Parliamentary Committees: The Case of Australia’s Counter-Terrorism Laws’, was awarded a University of Adelaide Research Medal and Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence and has been published by Springer Internatioanl as Committees of Influence: Parliamentary Rights Scrutiny and Counter-Terrorism Lawmaking in Australia.

I have also published multiple journal articles including in A* star journals, including the University of New South Wales Law Review and Public Law Review.  My most recent publications include 'Parliamentary Rights Scrutiny and Counter-Terrorism Lawmaking in Australia' published in the Journal of South East Asian Human Rights DOI: https://doi.org/10.19184/jseahr.v3i2.13461 and 'Making the Invisible Visible Again: Pathways for Legal Recognition of Sex and Gender Diversity in Australian Law' published in Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity https://griffithlawjournal.org/index.php/gjlhd/article/view/1184.

I am currently researching in the areas of: parliamentary scrutiny of human rights, counter-terrorism law, lawyers engagement in the parliamentary process, deliberative democracy and equality rights.

Year Citation
2025 Moulds, S. (2025). Who is in control of intervention order proceedings in domestic violence cases? A case study from South Australia. Alternative Law Journal, online(3), 1-7.
DOI
2025 Moulds, S. (2025). Reconceptualising Australian Parliamentary Scrutiny Committees as Norm Builders and Pre-Deliberation Facilitators.. International Journal of Parliamentary Studies, online(2), 1-32.
DOI
2025 Moulds, S. (2025). Young people are citizens now! Reconceptualising youth engagement with Australian parliaments. Australian Journal of Political Science, online(3), 1-17.
DOI
2024 Moulds, S., & Perry, N. (2024). Belonging in the law classroom: preliminary reflections from a South Australian case study. Legal Education Review, 34(2), 77-102.
DOI
2023 Moulds, S., & Knight, M. (2023). Legislating for human security: could South Australia lead the way again?. Alternative Law Journal, 48(1), 38-46.
DOI
2023 Leston Bandeira, C., Moulds, S., & Uberoi, E. (2023). International parliament engagement network offers collegiality for members and practical support for parliaments. The Parliamentarian, 2023(2), 142-143.
2023 Moulds, S., & Pich, A. (2023). Reviewing executive decision-making in emergencies: time to consider a more systematic approach to post legislative scrutiny in Australia. University of Tasmania Law Review, 41(2), 43-83.
2023 Moulds, S. (2023). A toolkit for evaluating the effectiveness of parliamentary public engagement. University of South Australia Law Review, 5, 1-23.
DOI
2023 Moulds, S. (2023). South Australia's Obstruct Public Place laws: how do they fit within Australia's anti-protest law landscape?. Australian Environment Review, 37(9), 187-191.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). Cautious interventions: the need for evidence-based reform for Intervention Orders in South Australia. Australian Journal of Family Law, 35(2), 159-197.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). Access to justice for survivors of family and domestic violence means getting the first response right, every time. The Bulletin, The Law Society of SA Journal, 44(9), 36.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). Enhancing accountability and transparency in the law-making process. The Bulletin. Law Society of South Australia, 44(1), 26-27.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). Parliamentary oversight of COVID-19 pandemic laws: shifting from emergency law-making to longer-term pandemic powers. UNSW Law Society Court of Conscience, (16), 37-43.
2022 Marmolejo Ramos, F., Workman, T., Walker, C., Lenihan, D., Moulds, S., Correa, J., . . . Sonna, B. (2022). AI-powered narrative building for facilitating public participation and engagement. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 2(1, article no. 7), 1-16.
DOI Scopus17
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Royal Commission into aged care: time for a paradigm shift to protect the human rights of older Australians. Law Society of South Australia. Bulletin, 46(3), 14-17.
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Democratic scrutiny of COVID-19 laws: are Parliamentary Committees up to the job?. European Journal of Law Reform, 23(2), 264-284.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Visible learning at law school: an Australian approach to improving teacher impact in intensive and online courses. Law Teacher, 55(2), 169-185.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Stemming the tide of rights-abrogating and environmentally destructive laws: the role of parliamentary committees In scrutinising lawmaking in a pandemic. IUCN AEL Journal of Environmental Law, 11, 34-43.
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Pandemics, public health emergencies and government powers: perspectives on Australian law [book review]. Alternative Law Journal, 46(4), 334-335.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S., Corsini, N., Ryder, J., & Calan, N. (2021). Stopping the spread? Enhancing legal frameworks for the protection of personal information in the context of COVID-19 contact tracing. Law in Context, 37(3), 89-116.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). 'Democratic and judicial review of enacted laws In Australia: a case study of the rights scrutiny work of Australian parliamentary committees. Revue Generale de Droit, 51(S1), 47-89.
DOI
2020 Krishna, K., & Moulds, S. (2020). Old enough to know better? Reform options for South Australia's age of criminality laws. Adelaide Law Review, 41(1), 313-323.
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). Scrutinising COVID-19 laws: an early glimpse into the scrutiny work of federal parliamentary committees. Alternative Law Journal, 45(3), 180-187.
DOI
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). From disruption to deliberation: improving the quality and impact of community engagement with parliamentary law making. Public Law Review, 31(3), 264-280.
2020 Charles, C., & Moulds, S. (2020). The right to protest for racial equality during a state of emergency. The Bulletin Law Society of South Australia Journal, 42(10), 8-10.
2020 Moulds, S., & Khoo, Y. H. (2020). The role of the people in post legislative scrutiny: perspectives from Malaysia and Australia. Journal of international studies, 16, 1-23.
DOI
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). Who's watching the 'eyes'? Parliamentary scrutiny of national identity matching laws. Alternative Law Journal, 45(4), 266-269.
DOI
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). A deliberative approach to post legislative scrutiny? Lessons from Australia's ad hoc approach. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 26(3), 362-386.
DOI
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). Drawing the boundaries: the scope of the religious bodies exemptions in Australian anti-discrimination law and implications for reform. The University of Western Australia Law Review, 47(1), 112-151.
2020 Grenfell, L., & Moulds, S. (2020). Youth Treatment Orders Bill Highlights Ad Hoc Approach to Rights Scrutiny of Bills. Law Society Bulletin, 41.
2019 Moulds, S., & Grenfell, L. (2019). Youth Treatment Orders Bill Highlights Ad Hoc Approach to Rights-Scrutiny of Bills. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia), 41(4), 36-38.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Giving human rights law meaning in SA: why language matters'. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia), 41(8), 12-14.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). It's time to talk about rights protection in South Australia. InDaily, 1.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). The Right to Turn Away Gay Students? Exceptions to Unlawful Discrimination for Religious Schools in Australia. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia), 41(1), 12-16.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Committees of influence: the impact of parliamentary committees on law making and rights protection in Australia. AIAL Forum, 97, 11-36.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Making the invisible visible again: pathways for legal recognition of sex and gender diversity in Australian law. Griffith journal of law and human dignity, 7(2), 245-264.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Parliamentary rights scrutiny and counter-terrorism lawmaking in Australia: a framework for evaluating legislative scrutiny in modern democracies. Journal of Southeast Asian human rights, 3(2), 185-230.
DOI
2018 Moulds, S. (2018). Forum of choice? The legislative impact of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Intelligence and Security. Public law review, 29(4), 287-294.
2018 Moulds, S., Plater, D., & Williams, J. (2018). ‘Law and Order’ in John Spoehr (ed), South Australia: State of Transformation (Wakefield Press, 2018).
2018 Grenfell, L. A., & Moulds, S. (2018). The role of committees in rights protection in federal and state Parliaments in Australia. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 41(1), 40-79.
DOI Scopus12 WoS23
2017 Moulds, S. (2017). Community engagement in the age of modern law reform: perspectives from Adelaide. Adelaide law review, 38(2), 441-462.
2016 Moulds, S. (2016). Committees of influence: Parliamentary Committees with the capacity to change Australia's counter-terrorism laws. Australasian parliamentary review, 31(2), 46-66.

Year Citation
2025 Moulds, S. (2025). Active Citizens Can Change the World! Preparing a Submission to a Parliamentary Inquiry. In M. Jarldorn, & C. Hudson (Eds.), Source details - Title: Tutorial Ideas for Educators on The Run: Innovative and Engaging Teaching Activities (pp. 23-31). Singapore: Springer.
DOI
2025 Moulds, S. (2025). Listening to the People? A Comparative Analysis of Parliamentary Committee Inquiries Concerning Freedom of Religious Belief in Australia and Scotland. In R. Baker, C. B. Andersen, & M. R. Alumari (Eds.), Source details - Title: Comparative Approaches to Law and Religion: Methods and Epistemologies of Comparative Legal Analysis (pp. 277-321). US: Routledge.
DOI
2024 Moulds, S. (2024). Connected parliaments: creating space for young people to shape our democracy. In A. Pepe (Ed.), Source details - Title: Beyond Broken: Different Systems for Different Futures (pp. 184-192). Australia: (MOD) University of South Australia.
2024 Moulds, S. (2024). Parliament - the House of Representatives. In M. Evans, P. Dunleavy, & J. Phillimore (Eds.), Source details - Title: Australia’s Evolving Democracy: A New Democratic Audit (1 ed., pp. 231-251). UK: LSE Press.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Holding an automated government to account?: the role if parliamentary committees. In J. Boughey, & K. Miller (Eds.), Source details - Title: The Automated State: Implications, Challenges and Opportunities for Public Law (pp. 1-31). Australia: The Federation Press.
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). A deliberative approach to post-legislative scrutiny? Lessons from Australia's ad hoc approach'. In F. Vrieze, & P. Norton (Eds.), Source details - Title: Post Legislative Scrutiny (pp. 14-38). UK: Routledge.
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). Parliamentary committees facilitating parliamentary deliberation: a case study of marriage equality reform. In J. Debeljak, & L. Grenfell (Eds.), Source details - Title: Law Making and Human Rights: Executive and Parliamentary Scrutiny Across Australian Jurisdictions (pp. 745-787). Australia: Thomson Reuters.
2018 Moulds, S., Plater, D., & Williams, J. (2018). Law and Order. In J. Spoehr (Ed.), South Australia : State of Transformation (pp. 113-134). South Australia: Wakefield Press.

Year Citation
2025 Hewitt, A., Blackham, A., Covark, K., Grenfell, L., & Moulds, S. (2025). A Landscape Review of Human Rights Education in Australia. Australia: University of Adelaide.
2024 Moulds, S. (2024). Inquiry into civics education, engagement, and participation in Australia. Australia: Parliament of Australia.
2023 Grenfell, L., & Moulds, S. (2023). Inquiry into Australia's Human Rights Framework. Australian Parliament House.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). Connected parliaments: reimagining youth engagement with parliaments in Australia. Australia: Winston Churchill Trust Australia.
2022 Moulds, S., & Yohanesh, R. (2022). Powerful interventions: improving the use and enforcement of Intervention Orders as a tool to address family and domestic violence in South Australia: final report. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2022 Moulds, S., & Yohanesh, S. R. (2022). Powerful interventions: improving the use and enforcement of Intervention Orders as a tool to address family and domestic violence in South Australia. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S., Corsini, N., Ryder, J., & Forsythe, D. (2021). Stopping the spread: community views and legal considerations to support faster easier contact tracing. Australia: University of South Australia.
DOI
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). Committees of influence: evaluating the role and impact of Parliamentary Committees: Event/exhibition information: Senate Occasional Lecture, Parliament House, Canberra, Australia, 30/04/2021–28/05/2021. Australia: Parliament of Australia.
2020 Webb, E., Ellison, C., McIntyre, J., Moulds, S., Milne, S., & Wood, S. (2020). Submission to Inquiry into the Australian Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Australia: UniSA Justice and Society.
2018 Plater, D., Thompson, M., Moulds, S., Williams, J., & Brunacci, A. (2018). Surrogacy: A legislative framework: a review of part 2b of the Family Relationships Act 1975 (SA). Australia: South Australian Law Reform Institute.
2017 Detmold, N., Plater, D., Villios, S., Williams, N., & Moulds, S. (2017). 'Distinguishing between the Deserving and the Undeserving': Family Provision Laws in South Australia (9). Adelaide: South Australian Law Reform Institute.
2015 Moulds, S., & Williams, J. (2015). Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and intersex status in South Australian legislation. Australia: South Australian Law Reform Institute.

Year Citation
2024 Sarre, R., Livings, B., McKay, J., Atkinson, M., Fernando, M., Zito, P., & Moulds, S. (2024). Can you run through airport security for love? Leave a child home alone? Here's what the law says about Christmas movies. The Conversation.
2023 Sarre, R., Livings, B., McIntyre, J., Cooper, L., Fernando, M., & Moulds, S. (2023). O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ... what are my rights this season, legally?. The Conversation.
2023 Moulds, S. (2023). Laws targeting protesters are being rushed through state parliaments. But they are often poorly designed and sometimes, unconstitutional. The Conversation.
2022 Sarre, R., McIntyre, J., Parker, L., Fernando, M., & Moulds, S. (2022). You can say you wish King Charles would die, but you can't urinate on your back tyre: 8 common myths about Australian law. The Conversation.
2022 Moulds, S. (2022). 'All these people with lived experience are not being heard': what family violence survivors want policy makers to know. The Conversation.
2021 Sarre, R., & Moulds, S. (2021). The COVID vaccine is here. When and to whom will we need to prove we've had it?. The Conversation.
2021 Moulds, S. (2021). No, that's not the law: the danger of using pseudolegal arguments against COVID-19 rules. The Conversation.
2020 Moulds, S. (2020). As the first 'remote' sitting starts in Canberra, virtual parliaments should be the new norm, not a COVID bandaid. The Conversation.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Personal privacy versus public health in a pandemic. Solstice Media.
2019 Moulds, S. (2019). Why the government's proposed facial recognition database is causing such alarm. The Conversation.

  • Powerful Interventions: Improving the use and enforcement of Intervention Orders as a tool to address family and domestic violence in South Australia, The Law Foundation of SA Incorporated, 01/07/2021 - 30/06/2022

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