Professor Rowena Maguire is Director of the QUT Centre for Justice. Rowena is an active research leader and interdisciplinary scholar who undertakes research in collaboration with industry, community, and interdisciplinary university partners. She enjoys work that is connected to ground, and which has the potential to influence change.
Rowena is currently working on two original programs of work: climate governance work focusing on gender, social inclusion, and effectiveness; and just transition to a circular economy.
In her work on climate governance, she draws upon her legal background to analyse how climate laws, policies and climate financing structures produce unintended consequences increasing inequality and vulnerability in a changing climate. Her scholarship on this topic draws upon intersectional feminist theory and methods, which is used to critically evaluate the law and in doing so identify the privileged knowledges, voices and agendas driving legal reform. Rowena has completed several projects for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research drawing upon this knowledge and is working on a QUT Centre for Justice project focused on disaster justice.
Rowena’s work on just transition to circular and sustainable economy draws upon regulatory and feminist theories to explore the institutional barriers and social implications of transitioning to a circular economy. Work on this topic explores the social and environmental issues across supply chains including waste, carbon emissions, modern slavery, and the role of regulatory mechanisms in the transition. Rowena’s project on this topic is funded by the Cotton Research Development Corporation, Australian Retailers Association and the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, the United Nations Environment Program and the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.
‘Law and policy play a significant role in shaping social norms and the practices of corporations and individuals. We are starting to see the emergence of legislation tackling unsustainable and unethical consumption and production coming via Modern Slavery reforms, Decarbonisation policies and Circularity initiatives.
My research is interested in exploring in how to shift and share responsibility for ethical and sustainable production and consumption and in the development of innovative and new ways of ensuring that the natural world and those exploited in global value chains are treated with care and are appropriately valued and protected’.
Research projects
Books by Rowena Maguire
Environmental, Planning and Climate Law in Queensland
Governing the Climate Change Regime: Institutional Integrity and Integrity Systems
7 citations on Scopus
Ethical Values and the Integrity of the Climate Change Regime
Shifting Global Powers and International Law: Challenges and Opportunities
- 2 citations on Scopus
Global Forest Governance: Legal Concepts and Policy Trends
- 8 citations on Scopus
Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in the Asia Pacific Region
Submissions by Rowena Maguire
Submission to Independent Review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct 2023-24
Submission to the Clean Economy Jobs, Resources and Transport Committee on the Clean Economy Jobs Bill 2024
Submission to the Environmental Protection (Powers and Penalties) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
Submission to Consultation: Improving the Powers and Penalties Provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1994
Feature articles by Rowena Maguire
Seven Steps to 'clean up' cotton industry
Labour price, not target retail price, should determine garment price for a living wage
Governments love to talk about 'shared responsibility' in a disaster – but does anyone know what it means?
Evading responsibility: Living Wage Methodologies and Initiatives in the Fashion Industry
citations on Web of Science
Contact
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Professor Rowena Maguire
Centre Director, Centre for Justice
Professor Rowena Maguire is Director of the QUT Centre for Justice. Rowena is an active research leader and interdisciplinary scholar who undertakes research in collaboration with industry, community, and interdisciplinary university partners. She enjoys work that is connected to ground, and which has the potential to influence change. Rowena is...
