Admiral Chris Barrie AC RAN, former chief of the Australian Defence Forces, has launched a new book by CQU Press on international law.

The book is 'The Sovereignity of the Falkland Islands' by Dr Dominic Katter.

The launch was held at the Queensland Barristers’ Association at Inns of Court in Brisbane and was attended by senior barristers, judges and RAN officers.

Professor David Myers, publisher for CQU Press, pointed out in his speech that now that Australia is engaged in complex discussions with East Timor over the exploitation of natural resources in the seas between our two island states, and now that we have all seen Australian naval ships giving determined chase to illegal fishing poachers in the seas between Australia and Antarctica, we are beginning to realise that issues in international law raised by the Falkland Islands war in 1982 have very significant implications for Australia.

Admiral Barrie pointed out how quickly old-fashioned notions of empires and the freedom of the high seas are yielding to new notions of zones of maritime influence, rights to natural resources and the self-determination of peoples.

The book carries glowing endorsements from The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephens, the Right Honourable Sir H.T. Gibbs and the Honourable G.E. Fitzgerald.

Photo (above): Professor David Myers AM, Admiral Chris Barrie AC RAN, and author Dr Dominic Katter at the book launch of 'The Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands'.

Photo (left): International guests, Mr Kunihira Koga and Ms Kyoko Takezawa, president and chief accountant of Tokyo Ishin Gakuin in Tokyo, chat with author Dr Dominic Katter.