The Hon. George Brandis SC, Professor Gerard Carney, Professor Douglas Fisher and The Hon. Graham Perret MP during the conference
RoLIA and the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law at The University of Queensland’s TC Beirne School of Law were proud to present the Conference on Rule of Law: Contemporary Issues with the support of the Queensland Bar Association.
The conference, opened by Professor Gerard Carney (Dean, TC Beirne School of Law, UQ), featured a highly distinguished panel of senior judges, members of Parliament and academics and lead to lively debate on important issues arising in contemporary legal development. RoLIA is very pleased with the success of the day and is looking forward to future rule of law events in Queensland.
The conference dealt withquestions of central importance for the rule of law arising from legal developments in the areas of land management law and professional ethics.
Session one, The Australian Parliament and the Rule of Law provided insights into the influence of the rule of law in the political sphere from Senator The Hon. George Brandis SC (Shadow Federal Attorney-General) and The Hon. Graham Perret MP (Chair, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs).
Session two, The Rule of Law and Land Management Issues – Points of Conflict, chaired by the Hon. Justice Catherine E Holmes (Queensland Court of Appeal) shifted the focus of the conference to very topical environment issues and the rule of law. Professor Douglas Fisher (Faculty of Law, QUT) presented on Environmental Governance and Professor Suri Ratnapala (TC Beirne School of Law, UQ) spoke of vegetation management legislation.
Please follow the link to Prof. Fisher’s Paper
Please follow the link to Prof Fisher’s PowerPoint Slides
Professor Reid Mortensen, Professor Suri Ratnapala and Hon Justice James Douglas present during the conference
Session three, The Rule of Law and Legal Ethics – Points of Interest, chaired by Professor James Allan (TC Beirne School of Law, UQ) concluded the first part of the conference. Professor Reid Mortensen (School of Law, USQ) spoke on the legal profession national law and the Hon Justice James Douglas (Supreme Court of Queensland) gave insights into the issues of access to justice and self-representation, including what he terms a “querulous litigant”.
The conference was concluded with a luncheon address by the Hon. David F Jackson AM QC (Barrister at Law, former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia) at which attendee enjoyed first-hand knowledge of how the practice of law has changed.
RoLIA would like to thank its partner in the event, the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, particularly Professor Suri Ratnapala and Beth Williams for their contribution. Thanks must also go to the Queensland Bar Association for their assistance and finally to all those who attended. This was RoLIA’s first large event in Queensland and it was a success due to the large and engaged audience.
