Veterans Entitlement: A Practical Guide
This inaugural event will give you a solid grounding in the issues involved in the specialised and complex areas of the law of military compensation and veteran’s entitlement. With hundreds of thousands of veterans and members of the ADF, and their dependents, the issues presented here are of great relevance. Dive into the intricacies of the court and tribunal systems and get an overview of the military compensation scheme, all while understanding the unique mental health issues affecting veteran’s claims.
Description
Attend and earn 3.5 CPD units including:
3 units in Substantive Law
0.5 unit in Professional Skills
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Chair: Katrina Harry PSM, Veterans’ Review Board National Registrar and Chief Legal Counsel, Veterans’ Review Board; Accredited Specialist in Government and Administrative Law
10.00am to 10.15am: Keynote Address
Presented by Major General Greg Melick, AO, RFD, FANZCN, SC, National President, Returned and Services Leagues of Australia (RSL)
Professional Skills
10.15am to 10.45am: Mental Health Considerations when Dealing with Veterans
Presented by Joe Losinno, Psychologist, Soldier On
10.45am to 11.20am: Recent Developments in DVA Legislation
Presented by Margaret Horne, Director, Legislation & Instruments Section, Legal Services and Audit Branch, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
11.20am to 11.30am Break
11.30am to 12.10pm: Military Compensation: Tips and Tricks
Presented by Brian Briggs, National Military Compensation Expert, Slater and Gordon Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law
12.10pm to 12.45pm: Veterans: Court and Tribunal Litigation
Presented by Matt Black, Barrister, Quay 11 Chambers
12.45pm to 1.30pm: Creation of New Roles
- Appointment of a Special Investigator to cover alleged war crimes: Hear from the representative of a soldier who was prosecuted and who sued for malicious prosecution
- National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention
Presented by Greg Isolani, Partner, KCI Lawyers
Presenters
Katrina Harry PSM
Katrina is the National Registrar and Chief Legal Counsel of the Veterans’ Review Board, responsible for managing the staff and functions of the Board across Australia. A lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in local, state and federal Government, Katrina led the development of the Board’s transformative Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program and in 2017 was awarded a Public Service Medal for her work. Katrina is an Accredited Specialist in Government and Administrative Law. In addition, as a former senior lawyer at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Katrina regularly appeared as the solicitor on the record at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, as well as providing legal and policy advice.
Major General Greg Melick, AO, RFD, FANZCN, SC
Greg practices as barrister and mediator in several jurisdictions in both criminal and civil matters and holds several concurrent positions, including as National President of the Returned and Services League (RSL) Australia, part-time Deputy President of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and Special Investigator for Cricket Australia. He is a former Principal Crown Counsel, Statutory Member of the National Crime Authority, the New South Wales Casino Control Authority and Major General in the Australian Defence Force.
Joe Losinno
Joe is a psychologist working for Soldier On in Victoria and in Private Practice. He completed his Masters in Clinical Psychology at Charles Sturt University and has served as a full-time Psychology Officer in the Australian Army for 10 years with operational experience. Following his discharge from Defence in August 2017, Joe has predominately provided treatment to currently serving military members, veterans, and emergency workers, particularly for AFP members and NSW Police. Joe has assisted in the development of trauma-informed treatments in group and individual settings for both hospital and community settings including compassion focused drug and alcohol programs for people with complex traumas.
Margaret Horne
Margaret is currently Director Legislation and Instruments in the Legal Services and Audit Branch of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. She has previously worked as Principal Legal Officer in the Clean Energy Regulator, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, and Department of Health and Ageing, where she spent over a decade advising on aged care law. She has also worked as a policy officer in the Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Transport, and Climate Change, developing the National Competition Policy, deregulating the shipping and aviation sectors and developing the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and Carbon Farming Initiative.
Brian Briggs
Brian is an Australian Military Compensation Expert and National Practice Group Leader at Slater and Gordon Lawyers. He is a QLD Accredited Specialist in Personal Injuries Law with over 30 years’ experience. As a specialist in DVA Legislation he has represented thousands of clients & numerous submissions to various Senate Inquiries on issues involving military personnel. He is acknowledged as the foremost advocate for victims of abuse in the military. Brian Briggs is an active advocate for the rights of Australian Military Personnel & works tirelessly towards better outcomes for those who have been injured due to their service.
Matt Black
Matt is a barrister at the Queensland Bar and a member of Quay 11 Chambers. He has a particular interest in administrative law, and appears for both applicants and respondents in merits and judicial review proceedings. He has a broad practice, including general civil litigation, personal injuries, disciplinary law, and workers' compensation. Before coming to the Bar, Matt practised as an in-house lawyer with Centrelink in the areas of administrative law, social security, and general advising.
Greg Isolani
Greg graduated from Monash University in 1989 with a combined Arts / Law degree and commenced articles at Maurice Blackburn practicing in State Worker’s compensation and litigation. From 1992, he worked at Slater and Gordon practicing in Commonwealth compensation. Following the introduction of, "No Win – No Fee" advertising, he represented Veterans before the AAT and Federal court appeals. In 1995, he established an Australia wide, "Military Compensation" practice at Ryan Carlisle Thomas and appeared before Senate and Commonwealth committees advocating veteran’s issues, including policies and procedures with respect to sexual harassment resulting in the investigation into ADFA in 1997.
In 2001, he was a founding partner of KCI Lawyers, specialising in Military Compensation, Superannuation, Litigation and Coroner’s Inquests. From 2001 to 2003, he sat on the DVA, "Working Group" to reform Veterans’ legislation leading to the introduction of the Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act (2004). He is an author in the "Lawyers Practice Manual" in "Veterans’ Law" and publishes articles in journals, magazines and continues to advocate on behalf of Veterans’ and their families.