Human Rights Symposium
Issues covered include: Bills of Rights, Human Rights Act (QLD), discrimination, litigating
Description
With the introduction of the Queensland Human Rights Act it’s important to know how the human rights landscape and your practice will change. Hear from distinguished speakers including The Hon. Justice Deborah Richards, The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG, the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner, and eminent barristers who will delve into how recent developments will shape the area and your practice.
Attend and earn 3 CPD units in Legal Knowledge
This seminar was recorded in QLD on 12 June 2019
Chair: The Hon. Justice Deborah Richards, District Court of Queensland; President, Children’s Court of Queensland
2.00pm to 2.05pm Opening Comments from the Chair
2.05pm to 2.45pm: The Australian Resistance to Bills of Rights
In these remarks, the Hon Michael Kirby, past Justice of the High Court of Australia, will explore Australia’s resistance to a Bill of Rights. He will offer a brief history of how the idea has been rejected and criticised in the past. He will examine the different approaches to the protection of rights in civilian and common law jurisdictions and why New Zealand, Canada and the UK moved towards protection and enumeration of rights when this had not been the common-law tradition. All of this will be analysed in the context of the impact of the Queensland legislation and how it will fall to judges and lawyers, who derive from a mainly hostile professional environment, to interpret and apply the legislation in a way that gives it life and fulfils the purposes of the Queensland Parliament in enacting this legislation for the better governance of the people of the State.
Presented by The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG
2.45pm to 3.25pm: The Queensland Human Rights Act
- Major features of the Act
- Analysis of the Act
- Reference to similar Acts in Victoria, ACT and UK jurisdictions
Presented by Christopher Crawford, Barrister, Level 10, Inns of Court
3.25pm to 3.40pm Afternoon Tea
3.40pm to 4.20pm: From Equality to Dignity: Discrimination and the Queensland Human Rights Act
- Gaps in the discrimination laws now protected by the Act
- Interplay between the ADA and the HRA
- Functions of the new Commission and in particular how it might play its role in building a human rights culture in Queensland
Presented by Scott McDougall, Anti-discrimination Commissioner, Future Queensland Human Rights Commissioner
4.20pm to 5.00pm: Learning to Litigate Under Human Rights Legislation: Lessons From New Zealand and Victoria
- Pitfalls and opportunities
- Choosing cases
- Normalising human rights litigation
Presented by Saul Holt QC, 8 Petrie Terrace Chambers; Preeminent Criminal Law Senior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2018
5.00pm to 5.30pm: Interactive Panel Discussion: Human Rights in Queensland
Facilitated by The Hon. Justice Deborah Richards, District Court of Queensland; President, Children’s Court of Queensland
Panellists:
Damien Atkinson QC, 31 West Chambers; Chair, Bar Association of Queensland Human Rights Committee; Recommended Insurance and Recommended Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2018
Scott McDougall, Anti-discrimination Commissioner, Future Queensland Human Rights Commissioner
The Hon. Justice Roslyn Atkinson AO
Venue
Mercure Brisbane
Level 2, 85-87 North Quay
Brisbane 4000
QLD
Australia