Venue for the meeting is: Court 18A, Federal Court, Queens Square, Sydney NSW.
Members of the Association are invited to attend a seminar following the Annual General Meeting:
'Insult and Emotion, Calumny and Invective': The Constitutional Protection of Incivility in Political Communication
Speaker: Professor Adrienne Stone, Melbourne Law School
Commentators: Mr Brian Rayment QC (Tenth Floor Wentworth Chambers), Mr Bret Walker SC (Fifth Floor St James Hall)
Chair: The Honourable Justice Stephen Rothman AM (Supreme Court of New South Wales)
This paper will consider the significance of the High Court's consistent observation that Australian political debate is properly considered to be unruly and raucous and may involve unpleasantness and insult. The observation places Australia in a distinctive and counterintuitive position. The constitutional protection of insulting words in political communication may be somewhat stronger than under the Human Rights Acts 1998 (UK).
Note: this is a member-only seminar. New members should apply online should they wish to attend the seminar.