The Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law (CPICL) at The University of Queensland’s TC Beirne School of Law and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) are proud to present the conference: Promoting Administrative Justice – Efficiency, Transparency and Fairness.

Featuring a distinguished assembly of senior judges, tribunal members, lawyers, government agency representatives and academics working within Queensland and Commonwealth jurisdictions, this one-day event promises lively and informed discussion and debate on contemporary issues arising in administrative law and administrative review.

The conference will be of interest and relevance to public lawyers, academics, public officials and law students who want to develop their understanding of different forms and methods of securing accountability over government decision making, and to keep up to date on contemporary developments and challenges in the field.

Members of the legal profession may also claim CPD points for attending on a full-day basis.

Information correct as at date of event.

The Hon. Justice Alan Wilson

Judge, Supreme Court of Queensland
President, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Justice Wilson was appointed a judge of the Queensland District Court, working predominantly in the civil jurisdiction and the Planning and Environment Court.  Between 2003 and 2008, he managed the lists in the Planning and Environment Court, and was instrumental in introducing changes to its practices.  Justice Wilson was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2009, simultaneous with his appointment as President of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.  Before appointment as a judge, Justice Wilson practised as a barrister for 18 years, and was appointed Senior Counsel in 1999. He has wide experience in both the private and public sectors of the legal system. He specialized in succession law and equity, and also worked extensively as a mediator. 

His special interests as a judge have been in improving access to justice through mediation and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Court governance and administration, and the education and training of the judiciary.  Justice Wilson has a particular interest in reforming the way judges explain their decisions and is an advocate of simpler, more accessible reasons for judgment. To that end, he has been a member of the governing council of the National Judicial College of Australia, a body dedicated to continuing education and training for judges.  He has presented at NJCA courses on judgment writing in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and at the NJCA's "baby judges" programs.

Since November 2009 Justice Wilson's time has been devoted to QCAT, a new, large and very busy state 'super' tribunal, which absorbed 18 tribunals and now has over 150 jurisdictions.  As President, his interest in ADR, case management, and effective decision writing has had full rein.

 

The Hon. Justice Duncan Kerr, Chev LH

Judge, Federal Court of Australia
President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal

The Honourable Justice Duncan Kerr was, on 10 May 2012, appointed president of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a period of five years. Prior to this, and his simultaneous appointment as judge of the Federal Court, he worked as a barrister and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2004; his work focused on constitutional law, administrative law and appellate work. He is only the second Tasmanian appointed to the Federal Court and is also the first president of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to be appointed from a state other than New South Wales, Victoria, or Queensland.

Justice Kerr has enjoyed a distinguished career in politics. From 1987 until 2010 he served in the Parliament of Australia as the Member for Denison. During his Parliamentary career he was Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Attorney General for a period in 1993 and Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs from 2007 to 2009. Before and during his Parliamentary service he appeared as counsel in many jurisdictions including acting in high profile cases in the High Court of Australia, including Plaintiff S157.

Prior to entering politics, Justice Kerr worked as Crown Counsel (Tasmania) and as a solicitor and counsel in Papua New Guinea, Tasmania and New South Wales and was Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea from 1983 to 1985.

 

Dr Peter Billings

Senior Lecturer, Fellow Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland

Peter teaches administrative law and immigration and refugee law at undergraduate level and also offers a postgraduate law course on administrative review tribunals. He is Director of Mooting and co-Director of the UQ Pro Bono Centre. Before taking up his position at the University of Queensland in 2007 he taught public law and refugee law at The University of Southampton and The University of the West of England, Bristol, respectively.

He has published widely in leading law journals such as Public Law, Journal of Social Security Law, Melbourne University Law Review and Australian Journal of Administrative Law. He has recently co-authored two book chapters with Associate Professor Anthony Cassimatis, including an analysis of recent migration decisions of the HCA, including Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v M70 - the decision that deemed the proposed 'Malaysian Solution' unlawful.

 

Andrew Brown

Deputy Ombudsman, Queensland

Andrew Brown is the Deputy Queensland Ombudsman and was appointed to that role in October 2011. Before this appointment Andrew had worked in the area of corrective services for over 11 years, most recently as the Chief Inspector of Prisons. Andrew originally commenced at the then Department of Corrective Services as a legal adviser and has held a number of other roles in that Agency including Director of Legal Services. On two occasions he also project-managed tenders for the State's two private prisons.

He has a Bachelor of Arts/Law, is an admitted solicitor and has recently completed an Executive Masters of Public Administration through the Australian and New Zealand School of Government.

 

Shane Budden 

Manager, Legal Services, Qld Building Services Authority

Shane Budden was admitted in 1992 and spent several years in private practice before joining the Legal Branch of the Ipswich City Council. In 2001 he moved to a similar role at the Queensland Building Services Authority, primarily because of the Authority's greater focus on advocacy; in 2006 he became Manager of the Authority's Legal Services Branch.

Shane has appeared as an advocate in many jurisdictions, including QCAT and its forerunners the CCT and QBT, and the Magistrates and District Courts; he has also been heavily involved in policy and legislation development at the Authority. In addition to his duties with the QBSA, Shane is a member of the Queensland Law Society's Government Lawyers' Committee and writes a monthly column in Proctor.

 

Dr Anthony E Cassimatis

Associate Professor, Fellow Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland

Anthony teaches administrative law and public international law at undergraduate level at the TC Beirne School of Law.  He has also taught international human rights law.  In the area of administrative law Anthony has authored a number of articles in the Melbourne University Law Review and the Australian Journal of Administrative Law.  Anthony has also co-authored, with Dr Peter Billings, book chapters on the legislative changes to the Northern Territory intervention and the High Court's M70decision, as well as various submissions to the federal and State governments on the intervention and on administrative law reform.  Anthony is a fellow (and a member of the executive) of the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law within the University of Queensland and is the chairperson of the Queensland International Humanitarian Law Committee of the Australian Red Cross.  Anthony was a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at Cambridge University in 2007.

 

Barry Dunphy

Partner, Clayton Utz, Brisbane

Barry Dunphy is the head, both nationally and in Queensland, of the Clayton Utz Government Services practice. Barry is a very experienced Government and Regulatory lawyer who has provided complex, high level advice to government agencies at the Commonwealth, State and Local government levels. Barry's practice focuses on providing expert advice and guidance to senior government decision makers, corporatised government entities and regulatory agencies.

Barry has over 25 years' experience in providing high level advice and a range of legal services to Ministers, Senior Executives and government agencies at the Commonwealth, State and Local government levels. These services include government policy, legislative and regulatory reviews; legislative and regulatory drafting and general advisory services.

Over the past decade Barry has presented approximately 150 training workshops on various topics including Government Decision-Making, Corporate Governance and Risk Management, Public Records and Document Management, Statutory Interpretation, Freedom of Information, and Conflicts of Interest. Barry is the former Crown Solicitor of Queensland and has previously been named the ACLA Australian Corporate Lawyer of the Year.

 

Kerrie O'Callaghan

Senior Member Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Kerrie O'Callaghan is a Senior Member of QCAT.  She has been involved in the legal profession in numerous roles since her admission as a solicitor in 1985.  She has been a partner in a national law firm and the in-house lawyer of a national construction company.  She has sat on a number of Tribunals including the Queensland Building Tribunal and the Guardianship and Administration Tribunal.

At QCAT, Kerrie has had responsibility for a number of lists across the civil jurisdiction.  She is currently responsible for the management of the Administrative Review and Disciplinary lists.

 

Michelle Howard 

Member, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Michelle Howard was admitted as a lawyer in 1986. She has worked in private practice as a solicitor, and in the public sector.

Over the last 12 years, she has been a Member of various tribunals.  She was Queensland's Public Advocate from 2006 to 2009.  She holds a Master of Laws (Public Law). She has worked in the federal merits review jurisdiction.

She has been a full-time Member of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal since its establishment in late 2009. At QCAT, she works across a wide variety of areas of the Tribunal's jurisdiction including the review jurisdiction. She currently has responsibility for the retail shop leases and the liquor lists.

 

Bernard McCabe

Senior Member, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Brisbane Registry

Bernard McCabe was appointed a part-time member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 2001, and he was appointed as a full-time senior member in 2003. Before his appointment to the Tribunal, Bernard was a faculty member at Bond University's School of Law. He specialised in corporate and competition law and the law regulating freedom of expression. Bernard also served on the legal committee of the Companies and Securities Advisory Committee, the Commonwealth government's peak advisory body on corporate law reform.

Bernard is currently an adjunct professor at Bond University, where he is also a director of the Commercial Law Centre. He is a section editor of the Competition and Consumer Law Journal and the Corporate Governance eJournal.

 

Philippa Mott

Assistant Crown Solicitor, Constitutional Law, Crown Law

Philippa Mott was admitted as a solicitor in April 1993 and until 1999 worked in Crown Law, predominantly in the area of Administrative Law. Principally, this involved the provision of advice in relation to the Judicial Review Act 1991, and Freedom of Information Act 1992.  It also involved conducting a very busy judicial review litigation practice. During this time, Philippa also spent approximately eighteen months working as in-house counsel at the Department of Education.  

After working part-time for a number of years, concentrating on advisory work predominantly in the areas of statutory interpretation and Constitutional Law, Philippa began working full time again in 2009.  From that time, she has worked almost exclusively in Constitutional Law, advising in areas involving State constitutional arrangements and Commonwealth constitutional law.  Additionally, Philippa has also been involved in litigating, on behalf of the State, a number of matters in the High Court of Australia.  Earlier this year, she took over the role of Assistant Crown Solicitor for Constitutional Law at Crown Law.

 

Suzette Jefferies

Assistant Information Commissioner, Office of the Information Commissioner, Queensland

Suzette Jefferies is an Assistant Information Commissioner with the Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC). Suzette worked for a number of years with disadvantaged youth on the Gold Coast and in Logan and was later a team leader with QPILCH's Homeless Person's Legal Clinic. Admitted as a solicitor in 2004, she practised as an employment lawyer in a national law firm until joining the OIC at the end of 2006. Suzette has had a significant role in developing OIC's approaches to alternative dispute resolution within the external review jurisdiction, including leading teams to pilot and establish OIC's early assessment and resolution team and to collate, manage and publish OIC's knowledge resources. Suzette currently manages OIC's early assessment and resolution team.

The hotels on this list are located within easy walking distance of the conference venue. The list is not exhaustive. Appearance on this list does not imply recommendation.

The Marriott Hotel – 5 star
515 Queen Street, Brisbane (Ask for Government Rates, The University of Queensland, $233 per night subject to room availablity) – Phone 61 7 3303 8000 - 
www.marriott.com.au/hotels/travel/bnedt-brisbane-marriott-hotel/

The Stamford Plaza – 5 star
Corner of Margaret & Edward Streets, Brisbane (Ask for The University of Queensland Corporate Rate, $230 per night, subject to room availability) – Phone 61 7 3221 1999 - 
www.stamford.com.au/spb/

Sofitel – 5 - star
249 Turbot Street (adjacent to Brisbane Central Station) – Phone 61 7 3835 3535 – Rooms from $325 per night, 
www.sofitelbrisbane.com.au

Clarion Collection Rendezvous Hotel – 4.5 star
255 Ann Street (opposite Brisbane Central Station) – Phone 61 7 3001 9888 – Rooms from $188 per night, 
www.choicehotels.com.au

Quality Hotel The Inchcolm – 4 star
73 Wickham Terrace (near Turbot Street) – Phone 61 7 3226 8888 – Rooms from $149 per night, 
www.choicehotels.com.au

Astor Metropole Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
193 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill (near Upper Edward Street) – Phone 61 7 3144 4000 – Rooms from $149 per night, 
www.astorhotel.com.au

Novotel Brisbane – 4.5 star
200 Creek Street (near Turbot Street/Wickham Terrace) – Phone 61 7 3309 3309 – Rooms from $259 per night, 
www.novotelbrisbane.com/contact.html

Oaks Aurora Tower (Apartments) – 4.5 star
420 Queen Street, Brisbane – Phone 61 7 3838 9800 – Rooms from $154 per night 
www.oakshotelsresorts.com/oaks-aurora/

Mantra on Queen Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
570 Queen Street, Brisbane – Phone 61 7 3234 8888 – Rooms from $175 per night, 
www.mantra.com.au/queensland/brisbane-and-surrounds/brisbane/accommodation/hotels/mantra-on-queen/

Medina Executive Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
15 Ivory Lane, Brisbane (On top of Hill next to Story Bridge) – Phone 61 7 3218 5800 – Rooms from $142 per night, 
www.medina.com.au/medina-executive-brisbane/hotel

Hotel George Williams (YMCA) – 3.5 Star
317-325 George Street, Brisbane Rooms from $105 per night Phone: 61 7 3308 0700 Web: 
www.hgw.com.au

Snooze Inn – 3 Star
383 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane Rooms from $109 per night Phone: 61 7 3620 4800 Web: 
www.snoozeinn.com.au

Metro Hotel Tower Mill – 3 Star
239 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane Rooms from $130 per night Phone: 61 7 3832 1421 Web: 
www.metrohotels.com.au/brisbane-hotels/metro-hotel-tower-mill-on-wickham-terrace-5

Explorers Inn – 3 Star
63 Turbot St, cnr George St, Brisbane Rooms from $100 per night Phone: 61 7 3211 3488 Web: 
www.explorers.com.au

If you would prefer to stay closer to the University of Queensland some options are:

The Jephson Hotel at Toowong – 4 star
63 Jephson Street, Cnr Sherwood Road, Toowong, 10mins bus ride to the city, plenty of transport available - Phone 61 7 3736 4400 – Rooms from $209 per night, 
www.jephsonhotel.com.au/Reservations.aspx

Chasely Apartments – 3.5 star
435 Coronation Drive, (Cnr of Chasely Street) Auchenflower, 10mins bus ride to the city, with plenty of transport available - Phone 61 7 3371 4000 – Rooms from $155 per night, 
www.chasely.com.au/location