Conference Program

Welcome Reception Update
Due to strict Government House regulations, as at COB Friday 17th October, tickets to the Welcome Reception, hosted by His Excellency the Governor and Mrs Scarce at Government House will no longer be available. For those delegates who have registered to attend, you will receive an invitation from Government House in due course.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

The Asia Pacific Coroners Society annual conference is a prestigious and well attended annual event. It is attended by coroners throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. It is attended by persons who have an interest in the coronial jurisdiction such as counsel assisting, forensic pathologists, coronial investigators, court administrators, statisticians and other stakeholders in the jurisdiction.
A highlight of the program will be the keynote speech by lord Justice Scott Baker. Lord Justice Scott baker has recently completed his duties as the Coroner presiding over the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr Dodi Al Fayed. His speech is titled ‘Issues relating to the long and highly publicised Inquest’.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS

The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Scott Baker was appointed as a High Court Judge in the Family Division (1988092) and then transferred to the Queen’s Bench Division in 1992.  In 1978 he was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel.  He became a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2002.   Lord Justice Scott Baker formally took over as an Assistant Deputy Coroner of inner West London for the purposes of hearing the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. The appointment was made by the Coroner for Inner West London, Dr Paul Knapman.  He will deliver the keynote address and explore issues related to the long and highly publicised inquest.

Julian Burnside QC is an Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate, and author. He is known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and has provided legal counsel in a wide array of high-profile cases.

Professor Diego De Leo is Director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention and Professor of Psychiatry. He was the Co-Founder and President of the International Academy for Suicide Research and also the President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. He is now Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention based at Griffith University.  The winner of several international awards, Professor De Leo is extensively published, with 28 volumes and more than 180 peer-reviewed articles. He sits on the editorial board of eight international journals, and a number of national and international committees. 

Dr Michael King SM is currently a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Monash University.  He has published and lectured on therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice and other aspects of comprehensive or non-adversarial approaches to justice in Australia, the UK and the USA.  He was involved in introducing three therapeutic jurisprudence based court projects while in Geraldton.  His paper will suggest a model for the use of these processes in the coroner’s court to minimise negative effects of the coroner’s court processes on the bereaved whilst also promoting public health and safety.

Professor Roger Byard is the Marks Professor of Pathology at the University of Adelaide.  He is an expert in the fields of forensic pathology, sudden unexplained death in children, child safety and paediatric pathology.  Many of our conference registrants will know Prof Byard and will appreciate his reputation for informative and interesting presentations.

DISCLAIMER

The speakers, topics and times are correct at the time of printing. In the event of unforseen circumstances, the Organising Committee reserves the right to delete or alter items in the Conference Program.