Executive Pay Forum
On Wednesday, 10 September 2003, the Centre for Commercial Law and the Australian Labour Law Association (ACT Chapter) hosted a forum on Executive Pay.
Guest speakers were:
Senator Ian Campbell, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer since November 2001. His portfolio includes responsibility for the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program, financial services and regulation policy, competition and consumer issues, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Foreign Investment Review Board.
Senator Joe Ludwig, Parliamentary Secretary (Shadow Attorney-General); Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate.
Dr Michael O’Donnell, Senior Lecturer, School of Management and Policy, Division of Business, Law & Information Sciences, The University of Canberra. Co-author of “The Buck Stops Here: Private Sector Executive Remuneration in Australia” (2003) - a report prepared for the Labor Council of New South Wales.
The Forum addressed a range of regulatory and other issues that have emerged in light of the increased focus on executive remuneration and termination payments over the last few years.
Please click here for an ABC News Online report
For information about the Australian Labour Law Association, please contact Anthony Forsyth.
Public Lecture
Colin Neave, Australian Banking Ombudsman, presented a seminar on "Industry Funded ADR and Voluntary Codes of Practice" at the Faculty of Law on 17 June 2003.
Colin Neave practised as a Solicitor in Melbourne for 20 years between 1967 and 1987. The last five years of that period he was Manager-Legal for, then Company Secretary of, AMI Toyota Ltd, then a listed public company.
Between 1987 and 1996, he held senior positions with various Governments, including Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department in Victoria, Commissioner for Consumer Affairs in South Australia and Managing Director of the Legal Aid Commission in New South Wales.
He commenced as the Australian Banking Ombudsman in February 1996. He has been the Chairman of the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (and its predecessors) since July 1997.
The event was free and open to the public.
Mr Colin Neave (left) with Professor Stephen Bottomley
PM
stands by his duty to appoint - writes Daniel Stewart Canberra
Times Article
(Friday, 20 May 2003)
Peta
Spender
- Appointed
Chair of the ACT Fair Trading Advisory Committee
Peta Spender, Reader in Law in the Faculty of Law, has been appointed
Chair of the ACT Fair Trading Advisory Committee by the ACT Attorney General,
Mr Jon Stanhope. The Committee is responsible for advising the ACT Government
and the Commissioner for Fair Trading on issues affecting the interests
of consumers and unfair practices affecting traders. The inaugural meeting
of the re-established Committee took place on Friday 23 May. The Committee
will be generating and responding to productive debate about consumer
issues and fair trading.
Commercial
Law Conference:
"
Commercial Law - Private Business/Public Concern"
The
conference was held on 30 September 2002 at the ANU Faculty of Law
The theme of this conference coverd contemporary issues, such as the insurance crisis and the problem of unpaid worker's entitlements. It also covered longstanding issues, such as the extent to which commercial law should be regulated or left to private agreements. Is there a need for government regulation of commercial dealings? What form should that regulation take? Even if commercial law is regarded as essentially private, is there nevertheless a place for 'public' concepts, such as good faith etc? Mr Justice Ken Hayne AC, High Court of Australia, delivered the opening address. Papers were presented by Faculty Staff, Distinguished Associates of the Centre and leading academics from Canberra.
Above: Mr Justice Ken Hayne AC
Click
here for the opening address by Mr Justice Ken Hayne AC,
High Court of Australia.
Click here for the Program and Biography of Speakers
Presentation Notes:
Dr Nick Seddon, Blake Dawson Waldron and Distinguished Associate of the Centre for Commercial Law (work in progress)
Professor Bryan Horrigan, Director, National Centre for Corporate Law and Policy Research, University of Canberra (presentation slides)
Ms Anne McNaughton, Law Faculty, The Australian National University (not available)
Mr Colin Scott, RegNet, The Australian National University (presentation slides)
Professor Phillipa Weeks, Law Faculty, The Australian National University (not available)
Phillipa Weeks has been elected to the national Committee of the Australian Labour Law Association
Public lecture by Professor E.Allan Farnsworth
Click here to listen to Professor Farnsworth's lecture
On 20 August 2002, Professor E. Allan Farnsworth, Alfred McCormack Professor of Law, Columbia University, presented a public lecture at the ANU Faculty of Law. The lecture was organised by the Centre for Commercial Law and Phillips Fox Lawyers. Professor Farnsworth is one of the leading international scholars in contract law. His lecture entitled "Good Faith in Contract, and in Pre-Contractual Dealings" addressed an issue that is at the forefront of contract law development in Australia.
For a copy of Professor Farnsworth's paper, please send an e-mail with your postal address to ccl.law@anu.edu.au
Professor Stephen Bottomley (left) with Professor E.Allan Farnsworth (right)
Professor Farnsworth's visit to Australia has been made possible by the Australian Mining & Petroleum Law Association.
Successful book launch in Canberra
Commercial Law and Human Rights, edited by Stephen Bottomley and David Kinley, was officially launched in Canberra on 1 May 2002. The guest speaker of the evening was Mr Chris Sidoti, National Spokesperson of the Human Rights Council of Australia. His talk addressed the question "what have human rights to do with commercial law?". Mr Sidoti highlighted that this book "recognises the cross-cutting nature of human rights by bringing in the perspectives not only of pure commercial lawyers but of many academics and commentators from many fields that touch on human rights or commercial law".
The book is published by Ashgate Publishing and more information is available on their website.
Commercial Law Teaching Workshop
On Friday 5 April 2002, about thirty commercial law teachers from around Australia met for a one-day workshop to discuss and share their experiences in teaching commercial law. The purpose of the workshop was for commercial law teachers to have an opportunity to talk to teachers in other commercial law specialisations, to see what challenges and opportunities we have in common.
Nearly all areas of commercial law were 'represented', including contract, tax, negotiable instruments, trade practices, insolvency, and intellectual property. Participants, who came from law schools and commerce faculties, discussed a range of topics, including: use of the internet, web-based teaching, the problems of teaching complex statutes, teaching in small and large groups, and the creative use of props to engage student attention.
The Workshop was generously supported by CCH Australia Ltd.
From left to right: David Grace, CCH; Professor Stephen Bottomley, CCL; and Chris Flannagen, CCH