Governments typically protect classified information about national security, intelligence sources and defence operations. However when that kind of information is relevant to court proceedings, difficult issues arise about when and how it is provided to the court and the parties, and whether it should be made public for reasons of open justice. These issues can loom large in terrorism prosecutions, proceedings about sensitive military operations, and prosecutions of government and intelligence officials alleged to have leaked classified information.

Join Mr Tim Begbie QC as he examines the tension between two important public interests – the public interest in courts and parties having access to secret government information, and the public interest in keeping that information secret.

11am - 12pm : Seminar

12pm - 1pm : Informal networking over lunch

(light lunch provided and catered for most dietary requirements)

AGSxANU Seminar Series with Tim Begbie

This seminar is the second instalment in our four-part event series co-hosted by the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) and ANU College of Law.

ANU Law has partnered with Tim Begbie QC, Senior General Counsel at AGS, to deliver a four-part seminar series covering public law topics and cases that are not otherwise addressed in the curriculum.

Mr Begbie will speak about cases he has appeared in to give students and staff a window into the actual case and courtroom dynamics, not merely a lecture on legal principles. These seminars are designed to instigate discussion and questions from students and staff.

This seminar series will look at fundamental public law principles that operate to protect the integrity and functioning of the central actors in the public law world. The first seminar considered how parliamentary privilege operates to safeguard the functioning of parliamentary activities. This seminar will consider how public interest immunity operates to safeguard the functioning of governmental activities.

Speaker: Tim Begbie QC

Tim Begbie QC is a leader of the AGS in-house counsel practice, where he appears in significant and complex public law cases for the Government in relation to regulation, law enforcement, national security, privileges and a wide array of other public law issues. He appears as lead counsel at trial and appellate levels and has appeared with Solicitors-General in numerous significant cases.

Australian Government Solicitor

AGS is the Australian Government’s central legal service. As a group in the Attorney-General’s Department, AGS is a centre of excellence and expertise in areas of law of importance to the Commonwealth. We manage high-profile, complex, systemic and precedential issues for Commonwealth clients.

Please note: This event is open to ANU Law students and staff only.