Sydney Law School Building Opening - 10am-3pm, Thursday 30 April

Program Details

Dialogue and Debate | Exhibitions and Displays | Activities and Entertainment

Dialogue and Debate

Debate: That It Is Too Late To Do Anything About Climate Change?
10.00-11.00am, Moot Court & The Lounge
A lively debate moderated by Adam Spencer and featuring speakers drawn from a wide range of disciplines throughout the University.

Speakers for the proposition:
Professor Tony Vassallo, Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy;
Kate Miles, International and Environmental Law lecturer, Sydney Law School;
Tom Kaldor, prominent Sydney University debater.

Speakers against the proposition:
Professor Mark Adams, Dean of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources;
Anna Rose, First class honours Law student and Founder of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition;
Adriana Edmeads, prominent Sydney University debater and star Jessup mooter.



In Conversation Panel Debate: State Building: The New Imperialism?
10.30-11.30am, Seminar Room 100
Who are we to impose our ideology of democracy, human rights and the rule of law on foreign countries? Experienced panelists will discuss the morality of law and development.

Speakers include:
Professor Lee Burns, Sydney Law School;
Professor David Kinley, Sydney Law School;
Professor Martin Krygier, Faculty of Law, UNSW;
Natasha Simonsen, 2009 Rhodes Scholar and human rights lawyer;
Dr Ben Saul, Sydney Law School (Moderator).



Resolving Disputes: from Mediation to Mooting
11.30-3.00pm, Moot Court
Popular culture portrays lawyers as legal ‘gladiators’ in the courtroom - but real lawyers are more likely to be forging agreements or resolving disputes. Staff and students will demonstrate a range of legal skills and our prize-winning team of mooters will argue a case that involves terrorism, war crimes, and abductions.

The comprehensive program includes:
11.30am – 12.30pm
Panel discussion: Beyond the Soap Operas: What do Lawyers Really Do?

Speakers include Sir Laurence Street, former Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor of NSW; Tom Altobell, Federal Magistrate; Alan Limbury, Dispute Rsolution Practitioner; and Shirli Kirschner, Resolve Advisers.

1.00 - 2.00pm
Demonstration moot by our championship Jessup mooters

2.00 - 3.00pm
Famous Courtroom Scenes: A Dramatic Presentation by SULS
Students from Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) will present famous courtroom scenes from film and theatre, along with extracts from forthcoming play The Trials of Oscar Wilde.



Seminar: Are Companies Capable of Telling the Truth?
11.15-12.30pm, Lecture Theatre 106
A provocative seminar exploring the excesses of executives.

Speakers include:
Alan Cameron AM, Deputy Chancellor, The University of Sydney;
Professor Tyrone Carlin, Faculty of Economics & Business, The University of Sydney;
Saul Fridman, Sydney Law School;
Associate Professor Barbara McDonald, Sydney Law School;
Professor Richard Vann, Sydney Law School (Chair).



Talkback: Death Penalty in Asia
1.00-2.00pm, Lecture Theatre 106
An audience-led discussion on the death penalty in various parts of Asia, including Indonesia, Japan and China, with a focus on the Bali 9 case in Indonesia and international law relating to the death penalty.

Speakers include:
Vivienne Bath, Sydney Law School;
Dr Simon Butt, Sydney Law School;
Dr Salim Farrar, Sydney Law School;
Dr Luke Nottage, Sydney Law School.



Hypothetical: A Womb with a View
1.15-2.15pm, Seminar Room 100
A fun and light hearted hypothetical where panelists role-play issues of law and genetics. The story involves a child with a terrible disease, the creation of a saviour sibling and the consequences of unintended side-effects. Come and watch the chaos ensue and hopefully learn a thing or two!

Speakers include:
Emeritus Professor David Weisbrot AM, Australian Law Reform Commission;
Associate Professor Ian Kerridge, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney;
Professor Belinda Bennett, Sydney Law School;
Associate Professor Cameron Stewart, Sydney Law School;
Dr Kristin Savell; Sydney Law School;
with closing remarks by Professor Terry Carney, Sydney Law School.

Exhibitions and Displays

A series of exhibitions and displays will run from 10.00am-3.00pm throughout the building:


Imprisoned: Whose Responsibility?
10.00am-3.00pm, Faculty Common Room
A multimedia and art exhibition with Boomgate Gallery (Long Bay Correctional Complex) and the Justice & Police Museum seeking to draw attention to rising prison populations, presented alongside poetry and music from inmates recorded for the Community Restorative Centre Jailbreak Radio Program.


Indigenous Stories from the Northern Territory: the Basis for the Legal Battle
10.00am-3.00pm, Level 3 Foyer
Screening of the 2007 Message Sticks program, ‘Ripples from Wave Hill’, on legal redress for injustice to Indigenous workers.


Where Are They Now? Sydney Law School Alumni Beyond the Law
10.00am-3.00pm, Level 1 stairwell
A series of profiles of prominent Sydney Law School alumni who have gone on to do something different with their law degree – everything from television and comedy careers through to international aid work with the United Nations. Featured alumni include James O'Loghlin, Kerry Chikarovski, Craig Reucassel, Geoff Thompson, The Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC and Natasha Simonsen.


fjmt: Building Design Exhibition
10.00am-3.00pm, Level 1 Foyer
A photographic and multimedia display by fjmt looking at their architectual design process for the new Sydney Law School building.


Centres and Institutes Displays
10.00am-3.00pm, Level 2 Foyer
Sydney Law School Centres and Institutes will present displays and information, including the newly established centre for Clinical Legal Education.

Activities and Entertainment

Theatresports®
11.00-11.30am, Forecourt Stage
Theatresports® is always a staple of the on-campus entertainment program at the University of Sydney… and what better way to celebrate the building opening with law-themed improvised hilarity presented by University of Sydney students.


Cloud Control
12.30-1.30pm, Forecourt Stage
In the wake of winning the University of Sydney Band Comp in 2006, Cloud Control are taking the Australian music scene by storm. Their alt-folk pop-infused sounds have led them to high-rotation airplay on triple j and FBi 94.5FM, and show a depth of songwriting characterised by a playful yet intelligent originality that led the Sydney Morning Herald to pick them as one of their 10 ‘next big bands’.

Cloud Control bring their fantastic live show to the Forecourt Stage at Open Day – so grab something to eat, and enjoy.


Law Cinema
10.30am-12.15pm and 1.15-2.45pm, Lecture Theatre 026
Lecture theatre becomes cinema for screenings of two comedies that show the lighter side of the law, with Legally Blonde showing at 10.30am and Australia’s iconic film, The Castle, showing at 1.15pm.


Speakers Corner
10.00am-3.00pm, Forecourt outside Level 2 Foyer
Sydney Law School academics and students step onto the soapbox throughout the day, delivering 10 minute monologues on legal issues about which they are passionate. From Dr Tim Stephens on saving whales to Dr Thalia Anthony on Indigenous stolen wages, there’ll be plenty to get your blood boiling.


Building Tours
10.00am - 3.00pm, departing from the Welcome Desk in the Forecourt
Join staff and students of the faculty, as well as the building contractors, for guided tours of the building, showcasing the unique architecture and state of the art facilities. Tours will run at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.00pm. As places are limited, please sign up for your tour spot at the Welcome Desk in the Forecourt.