2022

Governance and Regulation of Charities: International and Comparative Perspectives

(2-3 May 2022)

A workshop, Governance and Regulation of Charities: International and Comparative Perspectives, was convened by Professor Rosemary Langford at Melbourne Law School. The focus of this workshop, which brought together leading experts and researchers from Australia and overseas, was on comparative assessment of important aspects of governance and regulation of charities. This workshop formed part of a larger project, funded by the Australian Research Council, which undertakes a comprehensive and comparative investigation of governance and enforcement in the charitable sector in a number of jurisdictions, with particular focus on Australia.

A description of the program, as well as power point slides for each presentation and  recordings of selected presentations can be found on the website.

Corporate Law and Governance in the 21st Century: A Symposium in Honour of Professor Ian Ramsay

(30 March 2022)

In 2021 Professor Ian Ramsay (Harold Ford Professor of Commercial Law and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at Melbourne Law School and Director of Studies, Commercial Law, Corporate Law for the Melbourne Law Masters Program and Director, Centre for Corporate Law) retired after a distinguished career in academia. Professor Ramsay’s contributions to legal academia have been both prolific and significant and include 18 books and over 250 highly cited research reports, book chapters and journal articles, as well as extensive contributions on a number of external panels, boards, committees and inquiries.

To honour Professor Ramsay’s extraordinary contribution, a symposium, convened by Professor Rosemary Langford, was held at Melbourne Law School on Wednesday 30 March 2022.  The program included tributes to Professor Ramsay and presentations by distinguished speakers and panellists. Each of the sessions was recorded and links to the sessions can be found below:

  1. Professor Rosemary Langford – Opening of the symposium and tribute to Professor Ramsay
  2. Mr Joseph Longo (Chair, Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Corporate Regulation in Australia: The Legacy of Ian Ramsay
    A copy of Mr Longo's speech is available here.
  3. A panel discussing the contours and implications of important changes to directors’ duties with eminent directors and practitioners:
    1. Priscilla Bryans (Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills)
    2. Diana Nicholson (Senior Partner, King & Wood Mallesons)
    3. Catherine Walter AM (Non-executive director with appointments including director of the Reserve Bank’s Payments System)
    4. Jon Webster AM (Consultant, Allens Linklaters and director of AMCIL Ltd)
  1. Dr Robert Austin (Former judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales and co-author with Professor Ramsay of Ford, Austin and Ramsay’s Principles of Corporations Law): When (If Ever) Should Corporations Legislation Lay Down Succinct Normative Standards without Prescriptive Rules?
    View Presentation slides here.
  2. A panel on contemporary issues in corporate governance with senior academics:
    1. Professor Jean Du Plessis (Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin University)
    2. Dr Andrew Godwin (Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne)
    3. Professor Jason Harris (University of Sydney Law School)
    4. Professor Pamela Hanrahan (UNSW Business School)
    5. Professor Jennifer Hill (Monash University Faculty of Law)
    6. Professor Michelle Welsh (Monash Business School)
  1. Tribute to Professor Ramsay by Professor Emeritus Michael Crommelin AO

View the Symposium website here

(Re)viewing Twin Peaks in Australia and Abroad

(27 January 2022)

As the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) pursues its inquiry into the legislative framework for corporations and financial services regulation, it is timely to review the Twin Peaks model of financial regulation and its impact on the broader regulatory landscape. This  webinar featured a panel of prominent speakers, including former Chairs of APRA and ASIC, who talk about the evolution and impact of the Twin Peaks model in Australia and abroad. The webinar also launched a recent book on the Twin Peaks model: “The Cambridge Handbook of Twin Peaks Financial Regulation”, edited by Andrew Godwin and Andrew Schmulow (Cambridge University Press, June 2021).

Speakers and topics

  • Twin Peaks in Australia – Dr Andrew Godwin, Australian Law Reform Commission, Melbourne Law School and Centre for Corporate Law
  • Twin Peaks Abroad – Dr Andrew Schmulow, University of Wollongong School of Law
  • Coming up with the idea – Dr Michael Taylor, seminal writer on twin peaks
  • APRA: its birth and development – Dr John Laker, former Chair of APRA
  • ASIC: its birth and development – Mr Alan Cameron, former Chair of ASIC
  • The perspective from Treasury – Mr James Kelly, Treasury
  • Twin Peaks in the UK and book launch – Sir Ross Cranston QC, London School of Economics