Business and Economics

1. Workplace & Corporate Law Research Group (WCLRG) Seminar Business and Economics Department of Business Law & Taxation Date: Monday 5 May 2008 Time: 6.00 – 8.00 pm Venue: Holding Redlich, 350 William St, Melbourne Guest Speaker: Justice Neville Owen, Supreme Court of Western Australia Justice Owen is the senior judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. He has been on the bench for more than 17 years and has conducted trials and appeals in all areas of the Court's civil and criminal jurisdictions. Justice Owen has a special interest in corporate governance, commercial litigation and corporate insolvency. In April 2003 he completed a two year Royal Commission into the collapse of the HIH Insurance group. Since July 2003 he has been conducting a complex commercial trial in which the liquidators of the Bell group of companies are seeking to recover approximately A$1.5 billion from syndicates of banks. Topic: After HIH, James Hardie and AWB: Standards of Corporate Accountability in Australia The early to mid 2000s were marked by a series of episodes, in which the accountability of several high-profile Australian companies to their shareholders and the broader community were examined and tested. Justice Owen was a key figure in one of these episodes – the collapse of HIH Insurance and its aftermath. Problems also arose at James Hardie and AWB. The collapses and problems prompted a regulatory response and yet, the last couple of years have seen further collapses and further problems. His Honour will pose the question: what does this have to say about the theory of accountability and state of corporate governance regulation in the Australian market? RSVP by Monday 28th April 2008 to Leanne Hunt Phone: 03 9903 4198 Email: leanne.hunt@buseco.monash.edu.au If this particular educational activity is relevant to your immediate or long term needs in relation to your professional development and practice of the law, then you should claim one unit for each hour of attendance, refreshment breaks not included. WCLRG gratefully appreciates the support of Holding Redlich in hosting this seminar. WCLRG is a research concentration in the Department of Business Law & Taxation at Monash University. It has been in operation since March 2008, having previously operated as the Corporate Law and Accountability Research Group (CLARG). Further details are available at: www.buseco.monash.edu.au/blt/clarg/; or contact WCLRG’s Director, Dr Anthony Forsyth, at Anthony.Forsyth@buseco.monash.edu.au.