I have found this message one of the hardest to compose in my time as President. There is little I can say to lessen the impact of the latest blow of Stage 4 restrictions on members of our college. I have been inundated with messages from members who are struggling with the implications of this latest public health response.
We speak a lot about the collegiality of the Victorian Bar – working together, in normal times closely, in chambers means that experiences can be readily shared, knowledge and advice easily sought, and work opportunities actively pursued. The COVID pandemic has put paid to physical collegiality – but most of the networks and programs at the Bar continue to operate. Indeed, since 1 April, VicBar’s education and events team have organised 47 separate CPDs and events, which 3,445 participants have attended. These have included regular substantive law CPDs, together with technology training, online advocacy workshops and our series of webinars where legal leaders join us In Conversation at the VicBar. And there is a lot more happening.
As we continue to endure months and months of pandemic-related restrictions, we can all be forgiven if our democratic sensibilities are somewhat rattled by the constant directives relating to what we can and cannot do. Do wear a mask, don’t leave home unless absolutely necessary, do stay 1.5 metres apart, don’t touch your face…and on and on it goes. As frustrating, and necessary, as these restrictions are, there is hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel with trials of a COVID-19 vaccine at Oxford University showing some promise. Recent media reports indicate the best-case scenario is that this vaccine is the magic bullet we are waiting for and we could begin an immunisation program in early 2021. The worst case is that a new normal pervades our lives for the foreseeable future as we await another viable vaccine or a slowing spread of COVID-19. Either way, this lockdown definitely cramps our style, crimps our plans and checks our finances.
While we may all be back in our homes under renewed restrictions, there is still a lot going on at the Bar. The last few months feel a bit like a long hike: we travel over hills and valleys, potholes and plateaus – we push on, helping each other to reach a destination where we can finally celebrate, quite literally, together. But we shouldn’t forget, as we travel on our COVID journey, that we are passing some key points of interest featuring members of VicBar.
Victorian Bar News is our official twice-yearly magazine, bringing you the latest news, editorials and industry articles. The magazine also covers legal personalities, social events, courtroom humour, sporting and travel.
Melbourne, 13 July 2020: The Law Institute of Victoria and the Victorian Bar welcome the Victorian Government’s announcement of a review of sexual harassment prevention, support, enforcement and education in the state’s courts and tribunal and across the profession.
In a joint statement today, the President of the Victorian Bar, Wendy Harris QC, and the President of the Law Institute of Victoria, Sam Pandya, expressed their support of the Government’s initiative and confidence that the review, to be headed by Dr Helen Szoke AO, would provide the opportunity for real change in the culture and practices across the legal sector.
Some of you may remember the crucial scene in the film Sliding Doors, as Gwyneth Paltrow’s character charges towards a London tube – down the stairs, across the platform, squeezing through the train door in the nick of time… or, in the alternate universe arriving a second later, and the doors slide closed in front of her. The film, billed as a romantic comedy, has a deeper narrative about how random events can fundamentally influence our lives. It also highlights that the choices we make in response to events can be as decisive for the future as the events themselves.
On Tuesday 7 July 2020, the President of the Children’s Court, her Honour Judge Amanda Chambers was In Conversation with Melissa Stead, Chair of the Children’s Court Bar Association. Judge Chambers spoke of some difficult decisions the Court needed to take to safeguard the community during COVID while maintaining the ability to step in and protect children in need.
In a joint statement, the Heads of Jurisdiction of Australia’s courts and tribunals committed to making sure that our courts and tribunals are safe and respectful workplaces. You can read the statement here.
I’m sure that many of you have seen the picture circulating on social media of the Parisian café with giant teddy bears strategically placed to ensure social distancing. If you haven’t, you can read about it here. The bears sit at tables, apparently in mid-conversation, with cutlery, glasses and serviettes laid out before them. The humans in the café seem almost as interlopers in this Ursidae gathering of brown fluffiness. I was captivated by the photo I saw – I was impressed with the café owner’s inventiveness which made physical distancing seem a bit less alienating, and intrigued by my reaction, and others who commented on social media about it.
