Yesterday,  Wednesday 19 October, we hosted our bi-annual School Law Conference at the Ville Resort-Casino. The one day conference focused on implications of changing legislation, school liability and legislative trends.

The event’s keynote speaker, Melinda Tankard Reist is an author, speaker, media commentator, blogger and advocate for young people. She is best known for her work addressing sexualisation, objectification, harms of pornography, sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence against women. Her keynote address focused on the impact of porn and porn culture on young people and how this exposure can be ameliorated.

Other guest speakers included Diane Ruhl from Ruhl Family Law Centre,  Sally McCuthcheon from wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers, Dr Elizabeth Dickson from Queensland University of Technology, Sharon Simi and Eboni Harrison from Blue Card Services, John Hamilton from McInnes Wilson Lawyers, Jessica Lipsett from Corney & Lind Lawyers, Tim McGrath from Miller Harris Lawyers and Kate McCurley from Townsville Catholic Education Office.

Workshop sessions covered topics such as Family court orders, managing under-performing employees with mental health issues, Vaping, Sexting and other student offences. The event concluded with a panel Q&A giving attendees the opportunity to ask those important questions.

Schools are as accountable and responsible as other businesses and organisations are, and must comply with various regulations. We received feedback from schools telling us how critical school law is, and that it’s an area which can cause a lot of angst for staff. The School Law Conference ensures that our schools prioritise and understand their obligations and are being proactive and diligent in the administration of various duties.

The conference wasn't just for Townsville Catholic Education employees, invitations were also extended to colleagues in state and independent education, and also other Queensland Catholic dioceses.

The conference concluded with a creative performance by students from Ryan Catholic College, Kirwan, which included two singers and a dance performance.