Human rights advocate to address NAPWA conference

Justice Marcus Einfeld, an eminent former judge of the Federal Court, will be the keynote speaker at the 2003 NAPWA Conference.

Justice Einfeld, who retired from the Family Court in 2001, is an internationally-respected and outspoken advocate for human rights and justice, UNICEF ambassador for children and an active campaigner for the rights of detained refugees in Australia. As well as serving on the Federal Court, he is a former president of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and was an Australian representative at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

Justice Einfeld will deliver his address as part of the opening plenary session of the conference, which is being held at the Cairns Hilton from 27 to 29 October.

The keynote speech promises to be just one of the highlights of the conference, which is held once every two years.

The first day of the conference will feature an art exhibition by positive artists from across the country, which promises to be a major highlight of the event. The exhibition of photography, visual art and sculpture opens on Monday 27 October as part of an informal afternoon community gathering, with stalls from HIV organisations and service providers, music, book readings and more. The afternoon will end with the first social event of the conference, a waterside barbecue hosted by Queensland Positive People and the Queensland AIDS Council.

Satellite meetings are planned for various HIV-positive constituencies: youth, women, heterosexuals and gay men will each have their own “conference within a conference” to meet their peers, discuss issues of importance and network.

Another highlight will be the guest plenary session, which will be addressed by Michael Hurley, a senior researcher at the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society. The session, “National HIV research agenda and positive people” will discuss the ways in which our community’s participation in research affects the outcomes of research and the ways in which this influences our lives through government policy.

A wide range of concurrent workshops will again be a major feature of the conference. The program includes workshops on stress reduction, HIV treatments, international travel, pos gay sex, a writing workshop, positive speakers and more.

The full conference program can be viewed online at www.napwa.org.au [1].