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The Monash Law faculty will establish a clinic to help family law clients gain access to the legal system.
The Federal Attorney-General, Mr Daryl Williams, is providing the faculty with $200,000 over two years, with further funding of $100,000 a year until 2002, for the establishment of a Contested Family Law Clinic.
The funding will be used to provide self-help workshops for people in contested family law proceedings. The service will be available at the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service on the Clayton campus.
Professor Stephen Parker, the dean of Law, said the clinic would address one of the most serious problems facing Australian society today: access to justice by disadvantaged family law clients.
"We are grateful to Mr Williams for his support in this crucial area," he said. "The faculty will work with the community, practitioners and the Family Court to ensure those who cannot afford legal representation are given the basic tools and the confidence to represent themselves."
Professor Parker said there were clearly many kinds of cases where representation by a lawyer was necessary in the interests of the client, justice and the Family Court.
"Our self-help workshops will not remove the need for a lawyer in those instances," he said. "But there are other cases where legal representation is not as essential or where the money simply is not available to pay for a lawyer.
"In these cases, the Monash Law faculty will be leading the way in the search for creative solutions to chronic problems."
In addition, Professor Parker said, the clinic would provide Monash law students with valuable learning experiences as they were preparing to become "the lawyers of the future".
"Monash law students, who already have the opportunity of working at the Springvale and Monash-Oakleigh Legal Services under staff supervision as part of their studies, will gain further insights into the problems faced by many members of the community."
Mr Adrian Evans, a senior lecturer in the Law faculty and coordinator of the Springvale Legal Service, will be responsible for implementing the project under the direction of Associate Professor Sue Campbell, the faculty's coordinator of clinical legal education.
Mr Ross Hyams, senior lecturer and coordinator of the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service, together with a skilled family law practitioner, will complete the core team for the start-up phase of the project.
A series of new works by senior Monash students offers a stimulating night out at the theatre.
Tryptych, starting later this month, features three short works complemented by music by three up-and-coming composers.
Off With the Fairies, written and directed by Rebecca Smith, is a delightful tale of Australian bush fairies and how they interact with their forest environment. Smith also composed the musical score.
The second piece, The Goldfish is Dead!, is the work of Darriel Jeffree. A humorous look at the use of language by a couple who may or may not have a goldfish, the play is accompanied by music composed by lead actor Tim Edhouse.
Searching for Esther was co-written by Betty Hanner and Marcia Pinskier, with Hanner directing. Using the biblical story of Esther as a backdrop, it follows the contemporary story of friendship between two women with opposing lifestyles. The music was composed by Nadav Rayman.
Sarah Giufre provides movement for both Searching for Esther and Off With the Fairies.
The opening and closing Saturday performances will be complemented by courtyard performances led by Monash students.
Tryptych is on at the Drama Theatre of the Performing Arts Centre from 19 to 27 March at 8 pm. There is a special schools performance of Searching for Esther on 19 March. For bookings, contact (03) 9533 0087 or (03) 9905 1111.
Fairies
fair: Catherine Healy, left, and Jessica Kent weave their magic in 'Off With
the Fairies', one of three short works in the forthcoming production Tryptych.
Photo by Shannon Mattinson.
It's
never too early for students to gain practical experience in their field of
study, especially in the fast-paced world of computing.
So when an opportunity presented itself recently to three first-year students at Monash University's Sunway Campus (MUSCM), they jumped at the chance to take part in the Linux InstallFest in Kuala Lumpur.
Adrian Lo, Derrick Tan and Wong Kok Leong volunteered for the three-day awareness prom-otion on the Linux operating system to gain hands-on experience and help the many users who brought their computers to the fest by installing the operating system on their machines.
According to Mr Kar Seng Lote, from MUSCM's School of Business and Information Technology, such experience provides a prac-tical counterpoint to regular classes and laboratory sessions.
"It's good for the students to deal with the practical aspects of an operating system after learning about the theoretical side in lectures, as well as doing some community service," he said. "Experience such as this promotes greater confidence and gives them a sound foundation for their careers as computing professionals."
The three student volunteers are also members of the Monash Unix Group, a student body that manages the General Access Unix Account servers at MUSCM. They said the experience gained at the Fest would be useful to them in managing and administering Unix-based systems in the future.
Adrian Lo, left, and Wong Kok Leong discuss solutions while installing the Linux operating system for visitors to the InstallFest in Kuala Lumpur.
Student equity at Monash has been given fresh impetus with the establishment of a new branch within Student Services.
The Student Equity and Access Branch incorporates the Student Equity Office and the Disability Liaison Office and will be responsible for the development and implementation of student equity and access policies. Staff equity matters will continue to be handled by the Equal Opportunity Unit within Personnel Services.
The changes are among a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the university's response to student equity issues.
The new branch will, among other things, support the Subcommittee on Student Equity and Access chaired by Professor Bill Kent.
Deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Planning) Professor Alan Lindsay said that a focused Student Equity and Access Branch would strengthen integration of equity principles into all of Monash's practices.
"Monash has a strong commitment to student equity, which must be reflected not only in the Monash Plan but also in the planning of faculties and support units," he said.
Faculty student equity officers have been appointed to provide input into university policy in this area.
The growth of fee-paying courses and the expansion of research and vocational postgraduate education means students are accessing a university that is substantially different to the Monash of a decade ago.
According to the assistant general manager (Student Services), Mr Bob Burnet, Monash needs to continually review and develop its student equity and access policies to ensure their relevance to a changing student population.
Ms Joanna Buckingham has been appointed acting manager of the Student Equity and Access Branch. Ms Annette Rudd will continue to head the Disabilities Liaison Office and Ms Margaret Heagney continues as the equity officer.
For more information, contact extn 55704.
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Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? As these new Monash students found, the grub was plentiful at Monash's Peninsula campus during Orientation 1999. Those Orientation activities sure can work up an appetite. Photo by Andrew Barcham. |
The fact that there's not a beach in sight didn't deter these energetic Caulfield students from trying their hand at a bout of beachball volleyball during Orientation 1999. Photo by Greg Ford.
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Young guitar enthusiasts will head to Monash's Peninsula campus this month to test their performance skills in the Young Guitarist of the Year Award.
The competition, sponsored by the Peninsula campus and MONSU, is the forerunner to the Frankston Guitar Festival, which is held from 26 to 28 March in and around the Frankston Cultural Centre.
Competition entrants must be aged 21 years or younger on 15 March 1999, and are expected to be above the basic learning standard.
Auditions will be held at the George Jenkins Theatre on Monday 15 March, with the winner announced on Saturday 27 March at the festival's Guitar Greats Concert.
Competition is expected to be fierce, with the entrants being judged on several criteria, including originality and technical skill, strength of live performance and delivery, and ability to keep to a tight format.
Last year's winner, Warren Earl, from Inverleigh, said the experience was one he wouldn't have missed for the world.
"It was the first time I had competed in an event like the Young Guitarist of the Year Award and it was a fantastic experience," he said. "I would recommend it to anyone who is a keen guitarist, especially in terms of building confidence and playing live on stage."
Mr Earl, who has been playing the guitar since he was nine, will return to the festival this year as a performer.
Monash Briefts
The President of Hungary, Dr Arpad Goencz, made an unofficial visit to the Clayton campus last month. A noted writer and scholar, Dr Goencz was welcomed by Professor Philip Thomson, head of the School of European Languages and Cultures. During his one-day visit, he also met with Australian writers Judith Rodriguez and Tom Shapcott and PEN Club president Judith Buckrich. Dr Goencz's entourage included Australia's ambassador to Hungary, Mr Mark Higgie, and Hungary's ambassador to Australia, Dr Gyorgy Varga.
Clayton campus has several rooms available for staff and students with a disability who require a quiet, private space for resting. The rooms are located on the first floor of the Matheson Library, the sixth floor of the Menzies building and the ground floor of the Union building. They are equipped with comfortable furniture, pillows and blankets as well as tea and coffee facilities. A disabled toilet is located nearby. For further information, contact the Disability Liaison Office on extn 55704, or TTY on extn 55391.
The third annual Renewable Energy Workshop will be hosted by Monash University at Clayton campus in July. Event organiser Dr Ahmad Zahedi, a senior lecturer from the Department of Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering, said the seven speakers at the one-day workshop would cover topics related to wind energy, solar energy, biomass and hydropower. For more information, contact Dr Zahedi on extn 55957.
The Monash Postgraduate Association is seeking nominations for its executive committee elections. All postgraduates enrolled through Clayton campus are eligible to nominate, with nominations closing at 5 pm on Wednesday 31 March. Postal elections will be held from 1 April to 30 April. Nomination forms are available from the MPA office or can be downloaded from www.monash.edu.au/students/mpa/ For more information, contact extn 53197.
Monash University's physiotherapy service has recommenced its services for 1999. The service, which also offers sports and therapeutic massage, is available to students, staff and authorised users of the Sports and Recreation Centre. Cost per session is $20 for staff and $10 for students. Bookings are essential and can be made on extn 54114. For further information, see the website at www.monash.edu.au/sra |
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