MONDAY 26 AUGUST 2013

Performance Delivered

De Minimis
Official Newspaper of the Students of Melbourne Law School, Established 1948, Revived 2012 Volume 4, Issue 5

www.mudeminimis.com

THE 2013 LAW REVUE ENSEMBLE, STARRING IN THEIR PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE ENHANCED. (PHOTO: ANDREW MICHAELSON)

Andrew Michaelson

The Melbourne University Law Revue concluded its 2013 season last Friday after a five-show run of its hit Performance Enhanced. The Revue sported a troupe of exceptionally talented performers, a few muppets and some patented wit and whimsy, living up to its esteemed position as a staple of the comedy calendar. The Revue performed to sold out

crowds at the Lithuanian Club on Errol Street in North Melbourne. All profits from ticket sales this year, along with generous contributions from the Vizard Foundation, went towards the mental health charity Sane. Performance Enhanced featured a variety of fantastic sketches, from Mario singing Les Miserables, an ex utero Broadway show, Q&A riffs, Godfather Elmo and Gary Magic, to sneaky sea-

gulls. Each sketch highlighted the depth and breadth of the casts many talents. Heartiest congratulations go out to the cast John Liacopoulos, Lachie McKenzie, Clare Rankine, Will Reinehr, Ben Tomasiello, Alice Tovey, Melissa Tracina and Sweeney Young, as well as to directors Sam Garlepp and Tim McDonald, producers Patrick Sloyan and Brigette Wise, and to the rest of the production team.

Race On: LSS Sets Election Dates

Nicholas Baum
While many students remain coy about the upcoming MLS Law Students Society elections, a number of students, including prominent members of the current committee, have publicly announced their candidacy. The Law Students Society (LSS) announced last week that the 2013 committee elections would be held from 9 13 September 2013. An informational session scheduled for 1 pm tomorrow, 27 August 2013, in Room 109, which will provide information about the positions. Nominations open today and close on Wednesday, 3 September 2013. Results from this years elections will be released at the lunchtime LSS Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 17 September 2013. Second-year JD and current Activities Director Nick Jane confirmed he will be nominating for the position of President, and indicated that the issues of building access hours, room availability for law students, and improved wireless Internet would be central to his campaign. Education Director Daniel Osvath could not confirm rumours of a potential presidential bid, stating on Friday that he was considering it. As for other positions, Andrew Frawley said he will run for the role of Vice President and plans to make financial Continued Page 2

2 FEATURE
2013 Francis Gurry Lecture

De Minimis mudeminimis.com Volume 4, Issue 5

Gurry: IP Law Must Respond to New Trends

Katie Cullen
Melbourne Law School hosted the fifth annual Francis Gurry lecture last Thursday, with a very special speaker lined up: the lectures namesake, Dr Francis Gurry himself. Gurry, who was introduced by MLS Professor of Intellectual Property Andrew Christie, currently serves as the highest-ranking Australian in a United Nations agency, in his role as the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Gurry is also a distinguished alumnus and professorial fellow of Melbourne Law School. He earned his LLB and LLM at the University of Melbourne, with a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and joined WIPO in 1985 after practising as a solicitor in Melbourne and Sydney. In his introductory remarks, Christie recalled approaching Gurry and telling him that, You used to teach me. Gurry apparently then enquired as to what he taught Christie, who humorously replied, as any former law student might in a decades time, Well, I cant remember. Thursday nights unforgettable lecture was Gurrys second that week, having spoken on the subject of intellectual property law in Sydney the night before. The Melbourne lecture easily packed out room GM15 and was streamed online through the MLS website due to large public demand In his lecture, his argument was simple: we need to rethink the responsibility of intellectual property law and the role it plays in todays world, especially given the contemporary and radical shifts in how intellectual property law operates. He then spoke on the changes that intellectual property law is currently undergoing in the face of three global shifts. The first change, according to Gurry, has been the economic importance now placed on intangible rather than tangible assets, due in part to the rise of the knowledge economy. Secondly, he noted the shift in the geographical centre from West to East, as China emerges as the largest patent office in the world. Lastly, Gurry mentioned the political shift from state to non-state actors, which he credited to the Internet and social media. He said these phenomena have busted the states former monopoly on the control of information. Students interested in intellectual running for Activities Directors, Marijana Banovac and Emilia Budisavljevic are running for Competition Directors, Liv Chapman and Giorgi Mack are running for Womens Officers, and Alex Horton is running for Second Year Representative. In the 2012 LSS elections, some 291 students voted, out of over 700 enrolled. MLS Associate Professor Joo-Cheong Tham was publicly quoted last week warning that low voter turnout among young voters in the Australian federal election constituted a serious democratic deficit. It is estimated that 1 in 5 young people nationally do not vote or are not enrolled to vote. As is traditionally the case, the LSS election marks the beginning of a transition in leadership across a variety of MLS student organisations, with the two major journals and the Global Law Students Association electing new executives over the next six weeks. Only

WIPO DIRECTOR GENERAL DR FRANCIS GURRY (PHOTO: WIPO)

property law have several options available to study. MLS offers JD electives such as Property in Invention and Creation and Cyber Law, as well as Law Masters subjects, including Patent Law. The ongoing University of Melbourne Public Lecture Series provides not only good opportunities to re-think the law in a broader context, but also to meet the trend-setting professionals working in law and related fields. Upcoming public lectures are listed online at http:// events.unimelb.edu.au/all/free-publiclecture. the LSS conducts elections in which all students can vote. As with all major issues within the student body at Melbourne Law School, De Minimis will be covering this years LSS elections closely, bringing you upto-date information on all the key issues. [Editors note: References comparing potential candidates to Federal politicians were removed on the basis that they carried potentially defamatory imputations.] De Minimis Staff
Editor Dean R. P. Edwards Online/Layout Editor Mika Tsoi Quiz Editor Anna Nodrum General Staff Nicholas Baum, Peter Botros, Reegan Grayson-Morison, Emma Henderson, Thomas Ho, Haram Kwon, Andrew Michaelson, Melissa Peach, Doug Porteous, Raoul Renard, Tessa Sidnam, Jess Sykes, Christine Todd, Jessica Williams, Annie Zheng

LSS Elections
Continued from Page 1 support for students his top priority. Maddy Miller has reportedly considered running for the vice presidency, as well, but refused to confirm her intention. In the contest for Treasurer, only current LSS Sports Convenor John Azzopardi has yet to publicly announce his candidacy, and has declined to make further comment. Erin McMullin has also put her name forward for Secretary. Among first-years, there has been much speculation about possible candidates, but few clear contenders have emerged. Current first-year representative Larissa Chan has announced that she and Zoe Anderson will run for Education Directors, while Alex Dworjanyn and Caitlin Louth stated that they plan to nominate for the Equality portfolio. Anthony Pitruzzello and Matt Pierri are

De Minimis mudeminimis.com Volume 4, Issue 5

LIFESTYLE 3
tally, make the speaker seem physically smaller. Instead, she said that students should adopt power stances, which take up more space and have the effect of expanding the bodys presence. Adjusting the body to take up more space exudes confidence, Morton said. Not only does a confident posture increase the speakers charisma, she noted, it can also make the speaker feel more confident. Next up, Morton illustrated the importance of speaking with authority. Participants watched a short video by American beat poet Taylor Mali, entitled Like, You Know, which critically approaches the habitual but needless speech patterns, such as making declarative sentences sound like questions, and using filler words like, you know, like or you know. Students then worked on public speaking in small group exercises, in which students practised by introducing each other, although concocting a story about a fake profession in the process. A later exercise, done in larger groups, had students provide storylines to random pictures they were given to describe. In the second workshop, held on 20 August, students were joined by three members of the Victorian Bar who are also MLS alumni. The barristers provided advice on oral advocacy and coached students through a fun, sugar-laced competition that gave everyone the chance to practise public speaking. In their small groups, students sampled various lollies and made arguments as to which candy bar should be Australias national lolly. The barristers then provided constructive comments about the students performance. One member from each group was selected to represent the group in the final competition, in the hope of winning the ultimate prize: a box of Lindt chocolates. Alas, every group representative got a box of Lindt in the end, to wrap up a productive and insightful series of workshops. Azzopardi and his LSS team also provided a delicious spread of cheese, meats and dip. plays are wrought and how good the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) are at staging shows. From curtain up to the bows, the pressure builds higher; the dialogue crackles with energy. David Wenham was terrific as John Proctor. He brought all the pathos and doubt of a man self-condemned. The sets, sound design and lighting were all top notch, evoking the mud thrown about on pristine clothes. Dramaturgy even solved what can be a problem for productions of this play: why John Proctor acts. In the film version, it is doubtful whether John slept with Abby. This then makes Goody Proctors reason for her coldness entirely in her own head. This problem: solved. A satisfying theatre-going experience all around. The one thing you really want from The Crucible is, on reflection, absent. If the threat of hysteria is always present, how to avoid it? As a descriptive, but not normative, play The Crucible presents no answers. Perhaps it is because fear is always present. The Crucible ran at the MTC from 22 June 3 August 2013.

Unleashing the Inner Public Speaker

Melissa Peach
Law students finished the second stage of a public speaking workshop last Tuesday, a joint project put on by the Law Students Society (LSS) and the universitys Legal Academic Skills Centre. LSS Sports Convenor and fine food enthusiast John Azzopardi spearheaded the Honing Your Public Speaking Skills workshop in collaboration with MLS Academic Skills Adviser Chantal Marie Morton. The workshop was divided into two stages to allow students to have a thorough learning experience. The first workshop was held on 13 August 2013, and introduced participants to the basic principles of effective public speaking. Morton took students through the fundamentals to building a strong and confident presence when speaking. The first thing she emphasised: body language. Morton suggested that students refrain from slouching and adopting submissive poses that, inciden-

Bold Reminder: MTC Stages The Crucible

Theatre Review

THE CAST OF MCAS RECENT PRODUCTION OF ARTHUR MILLERS THE CRUCIBLE. (PHOTO: MTC)

Mika Tsoi

The Crucible is always relevant; were always afraid of something and that is liable to break out into hysteria. Seeing this show just after the PNG solution was announced brought the issues into sharp relief. Why do witch hunts break out? Arthur Miller presents a show where the why is obvious, leading to a discussion of the how.

The weak backed into a corner, and then given a way out by the strong, to condemn innocents; those weak will escape. Then momentum builds, played out through petty revenge dressed in official rags. The townspeople act in accordance with the threat, and so it will continues to rise until it plays out. Seeing The Crucible again after high school underscored how well Millers

4
Famous Political Kisses in History

De Minimis mudeminimis.com Volume 4, Issue 5

QUIZ
1. Name the cocktail from its ingredients: gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water (served in a tumbler with two ice cubes). 2. What finished in second place to Advance Australia Fair in the 1977 plebiscite to choose a national anthem? 3. What was the Australian national anthem prior to 1977? 4. What was George Orwells real name? 5. Which movie starring Julie Andrews was an adaption of a Richard Rogers stage musical? 6. Which metal is liquid at room temperature? 7. In 2005, Prince Harry got in trouble for his choice of costume at a theme party. What did he wear? 8. What peace treaty was signed on June 28, 1919, between Germany and the Allied Powers? 9. Which European country is also known as the Hellenic Republic? 10. Which novel ends with the line, He loved Big Brother. Answers below. This weeks quiz compiled by Anna Nodrum.

THE ART OF POLITICAL KISSING LONG PREDATES TONY ABBOTTS IMPERFECT ATTEMPTS. PICTURED ABOVE IS SOVIET GENERAL SECRETARY LEONID BREZHNEV (LEFT) PLANTING ONE OF HIS FAMOUS KISSES ON EAST GERMAN PRESIDENT ERICH HONECKER. (PHOTO: DISCOVER MAGAZINE)

Equity Uncle

Equitably Maximise Your Love Life

Dear Equity Uncle, I hesitate to trouble you with my romantic troubles, but I cannot start; they have not begun. My friends say she is out of my league, so I can only hope for a drunken hook-up. I am aghast; this should not be how we organise ourselves. However, I may have to accept their fact. Never having heard of these leagues, I dont know what to do next. Have they ossified into law, or can Equity help? Wasnt Aware There Was a Ladder to Climb Dear Unaware, Why has everybody become afflicted by semi-colons? Let it be known that Equity abhors the semi-colon. Equity prefers of course the em-dash. Equity doubts there has ever been a person outside of Equitys league. Equitys jurisdiction is as wide as Equitys smile. Equitys physique leaves women breathless and men shivering. Equity lifts, learnd brother. Although principle is best, Equity is not blind to reality. The reified League puts it too highly, but it is true that some people pitch, and some people catch. This need not be as unconscionable as it sounds, because people can change. Equity has two suggestions. Equity makes jokes about semi-colons and em-dashes, which is why Equity is so popular. You could try this. Or, you could learn to do jump squat burpees. Equity can do a hundred. All the best, Equity Uncle

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, 27 August When are refugees unworthy of admission?, public lecture by Prof. Satvinder Juss from Kings College London. 6 pm. La Trobe City Campus, level 20, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne. RSVPs are essential: <http://bit.ly/14uqihj>. Thursday, 29 August Policing Political Speech: Japans Mistrust of the Marketplace, lecture by Prof. Dan Rosen from Chuo University. 1 pm. Room 920. RSVPs are essential: <http://bit.ly/14uqGfC>. Friday, 6 September PASS Project Trivia Night, raising funds for an education project in South Sudan. Join in a memorable night of food, drinks and prizes. 7.30 pm. Richmond Union Bowling Club (2 Gleadell St., Richmond). Tickets available individually at $35, or a table of 10 for $300. Buy tickets online at: <http://www. trybooking.com/DITR>.

Nominations Open for GSA Queer Officer

Michael Robson
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) has announced a vacancy for Queer Officer, with an election scheduled for next Wednesday, 28 August 2013. The GSA Queer Officer is an autonomous position that represents LGBTI and queer graduate students at the University of Melbourne. The officer is responsible for promoting queer representation and participation within the GSA, and for fostering a sense of community among queer graduate students. The position is part-time and comes with an honorarium. Nominations opened last Monday and close at 5 pm, Wednesday, 28 August 2013. The election takes place shortly thereafter, at 5.30 pm, at the GSA Council meeting. Interested students can contact GSA council member and JD student Michael Robson at <gensec@gsa.unimelb.edu. au>.

QUIZ ANSWERS. 1. Gin Fizz 2. Waltzing Matilda 3. God Save the Queen 4. Eric Arthur Blair 5. The Sound of Music 6. Mercury 7. A Nazi swastika armband 8. The Treaty of Versailles 9. Greece 10. Nineteen Eighty-Four