Keynote speakers

Dr Kathryn Graham

Dr Kathryn Graham is a Senior Scientist and Head of the Social and Community Factors in Prevention Research section, in the Social, Prevention and Health Policy Research Department. Dr. Graham is also an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Graham’s main research areas include alcohol and violence, including both barroom and intimate partner violence, gender, alcohol and health along with their measurement and evaluation to identify the most successful methods for prevention and intervention. Her Safer Bars program has received international recognition and has been implemented in a number of countries. Recognizing that bars and clubs are high-risk locations for violence and aggression, Dr. Graham and her team of researchers developed the program over a five-year period, in consultation with police, lawyers, community health professionals, civic leaders and liquor licensing officials, as well as bar owners and staff from over 20 licensed premises in towns and cities across Ontario.

Publications

Graham K, Massak A. Alcohol consumption and use of antidepressants. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2007;176(5), 633-637.

Graham K, Massak, A, Demers A, Rehm J. Does the association between alcohol consumption and depression depend on how they are measured? Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2007;31, 78-88.

Graham K, Bernards S, Osgood DW, Wells S. Bad nights or bad bars? Multilevel analysis of environmental predictors of aggression in late-night large-capacity bars and clubs. Addiction. 2006;101, 1569-1580.

Graham K, Tremblay PF, Wells S, Pernanen K, Purcell J, Jelley J. Harm and intent and the nature of aggressive behavior: Measuring naturally-occurring aggression in barroom settings. Assessment. 2006;13(3), 280-296.

Graham K, Osgood DW, Wells S, Stockwell T. To what extent is intoxication associated with aggression in bars? A multilevel analysis, Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2006;67, 382-390.

Graham K, Bernards S, Osgood DW, Homel R, Purcell J. Guardians and handlers: The role of bar staff in preventing and managing aggression. Addiction. 2005;100, 755-766.

Graham K, Jelley J, Purcell J. Training bar staff in preventing and managing aggression in licensed premises. Journal of Substance Use. 2005;10(1), 48-61.

Graham K, Plant M, Plant, M. Alcohol, gender and partner aggression: A general population study of British adults. Addiction Research and Theory. 2004;12(4), 385-401.

Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer SC

Sir Geoffrey was appointed as President of the Law Commission on 1 December 2005 for a term of five years. Sir Geoffrey has had a long career in the law, as an academic lawyer, a politician, and a law practitioner.

Educated at the Victoria University of Wellington where he graduated BA in political science and LLB, he was awarded a British Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Chicago where he graduated Doctor of Law cum laude in 1967.

As the Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central from 1979-1990, he became Deputy Leader of the Opposition and later in 1984-1989 Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General. He was from 1984-1987 Leader of the House of Representatives as well. After the 1987 election, he became Minister for the Environment, a post he held until 1990. In 1989-1990 he was Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Both before entering politics and after leaving it, he was a Professor of Law at the Victoria University of Wellington and at the University of Iowa in the United States. In 1994 Geoffrey Palmer became a founding partner of Chen, Palmer & Partners, the Wellington based public law specialist law firm, but throughout his period of practice continued to teach at the Victoria University of Wellington and at the University of Iowa. He left the firm to join the Law Commission.

Geoffrey Palmer has written a long list of books and scholarly articles on legal matters. Perhaps the best known of them is: Unbridled Power: An Interpretation of New Zealand’s Constitution and Government first published in 1984, with a second edition in 1987. Then co-authoring with his son Dr Matthew Palmer, the book was re-titled as Bridled Power: New Zealand’s Constitution on Government, published in 1997, with the fourth edition in 2004. During his years in practice, Geoffrey Palmer appeared in the superior courts including the Privy Council in a number of important cases.

Since 2002, Geoffrey Palmer has been the New Zealand Commissioner on the International Whaling Commission.

He is a member of Her Majesty’s Privy Council. He was awarded a KCMG in 1991 and made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia in the same year. In 1991 he was listed on the United Nations “Global 500 Roll of Honour” for his work on environmental issues. These included reforming resource management law. Geoffrey Palmer has also sat as a Judge ad hoc on International Court of Justice in 1995. He holds honorary doctorates from three Universities.