People with dementia can experience behavioural changes such as disinhibition, loss of empathy and agitation, as well as cognitive impairment leading to impaired judgement and poor decision-making. In a proportion of cases these can lead to behavioural aberrations that may be perceived as criminal offending, despite lacking criminal intent. Examples include dangerous driving, verbal and physical abuse, socially inappropriate behaviour and sexual transgressions. Our research suggests that such behaviours may occur in as many as 40% of people with dementia, creating risks of interactions with law enforcement and the legal system. This session will outline the nature and prevalence of criminal risk behaviours in dementia syndromes. The clinical phenotype and underlying mechanisms will be discussed. These will be integrated with illustrative case examples. The second half of the session will focus on appropriate management from a clinical perspective, as well as highlighting relevant legal issues for clinicians to be aware of. These issues will be considered across the disease trajectory, from pre-diagnosis when alleged criminal behaviours may be a red flag for considering dementia diagnosis, through to strategies to enable people with dementia to avoid inappropriate interactions with the criminal legal system. Fiona Kumfor is an Associate Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the School of Psychology, University of Sydney. She has received >$5.2 million in competitive funding and has published >100 peer reviewed publications in leading journals such as Lancet Neurology, Brain, Cortex and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Her research has been instrumental in delineating social cognition and behavioural profiles across frontotemporal dementia syndromes, and developing psychosocial interventions to improve quality of life in patients and their carers. In 2023 she co-founded the Dementia Law Network, which is a multidisciplinary group focused on issues at the intersection of dementia and the law. Registration for this event is essential. Please click here to register.

On 26 June 2025, 1-2pm, ANZAPPL will host an online lunchtime seminar presented by Mara Lejins, following the recent publish of her article in Bond Law Review titled “Come and Live Like This’: An Examination of Australian Legal Perspectives on Child Sex Tourism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific". Mara has worked as a prosecutor with a number of agencies and has impressive qualifications including a LLM (Highest Honors) from Columbia University. Mara critically examines Australia's legal strategies for addressing child sex tourism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and suggests ways to enhance and refine Australia's enforcement approach. Participants may be surprised to learn of the overrepresentation of Australians in the profile of the perpetrator. Please join us for what will be a thought-provoking and fascinating presentation. This will be free for ANZAPPL members but registration is essential. Non-members may attend for a small fee.

The Annual General Meeting of ANZAPPL Queensland will take place on Monday 23 June at 6.00pm. It will take place on Microsoft Teams. Members should refer to the notice for a link to join this meeting. AGENDA Note attendees Welcome by ANZAPPL Queensland President, Mark Kebbell Apologies and proxies Confirmation of previous minutes President’s report Secretary’s Report Treasurer’s report Election of officers Nominations for and election of President Nominations for and election of Treasurer. Nominations for and election of Secretary. Nominations for and election of Ordinary Members.​

Lone actor violence presents as an increasing problem across society and for those working in frontline roles to prevent these attacks. Over the past two decades, many different causes and factors have been attributed to explain offending, however, amongst these efforts to classify behaviour, motivation is often lost or misunderstood. The training outlines the challenges that arise from seeking to explain motivation through ideology or terrorism and identifies the importance of understanding the person and their circumstances through questioning and hypothesis formulation. The training will scrutinise the role of motivation in lone actor violence, and demonstrate that through guided questioning and formulation improved responses, assessment, and prevention efforts can occur.   Dr Nathan Brooks is a Consultant Forensic Psychologist and has broad experience pertaining to risk and threat assessment, along with having worked in both the private and public sectors. As a member of the Behavioural Science Unit within New Zealand Police, Nathan has provided consultancy on security matters and a variety of threat situations and events and advised on numerous serious and major crime investigations. Across his career, he focused primarily on high-risk and high-harm matters, particularly in respect to personality and behavioural risk indicators. Nathan has conducted lectures and workshops on leading matters in the field, delivering these services nationally and internationally. He has produced a variety of peer-reviewed articles and publications on a range of topics, including lone actor violence, psychopathic personality, personality disorders, criminal profiling, sexual offending, cold case investigations, targeted violence, investigative practices, grievance-fuelled violence, and stalking. He is also the joint editor of a book focusing on psychopathic personality within the workplace and he is about to publish a new book on Mass Casualty Violence.

An ANZAPPL Vic soirée with Michael Stanton SC New federal and state laws have been introduced intending to protect vulnerable groups and individuals against hate speech. While many in the community have advocated for these kinds of reforms, there is growing disquiet that these new laws could be weaponised and may in fact have a chilling effect on legitimate political expression and protest rights. At the Federal level, some of these new hate speech offences now attract mandatory imprisonment. Further, the evolution of these laws has demonstrated a concerning lack of consolation with affected communities who have warned of unintended consequences. The laws have now expanded to a point where there is a real issue as to whether they will be arbitrarily applied and whether they undermine a fundamental principle of the rule of law: that laws be certain and applied equally.  Michael Stanton SC is a criminal lawyer with a strong focus on civil liberties and human rights and is the Immediate Past President of Liberty Victoria. In this presentation, he will give a brief survey of the new landscape of anti-vilification laws and consider some of the difficulties with attempting to prohibit hate speech. Tickets are essential. Please click here to register.

The nexus between mental health and the law: a discussion lead by a panel of professionals recognised as leaders in their fields of the ethical and not-so-ethical practice of practitioners in psychiatry, psychology and law.  This event is a collaboration between The Piddington Society and the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL).  The presenters are:  The Hon Justice Kate Glancy (President, State Administrative Tribunal). The Tribunal deals with allegations of ethical breaches by psychologists, doctors and lawyers, among others.  His Honour Judge Craig Astill (District Court of Western Australia). Prior to his appointment, Judge Astill was a prosecutor and defence lawyer who regularly worked with mental health professionals during the course of matters.  Dr Katinka Morton is a child and adolescent and consultant forensic psychiatrist who is a Member of the Western Australian Board of the Medical Board of Australia.  Dr Sophie Davison is the Chief Psychiatrist for the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged care.  Dr Greg Dear is a psychologist with decades of experience in criminal and family law matters and in academia. Following his recent retirement, he continues to undertake academic research and supervision in this area.  Attendees will be eligible for 1 CPD point.  Registration Registration is essential. Click here to register. ANZAPPL WA members can get a discount on this event by using the code 'PPL25' at checkout. CPD Practitioner ID numbers are issued by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. Information from the Board is available here. We require these to issue CPD certificates. If you do not provide us with one then we may contact you following the event.  Proceeds from all Piddington activities go toward our access to justice projects. These are: the Piddington PLT Fund, which supports the CLCs that host Piddington PLT graduates to complete their hours required for admission; the Piddington Justice Fund for CLCs, to cover costs that they otherwise cannot meet; and, Kaartdijin, our First Nations Legal Education Fund. We also fund the Christine Wheeler Scholarship and John Chaney Award for new law graduates and law students. Annually we are able to make contributions of more than $50,000 to the community through these projects.

One of the most challenging aspects of working in forensic contexts is responding to behaviours that have the potential to cause significant harm (e.g., violence, threats, harmful sexual behaviour, stalking). To work effectively with such clients, professionals need to be able to formulate the client’s behaviour; i.e. understand and explain the behaviour and harm potential, and use knowledge this to guide risk management and intervention. Formulation of problem behaviour is particularly important in cases where there are multiple interacting comorbidities and co-occurring biopsychosocial challenges; in client groups with whom it can be difficult to establish a rapport; and in cases where there is a high risk of inconsistent management across agencies and over time.  The aim of this workshop is to teach a method of formulating problematic and potentially harmful client behaviour that goes beyond the application of structured risk assessment guides. The workshop will involve both didactic learning and case study-based practice. Participants will finish the workshop with a framework for formulation that they can use to understand and communicate about concerning client behaviour, and to shape risk reduction and intervention efforts.  This workshop is intended for health and human services professionals who are keen build their ability to work with clients who present with problematic and potentially harmful behaviour towards others. Facilitator This workshop will be lead by Professor Troy McEwan, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University.  Troy's research interests focus on improving understanding, assessment, and treatment of problem behaviour, with a particular interest in stalking, intimate partner and family violence, and deliberate firesetting. She has expertise in the development and evaluation of risk assessment instruments for these and other behaviours such as violence and sexual offending. In addition to her research role, Troy is a clinical and forensic psychologist who has worked in both inpatient and community forensic mental health settings since 2008. She continues her clinical practice as a Principal Psychologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare). Troy is the director of Swinburne's postgraduate forensic psychology research and training degrees, teaching into the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical and Forensic) and the Graduate Diploma in Forensic Psychology and coordinating industry placements for these degrees. Troy also provides regular education and training to practitioners in the fields of mental health, criminal justice, and social services around Australia and internationally. She is the Immediate Past President of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, and sits on the editorial boards of the journals Criminal Justice and Behavior, Journal of Family Violence, and the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management. Registration Registration includes morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Non-ANZAPPL Members: $350 ANZAPPL Members: $300 Please click here to register.

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of ANZAPPL Victoria will be held at 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 22 November 2024, at Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, and via Zoom. Please click here for relevant forms.

The 44th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Association will take place at ​5pm on Thursday, 21st November 2024 at the ANZAPPL Congress, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Victoria and via Zoom. Proxies may be submitted using the appropriate form provided in conjunction with this Notice. AGENDA 1.Circulate attendance list for signing 2.Welcome by ANZAPPL President, Amber Fougere 3.Apologies and proxies 4.Confirmation of minutes for the 43rd Annual General Meeting 5.President’s report 6.Secretary’s Report 7.Treasurer’s report 8.Journal Editor’s report 9.Website and media report 10.Election of officers 10.1 Nominations for and election of President 10.2 Nominations for and election of President-Elect. 10.3 Nominations for and election of Treasurer. 10.4 Nominations for and election of Assistant Treasurer. 10.5 Nominations for and election of Secretary. 10.6 Nominations for and election of Assistant Secretary. 10.7 Nominations for and election of Student Representative. 10.8 Nominations for and election of Ordinary Members. [(Under Clause 50 of the Constitution, separate elections must be held for each of the positions of (a) President; (b) President-Elect; (c) Secretary; and (d) Treasurer. Under Clause 51, a single election may be held to appoint the other members with the exception of immediate Past President] 11.Branch reports 12.Any other business 12.1 Motions requiring members decisions:

Join us in Melbourne this November for the 42nd Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law Annual Congress. We are looking forward to welcoming you to connect and network in the vibrant atmosphere of Melbourne, a city known for its thriving culture, dynamic dining scene, and world-class art and music. Registration for Congress is now open! Early bird rates are available until 20 September 2024. Click here to register. Our program will cover a range of topics relating to the challenges of validity in an ever-evolving landscape. We will explore issues relating to technology, memory, impression management, and more, offering insights into the future of work at the interface of psychology, psychiatry, and the law. Don’t miss out on information-packed sessions that will promise to enrich your knowledge, and opportunities to connect with practitioners and researchers from across Australia and New Zealand. For further details please visit the dedicated Congress website.

Topics to be discussed: The implementation of AI in sentencing faces several challenges, including the quality and transparency of judicial data, and potential biases in AI training. We propose a new way of using AI in sentencing that addresses many (but not all) of those challenges. We use the unique structure of the Indonesian Corruption Sentencing Guidelines as an example to clarify how this may work. Our suggested approach is based on Machine Learning and not language models (e.g. ChatGPT).   Dr Armin Alimardani is a Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies at the School of Law at the University of Wollongong (UOW). His publications and talks focus on the social, ethical and legal impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Neuro technologies and genetics. As part of his commitment to shaping the responsible use of AI, Armin is part of the UOW AI Expert Group that consults the University on AI policies, ensuring that the institution's approach to AI is informed by the latest research and ethical considerations. Armin’s current projects include the potential use of AI in sentencing (collaboration with the University of Brawijaya), the impact of technology on shaping the future of the legal profession (collaboration with Deakin University), the use of natural language models in education and research (collaboration with UNSW), benchmarking Language Models (collaboration with OpenAI). This webinar is free to attend for ANZAPPL members. Please click here to register.

In 2022, Western Australia Police commenced using the Australian Child Abuse Classification System to categorise Child Exploitation Material (CEM). In addition to changing the system of classification, WA Police also adopted a policy whereby the quantity of CEM that would be manually analysed per device was limited. There are clearly implications for the prosecution and sentencing of these types of matters.   Dr Jane Tudor-Owen will chair this lively panel.  Jane is a State Prosecutor at the Office of the Director or Public Prosecutions (WA). Prior to commencing at the Office in 2021, they taught across the disciplines of criminology, law, and social work at Edith Cowan University in various capacities between 2012 - 2021, completing their PhD on police interviewing in 2016. Since commencing at the ODPP, they have appeared as counsel for the State at hearings in the Magistrates Court, District Court, and most recently, the Children’s Court.   In this session, Gemma Beggs (Senior State Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) will discuss the way in which the ODPP approaches prosecutions under the new system and Tony Hager (Barrister, Geoffrey Miller Chambers) will discuss the implications for an accused person both in defending a charge and in sentencing. Dr James McCue (Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Helen Fowler and Associates) will explore some of issues that arise in conducting psychological assessments and preparing associated reports in light of the limited samples that are now provided, and his Honour Judge Craig Astill, will explore ramifications for the sentencing of offences relating to CEM.  Please click here to register.