ACT AGM + Branch Event

The Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) ACT Branch Committee invites all members to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) 6pm Monday 24 October 2022. The AGM will be held virtually over MS Teams with no in-person meeting. Details for joining the meeting have been emailed to members.

Nil RSVP required. Refer to email for all relevant documentation including Committee Nomination and proxy forms (due to actbranch@anzfss.org by COB 17 October).

Questions, concerns, and ideas from members welcome. We have achieved a lot in 2021/2022 to reinvigorate the ACT Branch and look forward to even more engagement, interesting branch meetings and member support into 2023 – another busy Symposium year!

The AGM will be followed by a presentation from special guest speaker, Heidi Yates, the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner (stay online via the same MS Teams link, nil pre-registration required).

6pm – 7pm: AGM

7pm – 8pm: Presentation by Heidi Yates

Guest Speaker: Heidi Yates, ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner

A 2022 Bill Harris Executive Leadership Award winner and trailblazer in gender-related law reform, ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates is a lawyer and leading advocate for family violence reform in the ACT. She has advocated for the development and funding of free legal services across Australia, and for more inclusive laws here in the ACT.

As the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner, Heidi has the challenging and important role of promoting and protecting the rights of people who experience crime, and ensuring they can access the support they need.

Heidi will present on her career as a Human Rights Lawyer, the functions of the ACT Victims of Crime Commissioner, and her role overseeing the daily operations of Victim Support ACT, which works with over 3,000 Canberrans each year. Heidi has great insight into how victims can be failed by the system particularly in sexual assault and family violence cases, and also in the variety of support services (including financial assistance) available.

Heidi will share case studies from her work with the criminal justice system and expert witnesses, inform us about the different kinds of support available to victim-survivors of crime, and speak to how victims of crime perceive forensic evidence.