Good evening everyone.
Welcome to the Art Gallery to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Arts Law Centre of Australia's establishment by our beloved founder Shane Simpson.
I'm David Levine, President of Arts Law - an office I have been privileged to hold for a term which has straddled two centuries.
For 20 years Arts Law has, with increasing excellence, recognition and goodwill, provided services to the Arts Community principally in three areas. First, the provision of legal advice; secondly the advocacy of causes now ranging from copyright and taxation reform to the implications of international free trade agreements for the interests of artists, and thirdly, in the field of education and scholarship.
The achievement, recognition and reputation of Arts Law in these fields could not have been attained without the dedicated interest of Board members with their individual areas of expertise, the breathtaking hard labours of the Executive Directors, legal officers and permanent staff, the indispensable assistance of the volunteers in administration and the lawyers, individually and collectively, through those firms who have supported us. I add that the acknowledgment just made extends to the increasing involvement of others in Melbourne, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, the Northern Territory and Canberra.
The funding bodies that make all this possible are the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts, the Australian Film Commission, Arts Tasmania, Arts South Australia, Arts Western Australia, Copyright Agency Limited and, of course, the principal funder from the beginning, the Australia Council.
Of course, a better venue for this celebration could hardly be imagined. That we can enjoy ourselves is it - and ourselves - arises from the generosity of the sponsorship of Gilbert + Tobin, Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Minter Ellison.
For the organisation of this event I thank my fellow Board members Shauna Jarrett, Rena Sofroniou and Virginia Gordon; Robyn Ayres, the Executive Director and her staff; and the Centre volunteers, Valerie Marshall, Lauren Mason, Katherine Giles and Kate Erman.
Karen Wong and Hyeon Cho are UTS design students responsible for the invitation and we thank them for that.
Two musical groups are here for our pleasure this evening.
Later, we shall hear from the group Trocadero - the name of which, for people over the age of fifty, conjures up very happy memories.
The ensemble whose music greeted us are the Soloists of the Pro Bono Philharmonic Orchestra: Durham Grigg of Baldwin Shelston Walters Law; Ian McCourt, Accountant; Kirrillie Moore of the Redfern Legal Centre; Gary Tui and Natalie Craig of Minter Ellison. The formation of that orchestra and that group of soloists under that name represents a very apt synergy for this evening.
Justice Michael Kirby was Foundation President on which occasion twenty years ago I'm sure he made a speech. He made a speech to us on our tenth anniversary and is here to do so tonight. I anticipate he will introduce and have something to say about the Council of Patrons that we have decided to establish.
As to one component of the Council, we are particularly gratified that all former Presidents and those associated with the foundation of Arts Law have agreed to be patrons. With two exceptions all have been or still are holders of Judicial Office. In this context I announce the apologies for non-attendance of Justice Tony Whitlam who apparently made arrangements to go to a football game in Melbourne, Acting Justice Jerrold Cripps, Justice David Angel of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory and Justice Malcolm Gray of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. One of the exceptions to whom I referred is Julian Burnside QC whose services to Arts Law have been exceptional, reflecting his generosity as a patron of the Arts: who knows, he might attain Judicial Office himself. Shane Simpson is the other exception, as I have said, he is our beloved founder. He also plays the piano.
The other component of the Council is made up of those we consider to be great achievers in the cultural life in and for this country, who, we know, support this organisation, and who by their own success constitute examples for the younger generation of creators Arts Law exists to help and promote.
