MONDAY 7 OCTOBER 2013

Champion Mooters
MLS Trio Wins Enviro Law Moot
Raoul Renard
Two MLS teams competed at the La Trobe University National Environmental Law Moot in late last month to resounding success, with both teams making it to the semi finals, and culminating in Nick Kotzman, Dale Straughan and Matt Psycharis winning the Grand Final by a comfortable margin. Psycharis also took best oralist. Twenty-four teams competed overall, comprising universities from all over Australia. The MLS semi-finalists were Matt Pierri, Holly Watson-Reeves and Louis Andrews. Of particular note is that all MLS entrants this year were first years, not having studied administrative or environmental law. Their successful performances demonstrated both teams hard work over the preceding weeks. The moot took the style of a singleproblem competition, relating to ministerial approval (at federal and Queensland state level) of a proposed Coal Seam Gas mining operation. The claimants were an organisation of locals, and the respondents were the two ministers and the CSG mining company.

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MLS WINNERS DALE STRAUGHEN, NICHOLAS KOTZMAN AND MATTHEW PSYCHARIS. (PHOTO: RAOUL RENARD)

Accordingly, the moot was based around the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Cth) and Environmental Protection Act (Qld). Throughout the competition, teams would represent both sides. MLS winning team advocated for the claimants in the final round, and best oralist Matt Psycharis had this to say: It was nice to end the competition representing the good guys, and in the end the injunction was granted. Another memorable quip came from semi-finalist Andrews: Ultimately, the

real winner is the Kroombit tinkerfrog. Most rounds were judged by barristers, judges associates or academics. The Grand Final was held in the Federal Court in Melbourne and was judged by Chief Justice Preston of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, Justice Marshall of the Federal Court and Environment Defenders Office principal solicitor Felicity Milner. The judges were not without humour, with Justice Marshall quipping: So are we just to believe the politician? No less, a politician from Queensland?

Justice Kyrou Delivers MUnGA Talk

Thomas Richardson
Melbourne Law School witnessed a turning point in the history of the Melbourne University Greek Association (MUnGA) on Wednesday, 18 September 2013, with a special presentation from Justice Emilios Kyrou of the Supreme Court of Victoria, entitled Personal and Career Reflections of a Hellenic Australian Judge. The event got under way with a speech from MUnGAs president, Yiannis Kallianis, who briefed the audience numbering more than 120 of the proud history of the Association and its aims, which include uniting students at the University of Melbourne philhellenic affiliations and Hellenic descent, as well as fostering pride amongst students of a Hellenic background. MLS Associate Dean Alison Duxbury formally introduced Justice Kyrou and congratulated MUnGA on its initiative. Justice Kyrou took centre stage and began his talk by acknowledging the humble and difficult lifestyle his family endured in their ancestral village of Sfikia, when poverty was rife. He attributed his hard-working attitude and dedication as beginning from a very young age, inspired by the work ethic of his parents. Continued Page 2

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2013 MUnGA Lecture

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Justice Kyrou Recalls Ordeals & Perseverance

Continued from Page 1 Justice Kyrou was also keen to point out that his experience as a migrant and Hellenic ancestry built up a determination to succeed, not only personally but professionally. Being the eldest of his siblings meant that the young Kyrou shouldered an unusually high level of responsibility. For instance, he had to act as an English language interpreter for his parents and inform them of their rights. Justice Kyrou also attributes his early interest in the law to his challenging childhood, growing up underprivileged in the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows in an age where racism was rife. After overcoming difficulties, Justice Kyrou appealed directly to the mostly student audience, as he gave advice on how to achieve success. He emphasised that whilst attaining good marks throughout university is important, it is not an absolute guarantee. Among the factors leading to a successful career in the law, Justice Kyrou pointed to interpersonal and communication skills, a respectful attitude to seniors in the workplace and a true passion for the job. Justice Kyrou then spoke about his career as a lawyer, a period of time not addressed in his autobiography, Call Me Emilios. After much toil and dedication, he rose to become partner at the pres-

MUNGA PRESIDENT YIANNI KALLIANIS, RIGHT, SHAKES HANDS WITH JUSTICE KYROU. (COURTESY PHOTO)

tigious law firm Mallesons Stephens Jacques, as it was known then. He also faced career barriers on occasion, both overt and systemic. Discrimination, Justice Kyrou noted, still heavily existed in the law field then, and would only improve in the 1980s. He said this era witnessed a substantial rise in the number of firms and lawyers, which contributed to the positive development, he commented, of a meritocratic system. A life-changing opportunity arose in 2008, when then-solicitor Kyrou was

offered an appointment to the Supreme Court bench only the second such appointment in Victorias history. Justice Kyrou emphasised his increased responsibilities since becoming a judge, and spoke at length about the importance of the judiciarys independence and impartiality. The Justice emphasised his increased responsibilities in being a member of the third arm of government, the judiciary; speaking at length on the importance of the Judiciarys independence and impartiality. The presentation was a great success for MUnGA and its partners in arranging the event: MLS; the Law Students Society and its newly elected president, Nick Jane; the National Union of Greek Australian Students and its president, Tass Sgardelis; and the events sponsor, the Bank of Melbourne. 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

THE MUNGA LECTURE WAS WELL ATTENDED BY MLS STUDENTS AND OTHERS (COURTESY PHOTO)

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THE ARTS 3

The Room: Interactive Theatre & Cult Classic

Jessica Sykes
Its been a decade since the world was first set upon by the wisdom of film director Tommy Wiseau. The kind of wisdom that spends its spare time licking the windows of school buses and eating from the clag bottle. Given the obsession with reality TV and other unapologetically mediocre entertainment, its perhaps not surprising that The Room has gained such a cult following. This being the first Saturday of the month, it was gracing the screen at the Nova, and what kind of lover of the mediocre and D grade movie would I be if I didnt finally partake? Upon entering the cinema youre presented with the rules, a call and response type affair. For example, any time theres a shot of San Francisco the audience shouts out Meanwhile in San Francisco, and the most exciting element, whenever a spoon is on screen the audience throws spoons. Thankfully, I attended with an old hand of The Room

TOMMY WISEAU MASTERS BOTH DIRECTING AND ACTING IN THE ROOM. (COURTESY PHOTO)

world, and therefore didnt humiliate myself by turning up spoonless. Just remember the old eggshell skull rule and buy plastic. I definitely recommend going with a big group, as it does feel somewhat like The Big Bang Theory players have multiplied, filled up a cinema and used

each successive screening to further hone their sci-fi humour. They have got it down to a fine art though. Next month, get yourself over to the Nova, and if you start to feel like youre sitting on an atomic bomb, waiting for it to go off in the exam lead up, Johnny knows just how you feel.

Pretty Peepers An Untraditional Cabaret Delivers on its Promise

Reegan Grayson-Morison
Last Saturday was the last night of Fringe Festival a festival of the arts that allows young people and budding artists to showcase their talent to the big wigs in the industry. I went to see Pretty Peepers An Untraditional Cabaret before raging with the actors and dancers at the Fringe After Party at The Fringe Club in North Melbourne. Having only seen one cabaret performance in my life before, I was unsure of what to expect. The audience should have been a total giveaway: groups of outrageously dressed, hyper-confident LGBT hipsters formed the bulk of the whooping masses. What ensued was a hilarious parody of traditional cabaret, striptease and the hyper-sexualised nature of the modern pop music industry. From a Britney-like character with pig make-up sculling vodka, performing fellatio on a carrot and vomiting glit-

THE LADIES OF PRETTY PEEPERS PERFORMING THEIR CABARET SHOW ON STAGE. (COURTESY PHOTO)

ter, to a Dita Von Teese lookalike with steak strapped between her legs as she stripped down to her party suit, these colourful ladies had the crowd crying

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with laughter. I never would have thought that I would say this, but looking at naked women jiggling around on stage was one of the best Saturday nights out I have had in a while. These ladies owned their sexuality and the many vicious slurs that are thrown around about women in general pure hilarity.

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Equity Uncle

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Do Pols Owe Duty of Commonsense?

Dear Equity Uncle, How do you deal with unreasonable people? A syndicate member is demanding that we do things her way or no way at all. The lecturer said we have to sort it out ourselves. Her interpretation of the law is so utterly completely wrong that if we take it we will fail, but we also need her to sign off on our assignment so we can submit it. I want to take the moral high ground, but I also want to call fire down from heaven. Help me Equity Uncle, youre my only hope. Aspiring Senator Dear Mr Senator, Are you that new Senator from the Motoring Enthusiast Party? Congratulations! Equity thought about running for a Senate seat too, but Equity doesnt trust the AEC. Equity is chuffed that youre in, though. Couldnt pick a better representative. So you see, compromise isnt all bad. Some people have been praising Ms Gillard just recently for compromising her way to legislative success. Which is great, because Equity loves reading legislation. But the spirit of compromise isnt always appropriate, and you do have to be careful. Otherwise youll find yourself agreeing to a pay cut or losing half your spicy lamb borek or working Sundays while the Republicans have shut down your government. Seriously, who shuts down a government? Equity frowns on Congress. That said, if the Tea Party could shut down Scott Morrison for a bit, Equity would be most pleasd. Equity doesnt know what to suggest. Sure, you could give up the high ground and run with bad law. That what Equity usually does. But you could also hold firm on principle and wait for her to blink. She wouldnt tank the global economy, right? I mean, she wont, right? Sincerely, Equity Uncle

QUIZ
1. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II? 2. Name the four countries that only have one vowel in their name. 3. Which play is West Side Story based on? 4. What is the official motto of the International Olympic Committee? 5. What is the floral emblem of Australia? 6. Which planet in the solar system has the strongest gravity? 7. Who was said to possess a face that could launch a thousand ships? 8. Name the seven deadly sins (bonus point if you can name them in Latin). 9. How many countries are currently in the European Union? 10. Name the cocktail from the ingredients: gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water. Answers below. This weeks quiz compiled by Anna Nodrum.

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, 8 October 2013 Global Law Students Associations Annual General Meeting. 1 pm. GM 16. Tuesday, 8 October 2013 Nanotechnology and Warfare, a lecture by Dr Hitoshi Nasu. Hosted by the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law. 6 pm. Room 920. Registration required. Wednesday, 9 October 2013 Beyond Law School: Family Law Panel, with Belle Lane, Briana Kotzapavlidis, the Hon. Kirsty MacMillan SC and Wendy Jenkins. 6.30 pm. Room 102. Thursday, 10 October 2013 The Long Revolution in Egypt: Women, Gender, and Creative Activisms, a lecture by historian Prof Margot Badran. 5.45 pm. Theatre 230, 234 Queensberry Street, Carlton. Reservations required. Thursday, 10 October 2013 2013 Witness Examination Grand Final. 6.20 pm. Federal Court of Australia, Courtroom 8A. Afterparty follows at the Mint.

Law Film Review

Judgment at Nuremberg
Mika Tsoi
Judgment at Nuremberg is the rare combination of important and good. The importance comes from the subject matter: the Justice Case at the Nuremberg Trials. Two questions are put forth to be answered: are the lawyers and judges legally culpable for their conduct in the Third Reich, and how could this have happened? It should not be a spoiler to reply yes to the first. The second question requires more space and soul searching than available here. The quality of the film is evident in all aspects. The spotlight is on Spencer Tracy, who is terrific as the small-time judge from Maine, arriving after all the big fish have been gutted. His point of view allows us to see many aspects of German society to attempt to give content to the second question. The servants at his house are the common people; Marlene Dietrich, the upper crust, shows Tracy around to show not all Germans are monsters. The non-procedural nature means examination-in-chief is shown,

the rarest of depictions, and its even useful for the drama because the viewer knows as much as Tracy. For the law nerd, there is also material for questions addressed by Advocacy, Evidence, Legal Theory and Legal Ethics. International Criminal Law rarely gets depicted on screen, so its lovely to have an Oscar-winning film to do so. Watch it. Its compelling viewing.

QUIZ ANSWERS. 1. Joseph Stalin 2. Cyprus, Chad, Egypt, Kyrgystan. 3. Romeo and Juliet 4. Citius Altius Fortius 5. Golden Wattle 6. Jupiter 7. Helen of Troy 8. Lust (luxuria), Gluttony (gula), Greed (avaritia), Sloth (acedia), Wrath (ira), Envy (invidia), and Pride (superbia).