Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Thursday 03 June
12:45 PM - 1:15 PM
Unhappily, many people for whom language is a central part of their life’s work are a bit careless about the way they use it. Go into any court or any parliament any day and see whether you find the language inspiring, or even intelligible. If we were carpenters, we would probably leave our hammer and saw in the rain. The point of language is to convey meaning. Ideally, it should do so accurately. Not all writers honour this ideal. The purpose of language may be betrayed by carelessness, foolishness or malevolence, by representatives of big business, bureaucrats and politicians.
Julian Burnside will speak about each, and will finish with some recent reminders that language can be used powerfully and effectively if only we take enough care.
Featuring
Julian Burnside
Julian Burnside is a Melbourne barrister. He joined the Bar in 1976 and took silk in 1989. He specialises in commercial litigation, and has acted in many very contentious cases - the MUA Waterfront dispute; the Cash-for-Comment enquiry; cases for Alan Bond and Rose Porteous - but has become known for his human rights work and has acted pro bono in many refugee cases.
He is an outspoken opponent of the mistreatment of people who come to Australia seeking protection from persecution. His latest book is Watching Out: Reflections on Justice and Injustice (Scribe).