The Solomon Lecture

Initially established under the repealedFreedom of Information Act 1992(Qld), the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) continues under theRightto Information Act 2009(Qld) (RTI Act) and theInformation Privacy Act 2009(Qld) (IP Act) as Queensland’s independent statutory body promoting access to government-held information and protecting people’s personal information as held by the public sector.OIC provides information and assistance to the community and support to over 600 Queensland public sector entities, including Queensland Government departments, local government, public universities and statutory authorities on understanding their rights or responsibilities under the Acts.OIC also reviews agency decisions regarding access and amendment applications, deals with privacy complaints, and monitors and reports on agency compliance.More information available here

The Office of the Information Commissioner, Queensland

This year's Solomon Lecture will be delivered by Fiona McLeod SC, eminent barrister and human rights advocate, on the topic: Accountability in the Age of the Artificial. 
Lecture abstract: Our aspiration for open and accountable government faces innumerable challenges, not least the natural reluctance of all governments to expose themselves to criticism and accept responsibility for failure.
Time and again, corporate and political goals take priority over just outcomes, and the human rights of individuals and communities are undervalued and ignored.
Numerous examples of bad behaviour shock us for a while, some even receiving the focused attention of high quality investigative journalism and Royal Commissions, but we are left unsatisfied, cynical and disengaged, more jaded than before, accepting the inevitability of existential threats, the comfort of algorithmic news feeds and vague promises to ‘drain the swamp’.
In this context, are big data and artificial intelligence the enemies of the people, the ultimate tools of the oligarch, or the vital tools needed to eliminate bias, improve scrutiny and just outcomes for the visionary? Is there a future in which humanity evolves alongside an enhanced hive-mind in time to avert global catastrophe and create a new vision for humanity? 
Ms McLeod is the Chair of the Accountability Round Table, a former Co-Chair of the Open Government Forum and Chair of Transparency International.
She will be joined on stage by:
Madonna King (Master of Ceremonies and award-winning journalist)
Rachael Rangihaeata (Qld Information Commissioner)
Scott McDougall (Qld Human Rights Commissioner)
Dr Brent Richards (Medical Director of Innovation, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service)
Simon McKee (Deputy Commissioner, Queensland Treasury)
 
2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Right to Information Act 2009 and the Information Privacy Act 2009 in Queensland. 
The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) hopes you can join us for this special event.
Please note, there will be video and photography at this event. If you are attending but do not wish to be photographed, please let us know via the 'Contact' button below.
The event will also be live streamed at: <A HREF="https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/live-stream" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/live-stream</A>
The OIC would like to thank State Library of Queensland for supporting the Solomon Lecture again this year.
<H2>Speaker bios</H2>
<H3>Fiona McLeod SC</H3>
Fiona McLeod SC is senior counsel practising at the Victorian Bar in public and commercial law.
She is the Chair of the Accountability Round Table, a former Co-Chair of the Open Government Forum and Chair of Transparency International.
Fiona is the chair of the International Bar Association Diversity Council. She is a Past President of the Law Council of Australia and the Australian Bar Association, and was Chair of the Victorian Bar and President of Australian Women Lawyers.
Ms McLeod has been recognised with numerous awards for excellence and leadership, for her work in supporting diversity and equality, the advancement of women and her work in pro bono and human rights matters including human trafficking. In 2018 she was awarded the Australian Woman Lawyer of the Year award.
Ms McLeod was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll for Women in 2014 and is a recipient of numerous professional awards including the prestigious inaugural Commonwealth Government Anti-Slavery Australia Freedom Award for her work representing victims of human trafficking, raising awareness and contributing to law reform and policy on this issue.
<H3>Madonna King</H3>
Madonna is one of Australia’s most accomplished journalists, having worked at senior levels across News Limited and the ABC, where she presented the Mornings current affairs program for six years and winning several national journalism awards. She has a weekly column in Fairfax on political and social issues, and also writes for Fairfax’s Good Weekend. Queensland’s most experienced moderator of public conferences, and a rigorous interviewer, Madonna facilitates the AICD CEO luncheon series and leads hypotheticals and panels across Australia on topics as varied as education, heath, business, and politics. 
Madonna is the author of nine books, including the best-seller and award-winning Being 14 and Fathers and Daughters, which capture the views of more than 1500 young Australians, along with dozens of educators. She is also the biographer of Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer and former treasurer Joe Hockey.
In 2018, Madonna served as chair of the Queensland Government’s Anti-Cyber Bullying Taskforce, set up in the wake of COAG. The Government and Opposition accepted all 29 recommendations in the landmark report.
Madonna is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and serves on two university-related boards. She has two teenage daughters, and lives in Brisbane. For more information, see <A HREF="http://www.madonnaking.com.au" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.madonnaking.com.au</A>
<H3>Rachael Rangihaeata</H3>
Appointed as Information Commissioner on 20 September 2013, Rachael champions proactive disclosure of, and appropriate privacy safeguards for, information held by Queensland government agencies including local government, Queensland Government departments, public Hospitals and Health Services and universities, and public authorities.
The Information Commissioner promotes awareness of information rights and responsibilities within the community and Queensland government agencies. Rachael and her leadership team engage with agency leaders to promote cultures that support better right to information and information privacy practices, including proactive disclosure, administrative access, pro-disclosure bias in formal access application decision-making and privacy by design.
Prior to her appointment as Information Commissioner, Rachael held senior leadership positions across all functions of the Office of the Information Commissioner since 2005. Rachael has over 20 years public sector experience, having also worked in various roles within the Queensland State and Commonwealth public service, primarily in strategic and legislative policy.
Rachael holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Bachelor of Science (AES) and Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Leadership (PSM).
<H3>Scott McDougall </H3>
Scott commenced as Commissioner of the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland on 8 October 2018 and became the inaugural Queensland Human Rights Commissioner on 1 July 2019 with the commencement of the Human Rights Act 2019.  Prior to his appointment he was the Director and Principal Solicitor at Caxton Legal Centre Inc in Brisbane.
Since admission to legal practice in 1993, Scott has worked with and advocated on behalf of diverse marginalised communities.  He has conducted major litigation and led program and policy development in a number of areas including discrimination, native title, criminal law, guardianship and coronial inquiries.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Queensland University of Technology.
<H3>Dr Brent Richards</H3>
Associate Professor Brent Richards is Medical Director of Innovation and Director of Critical Care Research at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, and Associate Professor at Griffith and Bond Universities. He was previously also director of ICU for 15 years, executive director of Surgery, chair of the state Intensive Care network, project executive for ICU Clinical Information System, and member of the Information Strategy and Investment Board for Queensland Health. 
Realising the opportunities and responsibilities in the big data sets being created in Healthcare, Brent is working on ways to expand, understand and interrogate these data sets for clinical understanding, business KPIs and research possibilities. He has co-founded IntelliHQ, a not-for-profit organisation bringing together start-ups, industry partners, researchers and educators to work collaboratively to unlock the potential that AI can bring to Healthcare, improving both patient and system outcomes.
<H3>Simon McKee</H3>
Simon is a Deputy Commissioner in the Office of State Revenue (OSR), a division of Queensland Treasury, and member of the Senior Executive Team. Simon’s particular responsibilities are to lead the enabling divisions of OSR, including policy and legislation, objections and litigation, debt management, information technology services, risk and analytics functions, and relevantly OSR’s Transformation Program.
Simon has over 20 years’ experience across all revenue lines and functions in State revenue offices, and Treasury functions including policy and portfolio reviews.

State Library of Queensland, The Edge Auditorium

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