Annual Sir Hugh Laddie Lecture on Patents and Populism

delivered by The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, Federal Court of Australia

About Justice Bennett

The Honourable Justice Annabelle Bennett AO is a former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and an additional judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT, having previously practised as a Senior Counsel specialising in intellectual property.

Justice Bennett is President of the Copyright Tribunal of Australia, Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council, a Presidential Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal; Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport; Member of Chief Executive Women; and Member of the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong . She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005.

Justice Bennett completed her BSc (Hons) and PhD in Bioche mistry (the latter in the Faculty of Vet Science) at Sydney University and later obtained her law degree at the University of New South Wales. Her interest in biological sciences has led to membership of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee, the Biotechnology Task Force, the Pharmacy Board of New South Wales and the Eastern Sydney Area Health Service.

Her Honour has also served as Pro-Chancellor of the Australian National University. In addition she has been a member of the Gene Patenting Advisory Committee of the Australian Law Reform Commission; member of the Advisory Group for the Dean of Medicine at The University of Sydney; Trustee of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust; Director of the Sydney Childr en’s Hospital Foundation; President of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences; President of Chief E xecutive Women; as well as a member of the Reference Group for the APEC Women Leaders’ Network Meeting 2007 and the Head of Delegation to the APEC Women Leaders’ Network Meeting 2008 in Peru. In July 2011 her Honour was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by the ANU