Twilight Seminar: Pathways towards accountability

Former lawyer, speechwriter and ministerial staffer, Elena Campbell has worked in social and legal policy for nearly twenty years. Starting her career in private legal practice, Elena developed a detailed understanding of the impacts of family violence on individual clients. Ten years’ experience as legal adviser to the Victorian Attorney-General then saw Elena gain extensive experience of the way in which legislation, policy and mechanisms of the justice system interact, as well as of the political considerations involved. Advising primarily on equal opportunity, human rights, family violence and other areas of social justice reform, Elena then worked as a consultant writer and editor for a range of organisations, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, where she contributed to a number of major reports in relation to gender equality. 

Now an Associate Director at RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice, Elena is also the author of a number of the CIJ’s reports, including Opportunities for early intervention: bringing perpetrators of family violence into view, which has gained significant traction at both a state and national level. Elena is currently overseeing a diverse range of research for the CIJ, including leading an ANROWS funded project, Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent violence in the home – the PIPA Project, a multijurisdictional study on the prevalence and response to young people’s use of family violence. She is also leading work to support the implementation of recommendations from Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence, including work to map the roles and responsibilities of agencies and services in relation to perpetrator interventions.

Rob Hulls completed his law course at RMIT and began his career as a Solicitor for the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria from 1984–86. Rob then moved to Mt Isa in Queensland, and worked for the West Queensland Aboriginal Legal Service for 5 years. He then served one term in Federal Parliament from 1990–93 as the member for Kennedy, Queensland and in 1994 on return to Melbourne was appointed Chief of Staff to the Victorian Leader of the Opposition. In his state political career Rob held the offices of Attorney-General; Minister for Manufacturing Industry and Minister for Racing, Minister for WorkCover, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations. 

As Attorney-General, Rob instigated significant changes to Victoria's legal system which saw the establishment of the state's first Charter of Human Rights. He established specialist courts in Victoria including for Victoria's indigenous community, for people with mental health issues, for people with drug addiction and for victims of family violence. He also opened up the process for the appointment of people to Victoria's judiciary to ensure that more women and people from diverse backgrounds were appointed. 
In October 2012 Rob was appointed Adjunct Professor at RMIT and was invited to establish the new Centre for Innovative Justice as its inaugural Director. The Centre’s objective is to develop, drive, and expand the capacity of the justice system to meet and adapt to the needs of its diverse users. The Centre has facilitated the establishment of a multi-disciplinary practice on site with lawyers and social workers together with students providing holistic, wrap-around services to female prisoners in Victoria.