Australia’s Position in Reforming the UN Drug Conventions to Permit Hashish Regulation
Friday twenty first November 2025
Stage 1
House 60 individuals
https://studentvip.com.au/usyd/essential/maps/142372/ranges/16932
Organized By
Media Sponsor
Contact
Sean Hocking – hocking.sean@gmail.com
The Worldwide Hashish Symposium 2026 brings collectively main teachers, policymakers, authorized consultants, and business professionals to handle the foundational challenges in hashish and hemp coverage improvement. Our theme emphasizes the necessity for equitable, evidence-based approaches to hashish regulation worldwide.
10am -10.15am: Sean & Atiyyah – Introductions, Thanks, Why’s, What’s & How’s.
10.15 Ben Mostyn Host: Sydney Legislation Faculty Presentation “Australia, hashish, and the UN”
LLB (UNSW) MA (South Florida)
Educational Fellow
Sydney Legislation Faculty
Mr Mostyn’s main analysis curiosity is world drug coverage. His PhD is analyzing Nationwide Archives paperwork round Australia’s determination to signal the 1988 United Nations drug conference. He’s whether or not world forces and institutional forces prompted Australia to signal the conference and additional entrench the worldwide Conflict on Medication. Associated to this analysis, Mr Mostyn is enthusiastic about criminalisation, police powers, drug legislation reform and regulating world drug markets.
Mr Mostyn has labored as a Authorized Support solicitor in human rights legislation, administrative legislation, and household legislation. He accomplished his Masters on the College of South Florida the place he researched transnational social actions and the Conflict on Medication with a give attention to South America.
10-45 – 11.30 Panel
The rise of hashish politics in Australia. The great, the dangerous, the ugly. How can its expertise inform Worldwide our bodies & different jurisdictions?
Moderator: Brian Walker Hashish Celebration (WA)
Member of the Legislative Council for Western Australia
Common Practitioner in Claremont
MB, ChB MRCGP, RACGP
After working towards drugs for a few years in many various international locations, with front-line expertise treating sufferers in hospitals, emergency departments, and basic apply. I settled within the Perth Hills as GP at Serpentine Medical Centre.
Now, as a Member of Parliament, I do know that far too a lot of our present legal guidelines are archaic, whereas others are unfit for objective. Excessive-level selections have been made with out satisfactory medical-scientific understanding, primarily based usually on concern reasonably than data.
Leveraging fashionable medical analysis and knowledge, my ardour is to enhance medical, psychological, monetary, social, and bodily wellness throughout the neighborhood.
PANEL
David Shoebridge Greens
David Shoebridge is an Australian Greens Senator for New South Wales, elected to the federal Senate in 2022 after serving within the NSW Legislative Council from 2010 to 2022.
A former barrister specializing in employment and discrimination legislation, he’s now a spokesperson for the Greens within the portfolios of Justice, Defence and Veterans’ Affairs, and Digital Rights.
Earlier than his parliamentary profession, he was additionally a Woollahra Municipal Councillor from 2004 to 2012
Rachel Payne Hashish Celebration (Vic)
South-Jap Metropolitan
Authorized Hashish Victoria
Legislative Council
Previous to coming into Parliament, Rachel was the manager of EROS Affiliation and held management, challenge administration, coverage and analysis roles with the Household Courtroom of Australia and Centrelink. Rachel holds postgraduate {qualifications} in public coverage and an undergraduate diploma in sociology and politics. She can also be an acclaimed performer, travelling internationally to carry out as Freckles Blue in Paris and London. Rachel has intensive expertise in advocacy and campaigning, together with efficiently campaigning to finish monetary discrimination towards small enterprise, gaining the assist of the Ombudsman.
Rachel put her hand as much as run for Parliament for Legalise Hashish Victoria as she believes it’s time for legislation reform on this house. She is eager to provoke the dialog extra broadly across the position of hashish as the long run for environmental ingenuity and creation.
Rachel has a eager curiosity in political processes and practices, is an advocate for ladies’s rights and equality, inclusivity, and progressive social and neighborhood improvement. She can also be obsessed with options to homelessness, significantly in regard to younger individuals, and has lived expertise after instability in home-life meant Rachel was impartial from 16 years of age. She is a fierce advocate for hashish legislation reform and is actively concerned within the LGBTIQ neighborhood.
Cate Faermann Greens (NSW)
Member of the Legislative Council
Member of The Greens
Time period of service expires 59th Parliament (07 Mar 2031)
Cate has a protracted historical past as an activist for ladies’s rights and the surroundings. She’s been on the entrance traces with the LGBTIQ+ neighborhood within the battle for equality, an unwavering voice for dying with dignity, and has fought for animal welfare.
Cate was beforehand a member of parliament from 2010-2013, and most not too long ago was Chief of Workers for parliamentary chief of the Australian Greens, Dr Richard Di Natale.
She has been energetic in lots of environmental and social justice organisations, together with as Chair of Sea Shepherd Australia, Govt Director of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, founding director of GetUp! and on the board of the Environmental Defenders Workplace NSW.
Daniel Rathner Indicated Authorized
Daniel Rathner is the founder and Director of Indicated Authorized primarily based in Melbourne, Australia.
Daniel works with many companies throughout the provision chain, together with sponsors, cultivators, producers, importers, distributors, medical practitioners and clinics, pharmacists and testing laboratories.
Providing sensible and strategic recommendation, Daniel assists his shoppers all through the lifetime of their enterprises, from company structuring and institution, licensing, business contracts and deal stream by means of to company governance, regulatory compliance and acquisition or exit occasions.
Daniel has additionally assisted plenty of worldwide companies enter the Australian market.
11.30 Espresso
11.45 – 12.15 Presentation – Melanie Wentzel Prowling Tigress: A she-cosystem of underutilised energy & a paucity of political champions – The unmet potential of girls in hashish coverage.
Ladies lead hashish advocacy globally, prowling on the edges of hashish coverage, marking our territory (storytelling), defending our cubs (advocacy), and establishing territory (with social affect) – however hardly ever ship the ultimate strike within the hunt for coverage reform. The nice prowl does matter however solely goes to this point with out the ultimate strike. Coverage reform requires political positioning, the place ladies are underrepresented particularly within the hashish agenda – this too wants to alter. It’s time for the hungry-for-change prowlers and hashish’s political champions to assemble and rise. It’s time for political champions to recognise the distinctive and untapped energy of girls’s teams; and for ladies’s teams to boost their gaze, organise, and make extra strategic political advances. We should hunt as one.
Healthcare Strategist, Hashish & Womens Well being Thought Chief, Bestselling Writer
Melanie Wentzel has dedicated her profession to well being system reform and the development of well being and look after communities in Australia and overseas. She has a uncommon expertise for the significant implementation of revolutionary, person-centred programs, and is deeply obsessed with high-performing healthcare; and the potential of medicinal hashish to scale back stress on well being programs by addressing power situation symptom load, enhancing high quality of life, and creating extra activated sufferers – decreasing the requirement for medical intervention.
As Cannim’s Healthcare Technique Lead, Melanie builds transformational relationships between public well being and the hashish business by means of analysis, schooling, and advocacy, connecting the dots for practitioners and sufferers alike. Previous to specialising in hashish, Melanie delivered over $10M in authorities and privately funded healthcare transformation tasks, for Federal and State Governments, non-public and not-for-profits, and for Australia’s Medical Faculties.
The creator of Hashish Queens, and #1 bestselling creator of A Love Letter to Ladies in Enterprise (from Ladies Making a Distinction), she can also be twice revealed within the Medical Journal of Australia.
Melanie is a recipient of the Ladies Altering the World Rising International Chief Award 2024 (Awarded by the Duchess of York), and has been featured in Forbes Journal, and on the quilt of CIO Occasions, amongst others. She is an appointed decide of the nationwide hashish business (Cannabiz) awards, and is an oft-invited speaker at worldwide occasions together with MJBizCon, and not too long ago because the Keynote for the Icelandic Hemp Affiliation’s Nationwide Convention.
A Bachelor of Psychological Science, she is an skilled Healthcare Strategist, Mission- and Operations Supervisor, and a graduate of Griffith College, The Australian Institute of Firm Administrators, and the Harvard Medical Faculty Govt Schooling Program.
+ Helen Kapalos In Dialogue
Helen Kapalos Is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, recognised journalist and motivational speaker and facilitator.
Along with her intensive profession in media, Helen served a 4 yr time period as Victoria’s principal Multicultural Commissioner the place she championed social justice reform for marginalised and deprived communities.
An achieved journalist, presenter and government producer with over 20 years’ expertise, Helen directed, produced and appeared in a floor breaking movie on medical hashish. The movie was acquired by Netflix and SBS Tv and was screened nationally to Australian audiences.
A recognised nationwide information broadcaster, she has intensive expertise throughout a number of media organisations, and in her time as a broadcaster labored for all three Australian business networks and each public broadcasters.
12-20 – 12.45 -1pm – Presentation – Atiyyah Ferouz The Nice Compliance Hole: Australia’s Laws vs The Remainder of the World
Transitioning to the hashish business in 2018, I’ve spent the previous 7 years discovering methods to drive the business ahead, whether or not it’s educating the most recent additions to the hashish house, consulting producers in rising markets, or launching a world hashish high quality affiliation.
On the ICQSA (Worldwide Hashish High quality Requirements Affiliation) we’re centered on the globalization of the hashish provide chain. Our affiliation contributes to this mission by means of the event of greatest apply guides and the advisement of policymakers in rising markets.
At AgCann, our objective is to assist hashish producers bridge the hole between the place they’re, and the place they wish to be. We make the most of our experience in operations, high quality assurance, and tissue tradition to assist producers develop or optimize their processes.
Along with my entrepreneurial efforts, I’m an energetic thought chief within the hashish house, ceaselessly collaborating in webinars, workshops, and talking at world hashish occasion
1pm- 2pm Lunch
2pm – 3pm. Panel
Attaining Drug Legislation Reform: The Expertise in WA and NSW
Moderator: Ben Mostyn
PANEL
Alex Wodak
Dr Alex Wodak was the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at Sydney’s St. Vincent’s Hospital from 1982 to 2012. He’s at present President of the Australian Drug Legislation Reform Basis.
Alex was additionally President of the Worldwide Hurt Discount Affiliation from 1996 to 2004. He helped set up the primary needle syringe programme and the primary medically supervised injecting centre in Australia when each had been pre-legal. Dr Wodak usually works in growing international locations on HIV management amongst injecting drug customers. He contributed in 2011 to the International Fee on Drug Coverage. He’s a Director of Australia21 and contributed to their report on drug coverage. In 2010, Dr Wodak was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Greg Barnes
Greg Barns SC graduated BA LLB from Monash College in 1984. He was a member of the Victorian Bar the place he practiced in felony legislation from 1986-89 and has been a member of the Tasmanian Bar since 2003. He’s additionally a member of the Victorian, Western Australian and New Zealand Bars. Greg was chief of employees and senior adviser to plenty of federal and state Liberal Celebration leaders and ministers from 1989-99.
He’s additionally the previous Nationwide Chair of the Australian Republican Motion and was Nationwide President of the Australian Attorneys Alliance in 2011-12. He’s chair of the Tasmanian Prisoners Authorized Service. Greg is an adviser to the Australian Assange Marketing campaign, he writes a weekly column within the Hobart Mercury and recurrently writes on authorized coverage points for Fairfax Media. Greg is a Tasmanian Patron of the nationwide Justice Reform Initiative. Greg is a lecturer within the LLB/JD packages at RMIT College.
Geoff Gallup
Emeritus Professor The Hon Dr Geoff Gallop AC was a Member of Western Australia’s Legislative Meeting for 20 years, a Minister within the Lawrence authorities (1990-93), together with Minister for Schooling and Premier from 2001 to 2006. He was Director of Sydney College’s Graduate Faculty of Authorities (2006-15) growing packages and educating within the space of public sector coverage and administration in Australia, Africa and South-East Asia.
From 2007-11 he was Deputy Chair of the COAG Reform Council. At the moment he’s a member of the International Fee on Drug Coverage and chairs the Analysis Committee of the New Democracy Basis.
3 – 3.30pm Fiona Patten
Fiona was first elected to Victoria’s State Parliament in 2014 and re-elected for a second time period in 2018.
Throughout these eight years she was a champion for social justice and hashish legislation reform. She established a medicinal hashish taskforce within the first main try to repair the ridiculous Roadside Drug Testing legal guidelines after which was the driving drive behind the Inquiry into the Use of Hashish in Victoria.
“I went into parliament in 2014 as the primary MP to discuss utilizing hashish. Hashish reform has at all times been excessive on my to do checklist and is unfinished enterprise for me. To open up legislation reform within the states we have to change the federal legislation and I intend to just do that”. ..and she or he was the primary political get together chief to confess utilizing hashish recurrently to calm down!
3.30- 4pm
Wrap up – dialogue – creating multidisciplinary Australian working group(s)
Hosted by Sean, Ben & Atiyyah
