Professor Amanda Kennedy, Dean and Head of the School of Law at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia, paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), Professor Ian Findlay, during her recent visit to Port Moresby.
Professor Kennedy was in Papua New Guinea to co-facilitate an Environmental Law Training Programme for judges of the Supreme and National Courts of Papua New Guinea on 17 and 18 August. The programme focused on contemporary developments in environmental law and emerging challenges relating to climate change, sustainable development, and natural resource governance.
During the courtesy call, Professor Kennedy and Professor Findlay discussed opportunities for greater cooperation between QUT and UPNG, including academic exchanges, research partnerships, and professional development initiatives for law students, academics, and legal practitioners. Justice John Carey of the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea briefly joined the meeting and welcomed the ongoing engagement between academia and the judiciary in advancing legal education and judicial capacity building.
Professor Findlay welcomed Professor Kennedy to UPNG and acknowledged the significance of partnerships that contribute to advancing legal scholarship and capacity building within Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific region.
Professor Kennedy expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to engage with UPNG’s leadership and highlighted the vital role of universities in supporting the development of law, good governance, environmental stewardship, and the rule of law.
The visit underscored the strong and growing links between academic institutions and the judiciary and reflected a shared commitment to promoting excellence in legal education and judicial development in Papua New Guinea.
