[csaa-forum] HASS on the Hill registration

[Mel Lamprecht]

Dear csaa-forum

The registrations for HASS on the Hill are now open!

The event is on Tuesday-Wednesday 16-17 August in Canberra, and the
centrepiece will be the individual appointments for all registrants with
Members of Parliament.

The event is expected to attract 200 people, and the highlights are:
 A Briefing Day at the National Library
 Dinner at the Ottoman Restaurant
 Breakfast with Minister Brendan Nelson
 Morning tea with Minister Helen Coonan (tbc)
Lunch at the National Press Club

Malcolm Gillies' address to the National Press Club will be broadcast live
by ABC TV across Australia.

This is a unique opportunity for the HASS community to network, to formulate
a strong and clear message, and to take this message directly to our
national Parliamentarians.

The registration process and all details are up on our web site:
www.chass.org.au

Numbers are strictly limited.  Last year registrations were closed off two
weeks early because of the demand.

Some comments from participants last year on what they liked best:

I was interested and involved for the entire proceedings.  Attending a
National Press Club lunch has long been a dream for me and the sessions with
politicians were very valuable.

The best parts were the opportunity for networking with academics from other
universities across a range of disciplines and the superb National Press
Club address by Iain McCalman.

Sense of occasion - very important.  Community of scholars and
practitioners.  Also the buzz people got meeting with parliamentarians, and
realising how human and real they are.

The chance to talk at length with Liberal Senator about the impediments to
adequate funding for research was extremely useful.  He was sympathetic and
made some suggestions on the strategy to win over members of the Liberal
party in any CHASS campaign.

The meeting training afternoon was excellent and well and truly surpassed my
expectations.

[The politician I met] listened to what we had to say, responded
intelligently and sympathetically (and genuinely too: she has a
classics/literature background plus a husband who is a struggling academic
in the social sciences) and told us to keep sending her information and
updates. We only stopped when another lobbyist from another group arrived
... I got the feeling she was prepared to do what she could and was on top
of most of the issues we raised. You can't ask for better than that.

The social function on Tuesday night - great venue, great company, great
food and vino!!!

It was terrific listening to people talk about their work contexts and
research: their dedication and enthusiasm affirmed my own beliefs in the
value of what we do as HASS practitioners.


Regards

Toss Gascoigne