On Thursday 1 August, the Law School’s Higher Degree by Research students (HDRs) participated in the annual HDR Law Retreat. This year, the event was held at the National Wine Centre. The theme of the day was ‘How To Get Your Research Out There’.

In session one, participants heard presentations from Justice Hinton of the South Australian Supreme Court and Justice Charlesworth of the Federal Court of Australia. Their Honours presented on what makes academic research valuable to the judiciary and the courts. 

Session two then focused on how academic research can be useful to Government and Industry in developing policy. During this session, HDRs heard about the various uses of academic research outside of academia and the importance of media exposure. The speakers were the Hon Geoff Muecke, Dr Sylvia Villios  and Tim Cross all of whom have significant experience in using academic research in developing policy. 

The third panel of the day focused on soft skill development, tips about managing research and teaching workloads, research skills and coping with stress. 

The day was concluded with a tour of the National Wine Centre and a crash course in the Australian wine industry. Here HDRs got to view the largest open air cellar in the Southern Hemisphere, with approximately 8500 bottles and with a value of over $300,000.

Special thanks goes to our HDR rep, Max Bruce. In addition to his own PhD research, teaching, and organising other conferences, Max organised a fantastic day for our students. Thanks Max, for your efforts in making yesterday such a success.