Join us in Bali once again for the 2026 Criminal Lawyers Association of the Northern Territory Conference — our largest and most anticipated conference yet.

Marking 40 years of CLANT, this milestone conference will reflect on four decades of legal advocacy, camaraderie, and reform in the Top End and beyond - and practical steps towards a more just criminal justice system.


We'll honour the legacy of those who shaped our criminal justice community and tirelessly advocated for just outcomes, while boldly looking to the future of criminal law in Australia.


Whether you’re a wise old dingo, or new to the criminal law, this is a conference you do not want to miss.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bali.

Awooooo-ooo-wooo!
DatES
Saturday 20 June 
Welcome Drinks 6 - 8pm

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

22, 23, 25, 26 June 
Conference Sessions
9am - 4:30pm 
12:30pm end on Friday 26 June

SOCIAL EVENTS
Tuesday 23 June

Presidents Drinks
7pm -11pm
Wednesday 24 June - Break Day

Thursday 25 June
The CLANT Play 9 - 10:30am
Friday 26 June
Galah Dinner 6 - 10pm
Keynote Speaker
Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin
Supreme Court of Canada
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2022, Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin brings a rare and powerful blend of criminal law, mental health expertise and Indigenous legal scholarship to the bench.
A former Ontario Superior Court judge and General Counsel to the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, she is nationally recognised for her work on Gladue principles, access to justice,
and the intersection of mental health and the law.
Her scholarship has shaped conversations across Canada’s courts and tribunals.
An Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation and a proudly bilingual Franco-Ontarian, Justice O’Bonsawin also serves as Co-President of the World Assembly of Indigenous Judges.
Her work speaks directly to the themes at the heart of CLANT: justice, community, and the evolution of sentencing in modern courts.
Speakers
Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris
NT LOCAL COURT
Chief Justice Michael Grant AO
NT SUPREME COURT
Acting Justice Lex Lasry AM KC
NT SUPREME COURT
Rtd. Justice Dean Mildren AM RFD KC
NT SUPREME COURT
Judge Andrew Palmer
CoUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA
Justice Dina Yehia
NSW SUPREME COURT
Judge Sarah Hopkins
NSW District Court
Judge Arushan Pillay
CoUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA
    Moya O'Brien
    Barrister
Kate Wild
Journalist & Author
Vanessa Edwige
Psychologist
Steven Wright
NSW Legal AID
Damian Beaufils
Barrister
Michael Stanton SC
BARRISTER
Tony McAvoy SC
Barrister
Ragni Mathur SC
BARRISTER
Emrys Nekvapil SC
BARRISTER
Dr Paul McGorrery   
Sentencing Advisory Council
Peggy Dwyer SC
Barrister
Kemi Nekvapil
Executive Leadership Coach
Victoria Engel SC
ACT Director of public prosecutions
Ambrith Abayasekara SC
BARRISTER
Nerita Waight
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Russell Goldflam
NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Perry Q Wood
Australian Migration Lawyers
Dr Amanda White
Forensic & Clinical PsychologisT
Dr Danny Sullivan
forensic psychiatrist
Jonathon Hunyor
Justice & Equity Centre
Conference Program
Saturday 20 June 2026
6 - 8pm
Welcome Drinks - Barefoot on the Beach
Join us at the Hyatt Regency Beachfront, watch a beautiful Sanur sunset, indulge on delicious canapés and drinks, and network with your fellow dingoes as we welcome you all to the 2026 CLANT Conference!
Monday 22 June 2026
Foundations & Fight - 40 Years of Advocacy

9 - 9:10am
Traditional Balinese Hindu Welcome Ceremony
9:10 - 9:20Am
Conference Welcome and Introduction
CLANT President - Beth Wild
9:20 - 9:30Am
Opening of the Conference
The Hon Chief Justice Michael Grant AO
9:30 - 10:15Am
International Keynote Address
The Hon Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin
Appearing virtually due to current global circumstances
10:15 - 10:45AM
Morning Tea
10:45 - 11:30AM
40 Years of CLANT
Russell Goldflam
11:30 - 12:15PM
Attacks on the Judiciary
The Hon Acting Justice Lex Lasry AM
12:15 - 1:30PM
Lunch
1:30 - 2:15pm
Dhäkiyarr and King George V
Emrys Nekvapil SC
2:15 - 2:45PM
Still Hooked: Indonesian Fishermen, the Darwin Courts, and the Enduring Sentencing Dilemma
Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris AM
2:45 - 3:15pm
Taking Into Account "Dead Time" in Sentencing - Is it relevant?
The Hon Dean Mildren AM RFD KC
3:15 - 3:45PM
Afternoon Tea
3:45 - 4:15pm
Sentencing Federal Crimes: The Who, What, How and Why
Dr Paul McGorrery
4:15 - 4:45PM
Australian Tobacco Law
Jessikah Niesten
Tuesday 23 June 2026
Being an Advocate - Courtroom Craft & Ethics
9:00 - 9:45Am
Opening the Case: Persuasion without Argument
Judge Andrew Palmer
9:45 - 10:15Am
Reasonable Prospects or Reasonable Doubt?
Victoria Engel SC
10:15 - 10:45Am
Accessories, Conspirators &  Joint Criminal Enterprises: They didn't do it, but did they?
Chris Parkin
10:45 - 11:15AM
Morning Tea
11:15 - 11:45AM
Sexual Offending: A Guide for Lawyers
Dr Danny Sullivan
11:45 - 12:15PM
Dietrich v The Queen: An Unapology
Ambrith Abayasekara SC
12:15 - 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 - 2:15pm
Excluding Evidence Under s 137
Michael Stanton SC & Julia Kretzenbacher
2:15 - 3PM
Police Torts and Criminal Prosecutions
Judge Arushan Pillay
3 - 3:30PM
Afternoon Tea
3:30 - 4:15pm
Selecting the Right Psychology Expert: Forensic psychology competencies, legal considerations and improving quality control 
Amanda White, Kerry Williams & Natalie Althouse
4:15 - 5PM
Advice from the Bench - A Panel Discussion
The Hon Chief Justice Michael Grant AO, the Hon Justice Peter Callaghan,  Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris, Judge John Prior & Judge Sarah Hopkins
Moderated by Luke Officer
7 - 11pm
President's Drinks
Join us for dinner, drinks and live music at Apa Kabar Bar.
Thursday 25 June 2026
Criminal Law Beyond the Courtroom
9:00 - 10:30Am
The Tryals of Charles Stuart & John Cooke
CLANT Players
Directed by Rex Wild AO KC
10:30 - 11AM
Morning Tea
11 - 11:45AM
Cultural Awareness and Expertise: The Role of Psychologists in Criminal Law
The Hon Justice Dina Yehia, Vanessa Edwige, Damian Beaufils, Bryce Wilson & Ganur Maynard 
Moderated by Crystal Triggs
11:45 - 12:15PM
Crimmigration 101
Perry Q Wood
12:15 - 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 - 2pm
Virtual Justice
Steven Wright & Rob Hoyles
2 - 2:30PM
Stoic Principles for Criminal Lawyers
Moya O'Brien
2:30 - 3:15PM
Centring Advocacy
Ragni Mathur SC, Sophie Anderson, and Sophie Parsons
3:15 - 3:45PM
Afternoon Tea
3:45 - 4:30pm
Writing About the Territory
Kate Wild
4:30 - 5PM
For Our Kids: The VALS Balit Ngulu Model
Negar Panahi
Friday 26 June 2026
Justice Reform, Resistance & Renewal
9:00 - 9:30Am
Self-Determination & Making the Justice System Just
Nerita Waight
9:30 - 10:15Am
Resistance Lawyering and the Ethics of Injustice
Jonathon Hunyor
10:15 - 11Am
Mainstreaming a Solution-Focused Approach to Sentencing
Judge Sarah Hopkins & Tony McAvoy SC
11 - 11:30AM
Morning Tea
11:30 - 12:15PM
Her Life Matters: A landmark Coronial inquiry into the violent deaths of Aboriginal women in the NT calls for radical, non radical change
Peggy Dwyer SC & Maria Walz
12:15 - 1PM
Navigating the Seasons of a Legal Career
Kemi Nekvapil
1 - 1:05PM
Closing of the Conference
CLANT President - Beth Wild
1:05 - 2pm
Lunch
6:30 - 10:30pm
Galah Dinner
Join us at Purnama Terrace & Garden at the Hyatt Regency Bali to celebrate the conclusion of the conference together with an indulgent banquet meal, a drinks package and enthralling live entertainment.
Conference Break
Days
Sunday 21 June and Wednesday 24 June 2026
Use these days to reflect, explore and network.
Conference Tickets
Full Conference Package
$1,400.00
This ticket includes full access to the 2026 CLANT Conference including:
- Access to all 4 days of the conference inc. morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea
- Welcome Drinks
- President's Drinks
- Galah Dinner
- 2026 CLANT T-Shirt & Bag

Registrations have now closed.
Location & Accomodation
Hyatt Regency Bali
Jl. Danau Tamblingan No.89, Sanur, Denpasar Selatan, Kota Denpasar, Bali 80228, Indonesia
This year, we are proud to be partnering with the Hyatt to provide accomodation discounts for CLANT delegates.
Make sure our special code is applied before you checkout: G-CL26


Only a select number of rooms have been set aside for CLANT. Book your room now to avoid missing out!

For specific accomodation requests, please contact:
[email protected]

clant.org.au

Formed in 1986, for nearly 40 years CLANT has been an effective and powerful voice for the improvement of the criminal justice system of the Northern Territory of Australia, representing both defence lawyers and prosecutors, and practitioners from the public sector, private profession, and the independent bar.

CLANT is strongly committed to addressing the challenges facing the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory. Our objects and purposes include:

  • To promote and advance the administration of the criminal justice and development and improvement of criminal law in the Northern Territory;

  • To actively contribute in public debates on issues relating to the criminal justice system; 

  • To promote and encourage the protection of human rights and compliance with international human rights principles in the Northern Territory; 

  • To promote the professional discourse, development, and social interaction among the profession. 

To advance those objects and purposes, CLANT hosts a biennial criminal law conference, bringing together members of the Australian criminal law profession, members of the judiciary, academics and scholars to discuss contemporary issues facing the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory and Australia.

THE CLANT CONFERENCE 

First held in 1987, The "Bali Conference", as it is known, has heard from a wide range of pre-eminent keynote speakers, including the Honourable Justice Michael Kirby AC, Julian Burnside AO KC, Robert Richter KC, Phillip Boulten and, most recently, the Honourable Justice Lincoln Crowley KC.
CLANT COMMITTEE

President
Beth Wild

Co-Vice Presidents
James Stuchbery
Rebecca Everitt
Abi Rajkumar

Secretary
Meg Donahoe

Treasurer
Nicola MacCarron

Committee Members
Luke Officer 
Jane Bochmann
Tom Clelland
Sally Lavin
Jackson Meaney
Corrin Demeo
Tiana Davey
Emma Henke
Jacob Henderson
Jane Irwin
Get in touch!
For more information, please contact us at [email protected]

For more information about the Criminal Lawyers Association of the Northern Territory visit www.clant.org.au


© CLANT Conference 2026. All Rights Reserved.

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