Keynote: The Value of Christian Schools – Findings from research undertaken by an ACS Commissioned Research Project in partnership with McCrindle.

Workshop: Action strategies resulting from the research.

About: Mark McCrindle is a demographer, futurist, social researcher, TEDx speaker, author and Principal at internationally recognised McCrindle

Keynote Address – The State of Christian Schooling in the US

Session Overview Coming Soon

Dr Tim Wiens

Tim is the Head of School at Mount Paran Christian SchoolMount Paran is a Pre-kindergarten-12 grade school serving approximately 1300 students in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. Having spent the entirety of his 30 year career in education, Tim has served as a head of school, principal, dean, history teacher, and college professor.

Tim is passionate about Christian education and the liberal arts, understanding their confluence enable schools to meet children’s holistic needs – mind, body, and spirit. Likewise, Tim works closely with school leaders on the connections between mission, strategy, and the long-term execution of schools’ missional strategic priorities.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Bethel University, an MBA from Oxford University’s Said Business School, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from St. Mary’s University. He is married to Katie, and together they have one son, Eliot, and two Great Danes, Lena and Jordi.

Keynote Address: Supporting Women in Leadership

Session Overview Coming Soon

Dr Katie Wiens

Katie is currently the Executive Director of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA). She played a role in CESA’s founding and served as its original Director of Academic Advancement. Katie has served on the faculties of Wheaton College, Boston University, Gordon College, and Kennesaw State University. She also serves as Fellow with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia and a Research Fellow with Cardus. Katie also has extensive experience in K-12 Christian schooling, having served as an administrator and faculty at several private Christian schools. She has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of St. Thomas, and her doctorate from Boston University. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband, son, and Great Danes.

Session: The Indigenous Voice

Much of the public discussion of the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the Australian Constitution has become partisan, ideological and uninformed about the constitutional aspects of the proposal. This presentation will seek to provide objective information about the proposed change to the Constitution, the referendum process, and how the Voice would operate in practice. The session will also include an opportunity for Q&A.

About Nicholas:

Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at The University of Queensland and an External Fellow of the Centre for Law and Religion at Emory University. In 2010 he received a four-year Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council to study comparative federalism and in 2021 he secured an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant to investigate the nature and function of constituent power in federal systems. He has held visiting positions at Oxford, Cambridge, Paris II, Edinburgh, Durham, Sydney, Emory and Tilburg universities.

Professor Aroney has published over 150 journal articles, book chapters and books in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutional law and legal theory. He has led several international research projects in comparative federalism, bicameralism, legal pluralism, and law & religion, and he speaks frequently at international conferences on these topics. His most notable publications in these fields include: The Constitution of a Federal Commonwealth: The Making and Meaning of the Australian Constitution (Cambridge University Press, 2009), Shari’a in the West (Oxford University Press, 2010), The Future of Australian Federalism (Cambridge University Press, 2012), The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia: History, Principle and Interpretation (Cambridge University Press, 2015), Courts in Federal Countries (Toronto University Press, 2017) and The Routledge Handbook of Subnational Constitutions and Constitutionalism (Routledge 2021).

Professor Aroney is a former editor of The University of Queensland Law Journal (2003-2005) and International Trade and Business Law Annual (1996-1998), and a past secretary of the Australian Society of Legal Philosophy. He is a past member of the Governing Council and the current Co-Convenor of the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law. He is also a member of the editorial advisory board of the American Journal of Jurisprudence, Public Law Review, Australian Journal of Law and Religion and International Trade and Business Law Review. He has made numerous influential submissions to government and parliamentary inquiries and in 2013 undertook a review of the Crime and Misconduct Act for the Queensland Government with the Hon Ian Callinan AC QC, a former Justice of the High Court of Australia. In 2017 he was appointed by the Australian Prime Minister to an Expert Panel to advise on whether Australian law adequately protects the human right to freedom of religion.

Professor Aroney joined the Law School in 1995 after working with a major national law firm and acting as a legal consultant in the field of building and construction law.

TOPIC: Brain, Mind and Faith: The Perfect Union

In this interactive workshop, Dr Ineka will explore the magnificent design of the human brain, how the mind ‘thinks’, and demonstrate the powerful ways in which prayer and Christian meditation can impact the physical structure and function of our brain, and help us to be ‘made new in the attitudes of our minds’. Expertly melding the science and scriptures, Dr Ineka demonstrates with practical, evidence-based tools how nourishing the health of our brain, taking dominion over our thoughts and going deeper in our intimate relationship with God is truly the ‘perfect union’, and the key to greater well-being.

His Honour Judge Chowdhury, District Court of Queensland

Judge Chowdhury is a graduate of The University of Queensland—Bachelor of Arts (1985) and Bachelor of Laws (1986).

His Honour was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1988.

Judge Chowdhury started his legal career as a prosecutor at the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Canberra (1988–1990) prior to working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (1990–2000) as Crown Prosecutor and later, Principal Crown Prosecutor.

His Honour served as a Deputy Public Defender at Legal Aid Queensland (2000–02) before going into practice as a barrister in 2002.

Judge Chowdhury was appointed a judge of the District Court of Queensland in 2016.

TOPIC: Update from ISQ CEO on Qld and Federal Matters

Christopher Mountford was appointed the CEO for Independent Schools Queensland in June 2021. Previously, he held the position of Queensland Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. He has specific expertise in the areas of policy, government advocacy and commercial activities.

Christopher has more than two decades of experience in member-based advocacy organisations and government relations. Importantly, he also has an exceptional understanding of government regulation and has been influential on numerous state and local government advisory boards.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and a Bachelor of Economics and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He is also a volunteer Parent Ambassador for Act for Kids; an Australian charity focused on treating and preventing child abuse.

TOPIC: Managing Complaints and Resolving Disputes in Schools

Alistair Macpherson started in 2023 at ACS as the Executive Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. Alistair is an Australian Legal Practitioner. He was admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 2001 and has experience in the ACT, NSW and QLD jurisdictions.

He has been employed as a legal adviser / solicitor with a number of government organisations such as:

• Department of Defence
• Australian Federal Police
• Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries

Alistair has been advising across many areas of law, as well as working as a criminal prosecutor.

Alistair has extensive experience in contract law, employment law, discrimination law, government contracting, law and decision making, dispute resolution, litigation and criminal law.

Alistair has advised during complex, high value and long term commercial and government negotiations, tenders and contract documents (often across jurisdictional boundaries) including contracts between private enterprise and government, between government departments and different governments.

He has acted both on the government and private enterprise side of the negotiations and is well-equipped to understand the different objectives and decision making imperatives and processes from both perspectives.

Alistair has personally appeared in numerous Tribunals and Courts as advocate for individuals, schools and other corporate clients, including:

• Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)
• Mental Health Tribunal
• Fair Work Australia
• Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
• Guardian and Administration Tribunal
• Anti-Discrimination Tribunal
• Magistrates Court
• District Court
• Supreme Court

He has instructed Counsel in numerous trials and complex matters, including lengthy jury trials for serious criminal offences and complaints of discrimination.

Alistair has been directly involved with the drafting of numerous Collective Agreements and has advised corporate clients during the process of negotiating Collective Agreements.

Alistair has also undertaken extensive PeaceWise (Christian Dispute Resolution) training as a Conflict Coach and Mediator.

Alistair Macpherson is currently a board member of Calvary Christian College. He was the former President of the Christian Lawyers Society Inc (Qld).

TOPIC: Stemming the Tide: How can we increase student engagement while decreasing errant behaviours?

Session Synopsis: Youth justice statistics present an alarming picture for our society. Suspension and exclusion rates for Queensland students provide little comfort either. We will consider practical ways to follow the advice of Proverbs 22 v 6 to provide a future of hope for our students.

About Christine

Christine Hill has been the Executive Manager Education Services for Carinity for the past five years. Carinity has a growing portfolio of non-fee paying special assistance schools as well as a mainstream fee-free school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Townsville. Prior to this role Christine was the Principal of Carinity Education Southside. She has more than thirty years’ experience in Christian education in two states. She has a passion for ensuring every young person has an opportunity to succeed in learning and to view themselves with the same inherent value placed on them by God.