The Legal Practice Section's Charities and Not-for-Profit Committee, the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ) and the University of Melbourne Law School will host the fifth John Emerson Oration and CLAANZ Annual Lecture in Melbourne on 13 November 2024.

The Oration will be delivered by Emeritus Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes on the topic of ‘From Frontierland to Tomorrowland: A Magical Journey Through the Four Enchanted Realms of Unincorporated Associations’.

The John Emerson Oration is in honour of John Emerson AM. John retired from Herbert Smith Freehills, where he was a partner for almost four decades. He remains recognised as an expert in the tax laws applicable to charities in Australia. John was also a member of the Board of Taxation and a number of other legal and public sector committees. He was a key contributor to the reform of laws which led to the establishment of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. John is a Member of the Order of Australia for services to law and to the community, particularly through the provision of advice to charities and not-for-profit organisations and the development of public administration reform to encourage philanthropy in Australia.

In promoting its objective of charity law education, CLAANZ holds an Annual Public Lecture, which is open to anyone with an interest in charity law and the not-for-profit sector. The Annual Lecture addresses key, contemporary legal issues in the charity and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and New Zealand.