Opening ceremony
The Aust MS 2009 meeting will be opened on Monday, September, 28 at 8.45 am by the Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Hon Michael Atkinson MP and by the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia Prof. Peter Høj.
Hon. Michael Atkinson MP, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, is leading the Rann Government’s comprehensive law and order reforms, as well as overseeing the Government’s assistance of new migrants and established ethnic communities as Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Michael is also the voice for Veterans’ Affairs at a State level.
Professor Peter Høj MSC, PhD, DUniv (honoris causa), FTSE, commenced as Vice Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia on 1 June 2007. Prior to this he was Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council (2004 –07) and Managing Director of the Australian Wine Research Institute, based in Adelaide (1997–2004). Professor Høj is a Board member of Universities Australia and a member of the National Research Infrastructure Committee. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He has served as a Private Member of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) from 1999-2004, and as an ex-officio member from 2006-2007. He is also a former member of the Australian Institute of Marine Science Council, the Cooperative Research Centres Committee, and the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy Committee.