We were fortunate to welcome Professor Anthony Collins from La Trobe University to present an internal seminar on “Making a killing: corporate rationality, global inequality and collateral murder”.  

Anthony’s presentation rethinks the mass murder of 346 people in two related incidents in the past year. It is part of a larger project exploring how we understand violence and the consequences of these conceptualisations. Despite the emergence of a compelling body of evidence showing exactly how these killings occurred, we can safely assume that none of those responsible for these horrific deaths will be prosecuted. One reason for this is that the deaths do not fit with how we commonly imagine homicide, criminality, or even human agency. Another is the networks of global power and inequality that divide the perpetrators and the victims. A third is the social cultures that shaped the thoughts and actions of those responsible, and how deeply these homicidal organisational practices are normalised in the political and economic values of the Western world. This case study thus leads us to reconceptualise the very idea of violence, and to argue that a social justice approach requires that we articulate a theory of violence that moves away from both common-sense and legalistic understandings, and towards a more critical understanding of harm. This in turn troubles the easy distinction between perpetrators and ordinary folks who are just busy living their lives, in a way that increasingly implicates us all in systems of violence.

As an African of colonial extraction, Anthony’s research and community engagement is primarily located in Southern Africa, where they work with organisations involved with violence prevention, and support for survivors of intimate and gendered violence. This interest has also included developing new courses on Violence, and Working with Survivors of Violence, in addition to teaching in more traditional areas such Victimology, Gender Studies and Qualitative Research Methods. Anthony is currently the co-ordinator of the Crime, Justice and Legal Studies Honours programme at La Trobe University, and honorary professor at Rhodes University and Durban University of Technology in South Africa.

The Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 5th Biennial International Conference was held at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast from 15-17 July 2019.  The conference was officially opened by Tony McAvoy, Australia’s 1st indigenous Senior Counsel and QUT Alumnus of the Year 2018. A Welcome to Country was performed by Mr Luther Cora, Bungarre Family of the Yugumbah Language Group of the Bundjalun nation in the Gold Coast/Tweed area.

Around 150 people attended the conference, with representation from 13 different countries. The program content ran over 31 sessions and showcased new and interesting ideas from diverse global perspectives including Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. Our keynote presentation was from Professor Meda Chesney-Lind, from University of Hawaii.  Meda gave an interesting and engaging presentation on Feminist Criminology, Repression and Resistance:  The Global South Responds to Rightwing Movements in the Global North.”  We also welcomed Professor Setsuo Miyazawa as our guest and President of Asian Criminological Society.

We enjoyed Welcome Drinks around the pool at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Gold Coast (pictured) and we held an informal conference dinner that introduced our international guests to the great Australian cultural experience of dining in a surf club – set on the shores of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

If you would like to share any photographs please send these to brigid.xavier@qut.edu.au or keep adding your photos and comments to our Twitter handle #CrimQUT19.

Overall the conference was a great success, providing a special opportunity to enhance the dialogue between criminology researchers and practitioners from all over the world.  An official survey will be sent out to you shortly. We value any feedback you would like to give.