Synopsis
Ten months into her term as Commissioner of Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan will reflect on the issues affecting children and young people, and discuss some of the Commission’s current projects and priorities. Focus areas include youth justice, children affected by family violence, Aboriginal children in out of home care, and new measures to prevent child abuse in organisational settings. Liana will also share her thoughts on how we can stay focused on children’s rights and well-being amidst an increasingly polarised community conversation about children and young people.

Speaker
Liana Buchanan is the Victorian Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, commencing this role in April 2016. She also sits as a part-time Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission.
Liana has a background in oversight and system reform for people experiencing disadvantage, with a strong focus on family violence and sexual assault. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, her roles included the Executive Officer of the Federation of Community Legal Centres, where she led the peak body for Victoria’s 50 community legal centres, and the Director, Office of Correctional Services Review, where she was responsible for monitoring Victoria’s corrections system. Liana has also held legal and policy positions with a social justice focus in a number of agencies including the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, Department of Justice, and Office for the Status of Women (SA) and Women’s Legal Service (SA).