Friday 13 April, 2012
Level 5, Suite 1
Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre
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11:45 am – Registration Opens

12:00 noon – Lunch

1:00 pm- Introduction, Jason Ball, President Freethought Student Alliance

1:05 – Michael Boyd, Vice President Atheist Foundation of Australia

1:10 – Rosslyn Ives, President Council of Australian Humanist Societies

1:15 – Lyz Liddell, Campus Organiser Secular Student Alliance

“Hands-off Leadership: Leading by getting everyone else to do the work”

1:45 – Student Presentations

Olivia Lesslar – Bond University Rationalists Secularists and Thinkers (BURST)
Sean Jelínek – University of South Australia Secular Society
Ash Tyndall & Madge Carew-Hopkins- University of Western Australia Atheist & Agnostics Society
Reidar P. Lystad – Macquarie University Atheist Society

2:15 – Break

2:25 - Debbie Goddard – Director Center For Inquiry On Campus

“CFI – Past, Present, Future”

3:10 – Chris Stedman – Interfaith Coorindator Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy

“Working with religious groups” lecture + workshop

3:55 – Close of event with Jason Ball

For many at University, The God Delusion and God is Not Great were released during their teenage years, and were a crucial catalyst in their development as skeptical, enlightened people.  Many have broken free from their superstitious upbringings and communities into a community of critical and academic inquiry.  The chance for these students to hear the world’s most prominent thinkers in person, and the chance for what may be the first time in their lives to be part of a huge gathering of inspiring and inspired minds from across continents, all energised by the spirit of rational and free thought, is a chance that comes once in a lifetime.  After all, the sense of optimism we feel from what the GAC will accomplish will be the world the next generations will inherit.  We want to make sure they can be there in the first place.

Any event benefits from the enthusiasm and verve that young, inchoate minds bring.  Half of the deepest rewards that come from any of such events are the people that you meet, and for youth the relationships they will forge at the GAC will last for many decades and across generations.  Students are outnumbered on campuses all over Australia by religious groups that make their collective presence felt as much as possible.  The chance to encounter a huge, global community of other enlightened students from around the country and the world is a phenomenal one that no student wants to miss.

So to cover the one remaining obstacle, the Freethought Student Alliance has set up a fund for donations, 100% of which will be used to help students from interstate cover the great costs of transport, as well as for tickets.  Without assistance, these students simply won’t be able to make it.

To donate, simply direct transfer into the Freethought Student Alliance bank account, and email scottsharrad [at] freethoughtalliance.org.au for a receipt. (PayPal coming soon)

Name: Australian Freethought Student Alliance
BSB 063170
Acc 10248507

The next Dawkins or Hitchens is out there, and we want you to bump into them at the GAC.

I had an amazing time at both the 2010 GAC and FSA event.  It wasn’t just an opportunity to hear some amazing and inspiring atheists, but also lots of fun hanging out with like-minded (and some unlike-minded) people, making new friends and having a great time.
- Jeremy O’Wheel, former President at University of Tasmania Atheist Society

My experience of speaking in front of the FSA at the last GAC was both educational and heartening.  I learned a lot about running a democratic group, but more than that, to go from being a lone voice in an apathetic wilderness to feeling part of a legitimate tribe gave me a much needed energy boost to continue with my efforts to raise awareness on campus about issues surrounding secularism.  The more students who are able to attend future such events, the more the secularist message will get out there.
- Emily Vicendese, former President at La Trobe University Secular Society

The GAC 2010 provided me with an experience like no other. As a young adult my opinions on the world were (and hopefully are) still changing and forming. The GAC provided a proverbial smorgasboard of tasty intellectual tidbits and morsels, combined with a veritable feast of ideas provided by today’s top intellectuals across the fields of politics, science, and the humanities. The GAC is, in my opinion a misnomer. While ostensibly a convention for Atheists on Atheism the GAC would be better reffered to as a celebration of secular ideas – no two speakers where the same (indeed, I would go so far as to say no two attendees had similar opinions) when I saw them, and several (Phillip Adams in particular) have left indelible impressions upon my philosophies. So, the GAC – come for the Atheism and comraderie, but stay for ability to expand your mind and philosphies in bold new directions and temper and mould your own ideas in the fire of intellectual rigour and debate with your fellow attendees – a proverbial Aristotelian school of thought.
- Alex Holmes, former President ANU League of Extraordinary Atheists

Here are some tips to help you make the most of O-Week:

- Have your first event for the year planned and have a handout ready
- Prepare your volunteers with answers to expected FAQs
- Take photos! Lots of photos!

As promised, we’ve got Tabling Packs packed and ready to ship your way. Inside them you will find:

- Placebo Bands
- Darwin “Very Gradual Change” posters
- Freethought University Alliance Fliers
- Global Atheist Convention posters/fliers
- Young Australian Skeptics business cards

If you’re a student leader and your state convenor has not yet been in touch to extract a postal address, please email petedarwin@freethoughtalliance.org.au with a name, address and that date of your Orientation Week/Day.

If you are a University student from regional Victoria or interstate you can fill out the form on our “Need a Couch?” page. We will do our best to find you someone to stay with in Melbourne who is attending the convention.

“Got a Couch?”
“Need a Couch?”

Please know that we cannot guarantee accommodation for anyone. Even the matching of individuals does not guarantee accommodation. We are just facilitating the swapping of contact details, the final decision concerning whether or not to stay with an individual in Melbourne or to have an interstate student stay with you is your decision. As such we suggest you should ensure you are comfortable with the situation by corresponding via numerous means such as email, telephone, or Skype.

SkeptiCamps are informal, community-organized conferences borne from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. Everyone from casual skeptics to the experienced participate, give talks and get to know each other. Above, members of the University of Melbourne Secular Society outside the Redmond Barry Lecture Theatre, where they co-hosted Melbourne Skepticamp this weekend. The event follows a Australia’s first Skepticamp held in Sydney earlier in the year. A third Skepticamp will be held on the regional coast of Victoria in January next year. The Melbourne event has broken all previous attendance records in the history of Skepticamps, with over 150 people attending. To find out more information about Skepticamp Open Events head to http://www.skepticamp.com/

Location: Bar on the Hill – University of Newcastle.
Host: University of Newcastle Atheist Society.
Date: Wednesday 14th of September.
Time: Doors open at 7:00pm.
RSVP and invite friends on Facebook.

Brett Edman, President of the University of Newcastle Atheist Society, spoke about the event on 1233 ABC Radio Newcastle earlier today:
“Atheists have sense of humour” claims President by Maynard Productions

We’re excited to share with you that the Atheist Foundation of Australia has launched a student grant initiative which will offer an initial 10 free tickets to the 2012 Global Atheist Convention to the Freethought University Alliance.

The Global Atheist Convention, to be held in Melbourne in April 2012, boasts an impressive line-up of world renowned speakers including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and many, many more.

The Freethought University Alliance will be allocating the free tickets to the 10 most active affiliated groups located outside of Victoria.

This list includes the following groups:

- Australian National University League of Extraordinary Atheists
- University of Newcastle Atheist Society
- Macquarie University Atheists League
- University of Wollongong Secular Freethinkers
- University of Sydney Atheist Society
- James Cook University Society of Atheist Philosophy
- University of Tasmania Atheists
- Bond University Rationalists, Skeptics and Thinkers
- Griffith University Skeptics and Freethinkers
- University of Western Australia Atheist and Skeptic Society

Allocation of the tickets will be at the discretion of the group, and decided upon by their own student committee. This could include competitions, fundraisers or splitting the costs of one ticket between a group of students to offer each student a small discount.

It is possible that a second round of grants may be announced at a later date, and it is our hope that we will be able to offer a free pass to every affiliated group with the Freethought University Alliance who are located outside of Victoria.

Travel and Accommodation Grants

Additionally, thanks to generous donations from organisations and individuals, the Freethought University Alliance will be offering a limited number of travel and accommodation grants for additional assistance to any student traveling from interstate. The allocation of such grants will be subject to availability and expressions of interest can be sent to scottsharrad@freethoughtalliance.org.au.

Student Leaders Conference

Finally, we would like to announce that the Freethought University Alliance has commenced planning for a “student leaders’ conference” to be held as part of a fringe event to the Global Atheist Convention. This will include lunch, workshops, student panels and guest speakers and take place on Friday 13th April 2012. We encourage students traveling from interstate to consider planning their itinerary to arrive on Friday morning or Thursday evening if they wish to take part in this event.

We will endeavour to keep registration for this event at a low cost to ensure it is accessible to all students attending the Global Atheist Convention.

Jason Ball, President of the Freethought University Alliance, sat down to have a chat with Think Inc organisers Sean Kwan, Desh Amila and James Gallichio (above). This is what went down.

JB: Thanks for joining me guys – can I start by asking what’s the motivation behind organising Think Inc?

SK: For me, it was very much about looking for a reason to bring down some of my heroes. I’ve spent countless hours on youtube listening and watching Neil deGrasse Tyson and Christopher Hitchens speak.

JG: What’s more, we wanted to do our part to help promote some of the things we’re really passionate about. We’re three young guys who want to live in a smarter, more rational society. Bringing some of the world’s best minds to Melbourne to discuss the future of the planet is our small attempt at advancing that cause.

SK: Yeah… that too.

DA: The concept for Think Inc was to create a conference unlike other conferences with themes in science or rationalism. I’d been to some in the past and personally found them to be a little too dragged out and repetitive. Drawing from my background in entertainment we conceptualised a conference similar in style to a mainstream music event – an intellectual big day out, if you will. I really want to see a diverse and much younger crowd attend the Think Inc conference.

JB: What’s behind the name “Think Inc”?

SK: We wanted a name that was catchy, encapsulated what the conference was trying to achieve (promote rational thought) and accessible. After many days of brainstorming for a suitable name (it was nearly going to be called Smart People) we came up with Think Inc – and I love the name. It plays perfectly to the essence of the conference – an institution of thought and big ideas.

JB: What got you personally interested in science and rationalism?

SK: Ever since my grade 3 volcano demonstration, and the many years wanting to be an astronaut I guess. I’ve always been a tech-geeky sort of guy, and science and science fiction is just so interesting. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy definitely had a huge role too.

JG: Sean and I also went to a pretty conservative Catholic high school where our view of the world was limited by some, let’s face it, archaic policies and practices. Desh had it worse though.

DG: Yeah, I had it worse. I grew up in Sri Lanka. Rational, scientific discourse was anything but the norm.

JG: Basically we’ve all experienced the dark sides of society, where science and rationalism aren’t celebrated in the slightest. Once you get out of that system your eyes really open up to the world.

JB: Why “Melbourne” as a location?

Sean: Because it’s the best city in the world of course! But seriously, Melbourne is often considered the intellectual hub of Australia. We’ve got some of the world’s leading universities, CSIRO, a great appreciation of the fine arts, and the best coffee. Plus all of the organisers are from Melbourne, so I guess that swayed the decision somewhat too!

JG: And, moreso, because we want to help Melbourne to become the intellectual capital of the world. No small task, but we’re nothing if not ambitious.

JB: The event has been met early on with scepticism from some groups within the freethought community. Why do you think that is, and what would you have done differently if you could go back in time and re-launch the event?

JG: For one, we’re not directly affiliated with any specific freethought groups; we’re not part of any big organisation; we don’t even have a board of directors. We’re just three guys trying to put on a great event -

SK: Exactly. Naturally, and especially within a community that celebrates scepticism and encourages people to be inquisitive and not take things at face-value, three unknown guys coming along with a pretty huge line-up of speakers causes a bit of a stir.

JG: There’s not much we could have done differently though. Sean and Desh have a longstanding background in events management, and we have vast network of agents and management contacts which we were able to use, just like when we put on events of a different nature.

SK: Scepticism comes with the territory when you’re the new players on the block, but it can wear you down when there is just complete disbelief as to how some passionate guys can seemingly put on a conference of this nature and scale. Fortunately, we have had tremendous support from the very beginning from some people within the freethought communities such as Meredith Doig from the Rationalist Society of Australia.

JB: Who’s funding the event?

SK: Initially we were hoping for government assistance from the city of Melbourne. Unfortunately that didn’t come through this year so we’ve had to rely on personal investment and support from our investors of Crisp (our events
management company).

JG: It’s quite a daunting task to be on our own so to speak, but hopefully we’ll receive support in future years once we’ve gone out and done it ourselves. We’ve have lot’s of wonderful support from industry and some societies which have been a big help in getting the word out about Think Inc. We’re truly appreciative of that.

JB: What are the plans for Think Inc. heading into the future?

SK: Ideally, I’d personally love to see Think Inc. become a free event for all Australians to attend. I definitely want to have the conference run for many years to come, and to become an Australian events staple. I want to see the event become more and more accessible, and something for younger generations to see as being cool to attend. Science should be cool. I want to see it become larger than TED! I’m just a little ambitious…

JB: What has been biggest challenge you’ve faced in organising the event so far?

JG: We’ve had a very interesting (and stressful) few weeks actually. From our old website getting hacked, to speaker’s being too busy to do press, and the general scepticism around the event from people we were expecting to be supportive, it’s not been a smooth ride to say the least! But we’re pressing on, and lately things have been much, much more positive.

SK: In a way it’s definitely strengthened our resolve to put this event on and make it a big success. We’re incredibly excited about the conference next month and we hope our audience is as well!

JB: Recently you guys announced that all Victorian secondary and primary school science teachers would be able to get a free ticket to Think Inc. That’s an incredibly generous offer?

JG: We had a long discussion before making this decision, and the consensus was this: Think Inc. isn’t about making a lot of money; it’s not about pushing a political or ideological agenda; it’s about the future. We want to promote a world in which the pursuit of science and a genuine curiosity about the world around us is held in the highest esteem. In our eyes, there’s no better way to promote that than by giving our teachers free access to some of the best minds in the world.

JB: I appreciate your time guys, good luck with the event.

Tickets for Think Inc are on sale now.

Head to http://thinkinc.org.au to book or for more information.

The Freethought University Alliance are proud to be presenting the newest face in Australian politics across three campuses next month. Fiona Patten is founder and Convenor of the Australian Sex Party, and has had 20 years experience in advocating and lobbying for the rights of adult retailers, sex workers, HIV/AIDS groups and online businesses.

In 2000 she published a listing of all paedophile priests in Australia under the title of Hypocrites, which became the basis of a Four Corners program and the beginning of a more widespread movement against organised religion and sex crimes.

In 2008, frustrated and deeply disappointed with the increasing wowserism of the major parties, she decided to set up a political party dedicated to civil liberties, personal freedoms and curbing religious influence.

Averaged across all states, the Australian Sex Party outpolled the four religious parties at the last federal election, coming in fourth place in the Senate election. In the last Victorian State election she missed out on an upper house seat by a mere 3,000 votes.

You may remember her from a now infamous debate on national TV, where she went head to head with Family First and Australian Christian Lobby state director Wendy Francis on Sunrise, which took place before the 2010 Federal Election.

Fiona is also the latest edition to the stellar line up of speakers presenting at next year’s Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne.

All speaking events are free and open to the public.

1:00pm Wednesday 3rd August
Lowe Theatre, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
Hosted by the University of Melbourne Secular Society
RSVP on Facebook

12:30pm Thursday 4th August
University Function Room, RMIT
Hosted by the RMIT Secular Society
RSVP on Facebook.

6:30pm Friday 5th August
Rotunda Building, MONASH UNIEVRSITY
Hosted by Rationalist Association of Monash
RSVP on Facebook.