I have just had the most extraordinary experience delivering a speech to people from Togo, Congo, Burkino Faso. Electric atmosphere!

My upcoming presentations

I was delighted to learn today that one of my planned presentations later this year was not going ahead. Don't get me wrong- I like presentations. However, in addition to the time spent doing the presentation, is all the preparation time. As an extreme example, a number of presentations I have done or am to do this year are about the new Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act. It took me over 30 hours to prepare the paper for the first presentation!

Today's events made me think about the number of presentations I expect to do before the year is out.

By my latest count, I expect that by the year's end I will have done 14, or greater than one a month:

Those so far:

• March: Legalwise- Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld)
• April: City Fertility Centre: surrogacy issues for GP's
• May: Australia's CEO Challenge: Family Violence Bill 2012
• May: Australia's CEO Challenge: Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld)

Those still ahead:

• May: Australia's CEO Challenge- presentation to West Africans about being a White Ribbon Ambassador- tomorrow
• May: Surrogacy Australia national conference, Melbourne- this weekend
• June: LexisNexis 9th annual family law summit Brisbane: surrogacy
• June: Family Law Practitioners Association: Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld)
• June: International Commission on Couple and Family Relations conference, Boston, workshop and presentation about how to get elements of the family law system working collaboratively (with Robin Purvis); presentation about Family Law Pathways network
• July: NSW Fertility Counsellors Association training
• August: possible: medico legal conference Brazil
• September- yet to be confirmed: Child Protection Week
• September: Hunter Valley family law practitioners conference
• October/November: Save the Children's training about keeping good notes

Surrogacy Australia conference almost here

This weekend Surrogacy Australia is holding its first, groundbreaking,  national conference in Melbourne. This is the first conference to be held anywhere  by anyone in Australia focussing on the various issues to do with surrogacy.

I am excited to be a keynote speaker, not only because I will see friends, and clients, and because I will have the ability to give a presentation- all of that- but much more importantly because I will gain knowledge. One of the keys to a successful conference is that attendees have come away with knowledge, which informs and most importantly empowers them.

Although I specialise in advice about ART and surrogacy, I have no doubt that I will learn a lot from a range of exciting speakers. These include:

• Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour. A fertility doctor from Delhi, Dr Shivani is the founder of Surrogacy Centre India. She also spoke on SBS Insight episode "Baby Business", which can be downloaded from here. Dr Shivani gave a gutsy performance defending Indian women.
• Dr Kim Bergman. Kim is the co-owner of one of the world's oldest and largest surrogacy clinics, Growing Generations in Los Angeles. A psychologist by trade, Kim is an expert at screening intended surrogates.
• David Shoebridge MLC. David is a Greens MP who opposed the changes to NSW laws that criminalised overseas commercial surrogacy.
• Sam Everingham. Sam is the founder and guiding light of Surrogacy Australia. He and his partner have had their own difficult journey through surrogacy, also featured on SBS Insight Baby Business.
• Rodney Chiang-Cruise. Rodney is the national convenor of Gay Dads Australia, as well as having become a dad himself through surrogacy. Rodney has been a passionate advocate for reform of the law in this area for many years.
• Lisa Banfield. Lisa and her husband John overcame medical troubles, pain and enormous cost and red tape to be able to have their boys through surrogacy. I have been privileged to share a podium with Lisa. The power of her journey is astounding. She and John also featured on SBS Insight "Baby Business".
• Karen Boughey. Karen is one of those delights: a surrogate who had one motive in mind: to help a childless couple achieve the dream of parenthood, which she did successfully! Karen speaks often to intended parents and surrogates about how to ensure the journey to parenthood is handled correctly.

For more details about the conference, click here.

I am going to the emergency LGBTI legal service meeting tomorrow night. Who else is going? #SaveQAHC

Family court case ends: @brisbanetimes http://ow.ly/aZEMU

Girls' mother sacks her lawyers, judge closes court:@brisbanetimes #Italian custody case http://ow.ly/aZsNy

Media circus outside Family Court in Brisbane: 9, 7 and Ten all with their OB vans, plus camera crews.