DIGITAL PROGRAM
2025 Government Lawyers Conference
WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER
Thank you for attending the ACT Law Society's 2025 Government Lawyers Conference
In keeping with the Law Society's committment to sustainability, papers relating to the workshop will be made available here for the benefit of registrants.
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The Law Society is grateful to the College of Law, event sponsor for the 2025 Government Lawyers Conference.
Conference Schedule
|
Time |
Session Title |
|
8:30am |
Registration opens |
|
8:55am |
Welcome and Introduction |
|
9:00am - 10:00am |
Signal of the Times: Legal Implications for using Private Messaging Apps in Government Practice |
|
10:00am – 10:20am |
Morning Tea |
|
10:20am - 11:20am |
What do Government Lawyers need to know when dealing with Inquiries and Royal Commissions? |
|
11:20am - 12:20pm |
The NACC Now: Insights and Implications for Government Legal Practice |
|
12:20pm - 1:20pm |
Lunch |
SIGNAL OF THE TIMES: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS FOR USING PRIVATE MESSAGING APPS IN GOVERNMENT PRACTICE
1 point in core area 1
Slide Deck
Technology presents many opportunities that are being harnessed by government. Whilst the technologies change, they continue to operate under the same legal requirements. In this session the Australian Information Commissioner will describe her findings and recommendations to help agencies better meet their recordkeeping, FOI and privacy obligations when using messaging apps, and support the fundamental human rights of information access and privacy.
ELIZABETH TYDD
AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER
Elizabeth Tydd is the Australian Information Commissioner. Elizabeth brings decades of regulatory and governance experience at an executive and board level in a range of jurisdictions and industries, including commercial, not-for-profit and public sector oversight and has occupied several statutory decision‑making roles, including Information Commissioner and CEO of the NSW Information and Privacy Commission, Australian Freedom of Information Commissioner, Deputy President of the Workers Compensation Commission and Deputy Chairperson of the former Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. As Information Commissioner, she has championed open government and ethical leadership across the Australian public sector. Elizabeth possesses expertise in digital government and will share her insights on messaging apps and their governance.
WHAT DO GOVERNMENT LAWYERS NEED TO KNOW WHEN DEALING WITH INQUIRIES AND ROYAL COMMISSIONS?
Slide Deck
1 point in core area 1
Government lawyers assist with Royal Commissions, Inquests and Inquiries at all levels of government and in different capacities. In this panel session, attendees will hear from experienced counsel and the ACT Coroner on their reflections, tips and strategies for government lawyers working in the inquisitorial space. Topics to be discussed include ethical obligations, briefing counsel, submissions, witness management and common mistakes and missteps.
CORONER KEN ARCHER
Ken Archer is a Magistrate and Coroner in the ACT. He was appointed in 2022 after 20 years of practice at the ACT Bar. Prior to that he was the Deputy DPP for the ACT.
His advocacy practice at the Bar included roles as Counsel Assisting and acting on behalf parties in inquest proceedings including deaths in custody, deaths in a hospital setting and the ACT Bushfire Inquiry.
As the ‘dedicated Coroner’ for the ACT, Coroner Archer has investigated many hundreds of deaths referred to the coroner, including deaths in custody and deaths arising from medical care in Territory hospitals.
KATE EASTMAN
BARRISTER
NEW CHAMBERS
Kate Eastman AM SC is a Sydney barrister working in the fields in human rights, discrimination, employment and public law. She has appeared in several Royal Commissions, including as Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability between 2019 - 2023. She has conducted recent inquiries, including an independent inquiry into media allegations about the Merivale Group and in March 2025, she was appointed a special ministerial commissioner to inquire into the workplace culture of the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. Kate also serves as NSW Law Reform Commissioner.
MICHAEL FORDHAM SC
BARRISTER
12 WENTWORTH SELBORNE CHAMBERS
Michael was admitted to the Bar in 1996 and appointed senior counsel in 2012. He has extensive experien
ce in medical negligence, historical institutional abuse, inquests, Royal Commissions, Commissions of Inquiry, including most recently appearing for the Commonwealth in the Defence and Veteran Suicide RC and as Counsel Assisting and for Commonwealth, ACT and NSW in various ACT and NSW Inquests.. Significant clients include the State of New South Wales, the Commonwealth and the Australian Capital Territory, as well as statutory authorities, insurers and private individuals.
Michael has a substantial practice as a mediator in his fields of specialty. Much of Michael’s practice involves long term strategic advice, appearing in and managing teams of lawyers for inquiries and large-scale litigation involving numerous plaintiffs suing government and non-government institutions.His work also involves complex psychiatric issues. These issues include liability questions arising out of care, treatment and supervision, and complex questions of causation and damage arising out of treatment, bullying and assaults. Michael is regularly appointed to produce binding findings in apportionment disputes between insurers. He has conducted investigations for New South Wales Government Agencies, such as NSW Land and Housing (as it then was). Michael is currently on the board of The Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales.
THE NACC NOW: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT LEGAL PRACTICE
Slide Deck
1 point in core area 1
Join Commissioner Paul Brereton for a timely and authoritative update on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), two years into its operation. This session will explore the Commission’s current investigative landscape, including the latest statistics and reflect on key decisions and public outcomes that have shaped its trajectory.
Commissioner Brereton will also share strategic learnings for government lawyers, highlighting how legal practitioners within the public sector can better navigate the evolving integrity framework. The session will provide practical insights into referral processes, legal thresholds for investigation, and the role of legal counsel in supporting transparency and accountability across government agencies.
Whether you're advising on compliance, managing risk, or responding to inquiries, this session will provide insights on the work of the NACC.
THE HON. PAUL BRERETON AM, RFD, SC
AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER
NATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION
Commissioner Paul Brereton, a distinguished legal figure, began his career as a solicitor in New South Wales in 1982 before transitioning to the Bar in 1987 and becoming Senior Counsel in 1998. Appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2005, he served primarily in the Equity Division, later becoming a Judge of Appeal. From 2013 he was a member and from 2019 Deputy President of the Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal. He was appointed a part-time Commissioner of the NSW Law Reform Commission on 1 June 2016 and Deputy Chairperson on 1 July 2016.
He retired from his judicial appointments in 2023 to assume the role of inaugural Commissioner of the new National Anti-Corruption Commission.
With a notable military career, he served in various roles, attaining the rank of Major General. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010.
