Connect with meJohn is an experienced government and commercial litigator and has been acting for a wide range of government and commercial clients for over 15 years. He has a deep understanding of the Commonwealth government and specialises in public law, regulatory disputes and advice on government legislation and programs.
John is known for his ability to provide clear, practical and client-focused advice on complex and technical areas of law. He works closely with his clients to develop solutions tailored to their needs, including the use of alternative dispute resolution processes where appropriate to save costs and refine issues. This includes advising Commonwealth agencies on the operation of legislative schemes, acting in administrative, judicial review and civil enforcement proceedings and providing advice on complex statutory interpretation.
In addition, John has extensive experience acting in commercial disputes for a range of commercial clients and government. This includes acting in construction and land planning disputes, aircraft noise and environmental claims, contractual disputes, trust rectification and commercial recoveries.
John has been listed in the Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers between 2015 to 2022 in the Government category.
- Acted for the National Disability Insurance Agency in relation to a comprehensive review of its regulatory obligations register. John led a multi-disciplinary legal team to review all current recorded obligations and provide recommendations on the accuracy and applicability of the current obligations to the Agency’s complex operations. This assisted the Agency to prepare an updated register and develop a more compliance focused register for reporting obligations.
- Acted for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry commencing the first successful civil penalty proceedings under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth) in Director of Biosecurity v Chi [2024] FCA 388. In addition to the steps required in the particular matter (evidence collection, reasonable grounds advice, briefing counsel and so forth), John also supported the department to develop internal processes and governance structures to triage matters and select matters for litigation.
- Secondment to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Biosecurity and compliance team in the Legal Division of the department. This included advising in a wide range of matters.
- Acted for the Department of Education and Training in regulatory action regarding the VET FEE-HELP scheme and charging of fees. The matter involved issues of complex statutory interpretation and engagement with forensic accountant analysis of transactions by a provider. This advice supported the delegate of the Secretary to make a legally sound decision and avoid further administrative or judicial review.
- Advised the National Disability Insurance Agency regarding its statutory compensation recovery obligations. This includes advising on the operation of statutory processes and the process involved in seeking recovery for payments made under other statutory schemes.
- Providing advice to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water regarding the operation of the export of waste plastics under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 (Cth). This included troubleshooting potential scenarios with the Department and identifying issues requiring additional regulatory change or different compliance approaches.
- Acted for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing in a NSW Coronial inquest into the COVID-19 related deaths of 19 residents at Newmarch House. This included assisting the department’s witnesses and managing the Commonwealth risk. Ultimately the Department was not subject to any adverse findings and its witnesses were not cross-examined.
- Acting for various developers, builders and Owners’ Corporations in land planning and construction disputes including acting in contested hearings before the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. This has included successful challenges of development approval decisions, controlled activity orders and defect rectification claims.
- Providing advice in relation to Comcover claims relating to various biosecurity matters brought by exporters including under the Commonwealth government Compensation for Detriment caused by Defective Administration Scheme.
- Acting for Airservices Australia in relation to airspace and flight path issues around a variety of airports nationally. This has included advice on the legislative framework in which these functions occur and the interplay with community and political considerations of any decisions
- Commercial Litigation
- Government
- Inquiries, Investigations and Prosecutions
- Legacy, Sensitive and Complex Claims
- Public Sector
- Construction
- Environmental Liability
- ACT Law Society Civil Litigation Committee (2017 – 2019)
- ACT Law Society