• Mary Brennan
• Anthony Carter
• Anne Dalton
• David Davies
• Tony Deegan
• Neill Grant
• Daryl Gray
• Holly McAdam
• Greg McCann
• Richard Morrison
• Bernadette Rayment
• Phillip Salem
• Matthew Smith
• Stephen Thompson
• Colin Webeck
• Rohan White
• Catherine Wilkinson

• Banking & Finance
• Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Compensation
• Construction, Projects & Infrastructure
• Corporate & Commercial
• Energy & Resources
• Environment & planning
• Government & Administrative Law
• Information & Communications Technology
• Insurance & Risk
• Intellectual Property
• Insolvency & restructuring
• M&A/Private Equity
• Property
• Workplace Relations & Safety

Government

Trusted by government leaders around Australia

Sparke Helmore delivers professional legal services and commercial solutions to Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies throughout Australia, as well as private sector companies that do business with government.

We fully appreciate the public sector's unique challenges and accountabilities. Our clients benefit from our Government team's specialist knowledge, experience and insight gained from both working within and for Government.

Our sensitive, informed management of complex public sector projects and our strong relationships with government have earned us prestigious government appointments.

Expertise

Our Government-related services include:

• Statutory interpretation.
• Government tendering and contracting processes and government procurement policy.
• Probity and process advice and audits.
• Matters relating to the exercise of powers by statutory bodies or office holders.
• Statutory instruments, including instruments of delegation and authorisation.
• Corporate governance advice, including accountability legislation relevant to government departments, agencies, authorities and companies.
• Freedom of Information, Ombudsman and Privacy legislation.
• Commercial law.
• Ethical purchasing.
• Litigation and dispute resolution.
• Employment and industrial relations law.
• Technology, outsourcing and communication.

Experience

• Cole Inquiry: Assisting the Commonwealth, by representing the interests of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ('DFAT') and its past and present officers, as well as AusAID, Austrade, and Ministers Vaile and Downer in relation to the Commission of Inquiry established to examine possible breaches of law in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme ('the Cole Inquiry').
• Acting as Process Adviser to the Department of Finance and Administration on the sale of the Commonwealth's remaining shares in Telstra. Previously, we acted in this capacity on the Scoping Study into the possible sale of the Commonwealth's remaining shares. As Process Advisor, we provide independent advice aimed at ensuring that the sale process is conducted in a defensible, fair and open manner. 
• Advised the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) in relation to disqualification actions arising from the HIH Royal Commission.
• Ongoing advice to local councils around Australia on issues including development consents, environmental assessments, Land and Environment Court appeals, environmental prosecutions, Commissions of Inquiry, pollution licences, drafting and negotiating tenders, contractual conditions, warranties and indemnities relating to business acquisitions.
• Act for Telstra in context of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Federal Court, the High Court, Freedom of Information, Privacy, the Ombudsman and Internal Disciplinary Appeals.
• Act for the Commonwealth as Sale Process Adviser in relation to the sale of Sydney Airport; and as Probity Adviser in respect of the sale of National Rail and Employment National.

People

Our lawyers are active in a range of organisations and committees that contribute to our collective public sector knowledge of government. Our clients receive the benefit of current knowledge about relevant trends and legal services that address their specific requirements.