Sparke Helmore’s Commonwealth Executive Forum is an annual gathering directed at senior Commonwealth lawyers, with each instalment focused on a topic of particular interest to the legal leadership of the Commonwealth. The Forum is held in Canberra and intended to provide a space for the open exchange of ideas and insights amongst Executive and Senior Executive-level lawyers across Commonwealth agencies. The event is not recorded, and discussions are held under the Chatham House Rule.

Our 2024 Forum was held on 6 August and centred around the theme Advising Government in the age of Artificial Intelligence. The Honourable Justice Melissa Perry of the Federal Court of Australia commenced the Forum with a keynote address, following which a panel of senior stakeholders from the APS and private sector—co-facilitated by Partner Maxine Feletti and Anthony Murfett (Head of the Technology and Digital Division at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources) —shared their insights on various facets of the topic, including:

• the likely next stages in the development of AI
• the opportunities and risks of AI for government
• how to design, legislate for and manage automated decision-making and processes
• governance and accountability
• potential developments in legislation and jurisprudence
• information security, and
• the future of the legal profession.

The event was very well received, with delegates' feedback highlighting the calibre of the contributions, the engaging format and content of the discussion, and the opportunity to come together with peers from across the Commonwealth's senior legal community for an open and inclusive dialogue on the risks, challenges and opportunities posed by this transformational technology.

If you are a Commonwealth lawyer at SES, EL2 or EL1 level and would like to register your interest in attending next year's Forum, please do so here.

If you have any questions about the Forum, please contact Karwan Eskerie or Caitlin Catalano.