Government Administrative Law

Supporting government decision making

Our government lawyers are market leaders in providing administrative law advice and litigation services to the Commonwealth. 

Each year, our team manages an average of 2,500 merits and judicial review proceedings for government.  We also bring specialist expertise in advisory support, including on statutory interpretation, decision making and administrative processes. We advise extensively on a broad range of legislative schemes and support administrative decision-making in diverse settings.

Our expertise also extends to Information Law—our national team provides ongoing support to various agencies on their compliance with, and processes under, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) and Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (Cth).

Our experience includes:

• Appearing on behalf of agencies in all Federal courts and tribunals, including in some of the most complex, sensitive and high-profile appellate matters.
• Advising agencies on complex statutory interpretation issues.
• Assisting with administrative decision-making, including drafting decision minutes and notices, advising on procedural fairness obligations, and managing associated legal risk.
• Undertaking reviews of legislative compliance and administrative processes.
• Drafting subordinate legislation, instructional manuals and policy documents, and assisting with the design and review of primary legislation.
• Providing privacy and FOI advice, including undertaking Privacy Impact Assessments and supporting high-volume FOI processing through innovative and cost-effective service delivery models.
• Delivering high-quality, value-for-money secondment support to agencies in a variety of bespoke formats.
• Routinely delivering introductory and advanced training to agency personnel on a myriad of administrative law issues.