About

Federal government-owned ARTC manages most of the nation’s interstate rail network. It has been through considerable changes over recent years, with significant development projects, and the announced plans for its privatisation. Among Gavin Carney’s biggest achievements as GC, has been his transformation of the function and its role within the organisation. Under his guidance, legal has become a part of ARTC’s executive, developed relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and now works closely with different business units. For Carney, it is really a question of increased ‘visibility’. ‘Legal has moved from a secondary thought to a “must have” on any given project’, he explains. Internally, he has worked to simplify the function’s processes and structure. ‘A large organisation like ARTC has multiple streams and work groups, and it has taken some effort to streamline the legal team so it meets the needs of these multiple groups’, Carney says. ‘The legal team works in a very complex regulatory environment that is constantly changing’. When it comes to outside counsel, they remain loyal to individuals rather than law firms, he says, and the service they receive is ‘excellent at all levels’.