Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

I was the key in-house legal support for the Spirit of Tasmania terminal project, one of the most complex marine construction projects in the state. I have been able to draw on my expertise in major projects and construction law to provide a high level of support to the project team directly, with minimal requirement for external briefing, bringing strong cost and time savings for the business. The project features development of a 12 hectares site at GeelongPort, a world first three-level access ramp for efficient boarding, which provides an improved experience for the 450,000 passengers traveling annually. The project recently reached practical completion which was a significant milestone to be part of.

GeelongPort recently signed its first power purchase agreement (PPA) as part of the Barwon Renewable Energy Partnership with ACCIONA Energía. The 10-year PPA is to supply 68GWh a year of 100% renewable electricity, which will come from ACCIONA Energía’s Mt. Gellibrand wind farm in southwest Victoria. With a capacity of 132 million watts, this wind farm produces enough clean energy to power some 90,000 Australian homes. I played a key role with the general counsel, CFO, and environment and sustainability manager to negotiate this for GeelongPort.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

A strong legal team needs to be a trusted advisor within the business, delivering timely, commercial and technically adept advice. It isn’t enough to merely deliver on what is asked, as strong legal team will partner with teams across the business and embed themselves in other teams, to find opportunities before problems arise.

A strong legal team will thrive in skills focussed on resilience and adaptability, particularly in the post-pandemic economy. This includes an open mindedness to embrace opportunities for technology to streamline legal operations and deliver time and cost benefits to the organisation.

What is the biggest risk to your industry or organisation and how are you contributing to prepare your organisation for this?

Following both reforms to the security of critical infrastructure legislation, and high-profile cybersecurity breaches in Australia, cybersecurity continues to be a high risk for both the ports industry and our organisation. To compliment practical training, our IT team holds around compliance and risk management, legal also continues to present compliance training and communicating key updates across the business. I have ensured this maintains focus in regular business updates, internal training, monitoring compliance and data retention across our software and operational platforms.

The ACCC have emphasised their regulatory focus in 2022, on greenwashing across industries, a compliance risk across many industries including. I work closely with colleagues within our sustainability and environment and corporate affairs teams to ensure transparency around messaging and representations. GeelongPort strives to be the most environmentally sustainable bulk port in Australia, so ensuring the business operates within the regulatory parameters and complies as necessary is an ongoing priority. I am involved in reviews of corporate communications, stakeholder engagement strategy, and reporting reviews that advises on risk and compliance in this area.