Law Council of Australia

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Annual Business Law Section Planning Workshop (2024)

Speech delivered by Mr Greg McIntyre SC, President, Law Council of Australia at the Business Law Section Planning Workshop, Melbourne, 9 February 2024. 


"Thank you Pamela and your Executive for providing me with the opportunity to address the Business Law Section’s Annual Workshop today.

Since UNESCO declared 2019 the Year of Indigenous languages and followed that up by declaring this the decade of Indigenous languages, it has been my practice to acknowledge country in the Noongar language, the language of my home town Boorloo, or Perth, Western Australia, in words taught to me by Professor Len Collard, A Whadjuk Noongar traditional owner:

Kaia

Nyuny Ngulluck Nyinniny

Whadjuk Noongar Boodja

Wurundjudjeri Woi-wurrung Bunong Boon Wurrung Kulin Boodja

Nguny burruniny quop kaditj kanya

Nitja baarl birrdiya baarl boodjah

Koora yeye Borrrdahwan

Kaia

I have been asked to speak with you today about some of the priorities I see emerging in 2024 and being pursued by the Law Council.

All of our work will be fashioned in accordance with the Strategic Plan 2021-26, which includes as an objective advocating for the legal business sector.

It has been a month, or even less, since the Christmas shutdown period finished for most businesses, but in that very short period of time, the BLS has led or significantly contributed to nearly 10 submissions and I believe a number more are close to finalisation as we speak. This is about one submission every three days.

These submissions have ranged from merger reform – which we had journalists avidly waiting for – through to scams, tax accountability, climate-related financial disclosure, and enhancing the Tax Practitioner Board’s sanction regime.

Yesterday I signed off on a submission on Payments System Modernisation (Regulation of Payment Service Providers) prepared by the Financial Services Committee of the BLS and the National Electronic Conveyancing System Committee.

In the past week, in accordance with protocol, I approved Angus Lang and Warwick Rothnie of the Intellectual Property Committee giving evidence to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the Copyright Legislation Amendment (Fair Pay for Radio Play) Bill.

We also rely heavily on the advice and expertise of the BLS for Law Council responses on everything from privacy law reform to cybersecurity, and we could not operate as we do without you. We are very fortunate to have experts such as yourself willing to step up, time and time again to ensure we provide comprehensive, well considered advice to Government to influence decision making in order to improve reforms and make sure that, as far as possible, they are fit for purpose and potential harms are limited.

A great strength of the Law Council, is our consultation process, which allows us to gather and gauge views from across the profession. Knowing that our submissions are painstakingly developed and provide views generated from the knowledge and expertise of such a wide range of parties is key factor in the respect Government and Parliamentarians place in us and in our recommendations."

Read full speech in the link below.

Last Updated on 14/02/2024

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