About Mark

Mark is a highly experienced probity and commercial lawyer with over a decade of experience advising Australian Government entities across operational and policy settings. He has extensive expertise in providing probity and legal advice on complex and high‑value procurements, governance frameworks and major programs, as well as drafting and negotiating contractual arrangements. Mark also regularly advises on interpreting and enforcing contractual rights, resolving contract management issues and disputes, and managing other legislative and administrative law matters and claims.

Before joining Maddocks, Mark held Executive and Senior Executive lawyer roles within Commonwealth agencies, giving him a deep understanding of how government decisions are made and implemented in practice. In these roles, Mark was a trusted adviser to government clients at all levels of seniority. In addition to providing formal written advice, Mark was the legal representative on numerous governance bodies and steering committees, providing advice while embedded within the decision-making process.

Mark has advised and supported a wide range of government bodies in the performance of their statutory functions. This includes agencies undertaking urgent and critical front‑line law enforcement activities, statutory office‑holders assessing the operation and effectiveness of complex and controversial legal frameworks, and agencies responsible for developing, implementing and operating large‑scale systems and programs that underpin the rights and entitlements of Australian citizens.

Drawing on this experience, Mark brings a well‑developed understanding of the legal, probity and governance challenges faced by public sector clients. He is known for providing advice that is technically rigorous, consistently pragmatic, and widely defensible, to help agencies manage risk, maintain public trust, and achieve their policy and operational objectives with confidence.

Experience

• Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)

  COP31 – provided extensive probity advice and support to the Department, to assist it develop and implement a large-scale program to conduct up to 60 urgent, multi-stage and complex procurements in anticipation of Australia potentially hosting the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• Department of Home Affairs

  Aerial Surveillance Capability Procurement – provided probity advice and support to the Department in the conduct of its procurement of a multi-billion dollar aerial surveillance capability to protect Australia’s borders and related interests. This included reviewing RFT and evaluation documents, and providing probity advice throughout the approach to market, evaluation and contract negotiation phases of the procurement.

• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

  Pharmaceutical Wholesale Agreement – provided legal advice and support to the Department in its development of an agreement with the primary body that represents pharmaceutical wholesalers, to help ensure the reliable and affordable supply of pharmaceutical products across Australia under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Subsequently also advised the Department in its conduct of a procurement process to engage wholesalers to operationalise the principles established through the agreement.

• Australian Federal Police (AFP)

  Technology System Request for Tender (RFT) – supported the Australian Federal Police to conduct an RFT to establish a technology platform to enable it and other law enforcement agencies to obtain information and intelligence in support of their operations. This has involved drafting contracts for release with the RFT and to establish arrangements between the AFP and other Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies, developing and providing advice on RFT documentation, providing legal support to negotiations, and providing other ad hoc legal advice and support as required.  

• Private Client

  Contractual arrangements – provided strategic and operational legal advice and support to a private company, to assist that company to revise and refine its service offerings and supporting contractual frameworks, as its looks to expand the sale of its market-leading, secure access-control technology solutions into new markets. This has included developing standardised agreements and supporting commercial arrangements to reform and formalise resale networks, develop and negotiate contractual arrangements with priority customers to pursue strategic expansion opportunities, and assisting the client to develop and refine agreements and commercial arrangements for the market launch of a novel security platform offering.