Steve leads the Hall & Wilcox Commonwealth Defence legal practice, bringing nearly 30 years of experience across government, the commercial sector, Defence and law, and comprising legal practise, advisory, and public policy development. He has a unique insight into and experience with operational imperatives and accountability frameworks for his Commonwealth clients, particularly within the Defence portfolio and the national security, critical infrastructure, and intelligence communities.
Steve served as a Commissioned Officer in the Australian Defence Force for 10 years. He was later a Senior Adviser in the National Security and International Policy Division of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, providing central agency policy coordination and implementation during a period of significant reforms in the national security portfolios.
His work led to appointments in the Office of the Prime Minister, and as an Adviser to a Defence portfolio minister, working across every level of ministerial responsibility, including Budget, cabinet, policy and capability matters.
Steve’s experience includes litigating large-scale matters as a Federal Prosecutor within the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Most recently, he was General Counsel of DMTC Ltd, working closely with Defence, Defence agencies, and Defence industry, in late-stage technological research, development and commercialisation through multi-party project collaboration.
Steve spent several years working throughout South-East Asia in the mid-2000s, as Country Director for commercial security firm in Jakarta, and as Special Adviser to the World Bank in East Timor.
Experience
- Advising Defence on engagement, enforcement and performance obligations and options in contract during national security supply chain negotiations.
- Provision of legal and strategic counsel in sovereign industrial capability development and late-stage technological R&D in the Defence and national security portfolios, including the establishment and oversight of multi-party program and commercial project agreements between the Commonwealth and domestic Defence industry partners.
- Provision of technical, legal and policy advice on intellectual property protection, containment and commercialisation of advanced Defence technologies on behalf of the Commonwealth, the Australian research sector, and sovereign industrial partners.
- Coordination, oversight and analysis of new policy proposals from within the Defence portfolio and advice on decisions under ministerial authority and delegations.
- Stewardship and advice on legislative reform and program implementation, including Budgetary analysis and drafting of advices to the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
- Coordination and prosecution of Commonwealth matters relating to illegal importation and exportation under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) and the Customs Act 1901 (Cth).
- Prosecutions of matters under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, and Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre.
- In-country representation; legal, regulatory, and commercial advisory; and transactional support, for multinational organisations undertaking operations in Indonesia.
- Participation in bi and multi-lateral decision conferences, regional information exchanges and high-level delegations throughout the South West Pacific and South East Asia under the Defence Cooperation Program and other Commonwealth agency engagements within the region.
- Preparation of high-level briefing and decision-support material, research and analysis on national security and international policy matters for a Commonwealth central policy agency.
Awards and recognition
- Chief Joint Operations Australian Defence Force - Commendation for Outstanding Leadership as Head of Counter-Terrorism Analysis
Memberships
- Law Society of New South Wales
- Chairman of the Board of Bravery Trust, a national veterans’ charity.
- Global Access Partners Standing Committee on National Resilience