Overview

Understanding how legislation is created, interpreted and applied is essential for managers and business professionals who make decisions within regulated environments. This program provides a practical introduction to the legislative process, delegated legislation and the role of courts in interpreting legislation and determining how legal rules apply to particular circumstances.

The program will explore the principles used by courts when interpreting legislation, together with the importance of understanding relevant case law when assessing how legal requirements operate in practice. Participants will also consider how a sound approach to legal compliance and an appropriate organisational culture can assist businesses in identifying risks, avoiding costly mistakes and protecting their reputation, time and goodwill.

The course will then examine fundamental contractual principles relevant to non-lawyers, including contract formation, effective drafting and the allocation of contractual risks and responsibilities. Particular attention will be given to the importance of clearly expressing rights and obligations so that contractual uncertainty and disputes can be minimised.

The program will also consider the duties and potential liabilities of managers and officers under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), as well as the concept of accessorial liability across workplace, environmental and consumer law. Legislative provisions and relevant case examples will be used to demonstrate circumstances in which individuals may become personally accountable for involvement in a contravention.

Consumer law obligations will also be examined, including unfair contract terms, misleading or deceptive conduct and statutory guarantees, with consideration of their relevance to both business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions.

Finally, the course will consider the opportunities and potential risks associated with artificial intelligence in contracting. Participants will explore why contracts should clearly reflect the intentions of the parties and appropriately address emerging risks associated with the use of AI.

Learning Objectives

By attending this program, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental stages and principles involved in forming a contract and recognise why clear drafting is important in reducing uncertainty and potential disputes.
• Identify how contractual risks and responsibilities can be distributed between parties and understand the importance of clearly documenting those arrangements.
• Recognise the duties, responsibilities and potential personal liabilities that may apply to managers and officers under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
• Explain accessorial liability and identify circumstances in which individuals may potentially be held responsible for involvement in workplace, environmental or consumer law contraventions.
• Identify key consumer law obligations, including unfair contract terms, misleading or deceptive conduct, false or misleading conduct and statutory guarantees.
• Understand how consumer law principles may operate in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business relationships.
• Identify some of the potential benefits and risks associated with artificial intelligence in contracting.
• Recognise the importance of ensuring contractual terms accurately and clearly reflect the intentions, rights and responsibilities of the parties.

Featuring Our Speakers

 

 

 

 

Mick McGown

Lawyer – Construction and Employment

Moray & Agnew Lawyers

Mick commenced his career in construction as a carpenter and worked through the ranks to become the General Manager of Australia’s oldest building company, WOOLLAM Construction. Over the years, he played a pivotal role in the safe and timely construction of hospitals, emergency response buildings, regional landmarks, residential apartments, schools, warehouses, and sports facilities. His key responsibilities included project and program management, procurement, and general management. 

With a deep understanding of the complexities of construction projects, Mick transitioned into law to combine his industry expertise with legal knowledge. His firsthand experience navigating contract negotiations, risk management, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution gives him unique insight into the legal challenges faced by developers, contractors and industry stakeholders. 

Mick has also contributed to the academic field as a Semester Teaching Fellow at Bond University, where he regularly lectured on topics such as building fundamentals, sustainable building services, project contract administration, commercial construction and engineering, and building information modelling. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edmund Burke 

Partner 

Moray & Agnew Lawyers 

He has extensive experience in work health and safety defence and prosecutions and all areas of employment and workplace law including employee misconduct investigations, professional misconduct defence, bullying claims, discrimination, workplace and sexual harassment, managing employee performance management, discipline and dismissal, adverse action claims and workplace defamation.  

Edmund’s expertise includes defending companies, individuals and local councils in proceedings against non-compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act and safety incidents resulting in injuries to employees.  

Before joining private practice Edmund worked as the Director of Communications for Queensland Premier Anna Bligh with managerial responsibility for over one hundred communications professionals, providing advice directly to the Premier and Ministers daily. Edmund has also worked as a news journalist and writer for national publications in Ireland, the UK and Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Alan Patching

Clinical Psychotherapist & Hypnotherapist

An experienced professional with two distinct but complementary career paths — business and human behaviour.

As a consultant in business and project management, Alan has led some of Australia’s most high-profile projects, including serving as Owners’ Project Director and CEO of the entity owning Sydney Olympic Stadium. He has also negotiated some of the country’s largest property deals.

In parallel, Alan works in the field of human behaviour, helping individuals and organisations manage stress, enhance performance, and build resilience. With a strong track record in training and mentoring middle and senior leaders, his expertise bridges the worlds of strategic planning, major project leadership, and psychological wellbeing.

Alan holds a PhD from Bond University, where his research focused on workplace stress, and a Master’s in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice from Bath Spa University, alongside qualifications in construction and project management. Drawing from both practical experience and current research, he delivers engaging and relevant learning experiences that prepare students for strong and successful careers.

Who should attend?

This program is designed for:

• Executive and non-executive directors of companies and co-operatives
• Business partners
• Senior managers
• Middle managers
• Managers and professionals who have responsibilities involving legal, contractual, compliance or operational decision-making

Topics Covered

• Legislation Fundamentals: Build Confidence Navigating Legislation and Judgments
• Case Law Fundamentals: Explain how Parliament, regulators and courts interact
• Interpretating and applying Law: Provide a repeatable method for workplace legal questions
• Liability, governance and emerging risk: Use broad examples across industries, not sector-specific advice
• Capstone and action plan: Identify when an issue should be escalated for legal advice