Synergy Law
Supporting Government to become 'future ready', partnering with clients to achieve legally defensible outcomes.
By leaning into complex and challenging issues, we can find options and solutions to support legally defensible outcomes and provide confidence for the commonwealth.
Synergy Law is a Synergy Group integrated legal offering, specialising in Government law and legal advisory services. Synergy Law as a capability, and an added service line, enables Synergy Group to provide clients integrated end to end advisory services and solutions which are legally assured and defensible. Synergy Law also provides Synergy Group the additional capability to look at ways to ‘lean into’ future legal issues such as: cyber security, ICT and infrastructure security, emerging energy resources, climate law, supply chain management, data sharing and information law, to support Government operations becoming ‘future ready’.
Synergy Law not only provides an integrated legal service but added depth of experience through having worked in, and for, Government on complex legal, policy and program matters. We know our market, we know our clients, we understand what you need. We will lean in, work beside you, and help you achieve your outcomes.
Meet the team
From start to finish we listen and seek to understand and deliver impact, together, in partnership.
How we think
With views on what matter and knowledge to share. We pride ourselves in collaborating. Get to know us better.
Insight
If the fox is in the henhouse, how do you protect the coop's 'ethical walls'?
Government has, understandably, sought to ensure service providers act ethically and do not engage in practices that can be considered unethical. That raises the ethical question – can and should consultants working within an agency use information gleaned from that agency? Stated another way, are we letting the foxes have the run of the chicken coop? The simple answer to that question is – there is no simple answer to that question.
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Insight
Unsung privacy reforms could pack a punch in combating identify theft...
For those following Australia’s long-and-winding road to privacy reform, it’s truly been a marathon rather than a sprint. The starter’s gun (officially) fired in October 2020 with an Issues Paper that reviewed the Commonwealth Privacy Act, 1988 followed by a Discussion Paper in late 2021, and then picked up pace with the Privacy Act Review Report in February 2023, with more than 100 reform recommendations. In November 2023, the Commonwealth Government’s Response to the Privacy Act Review Report agreed or agreed-in-principle to almost all of those recommendations. And on Parliament’s last sitting day for 2024, the reforms finally crossed the finished line, with the Senate’s passage of the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (2024 Privacy Bill). Spoiler alert, the 2024 Privacy Bill was only the first leg on the journey – and it contained less than a quarter of all the proposed privacy reforms. Despite that fact, the first tranche of privacy reforms do pack a punch – and in ways that may not be readily apparent.
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Insight
Championing Diversity and Inclusion in Procurement: The Role of the Indigenous Procurement Policy
In an era where the expectations of public service extend beyond mere functionality, procurement professionals are at a crossroads. Their challenge lies not just in sourcing goods and services efficiently, but also in embodying the values of equity and inclusion that reflect the diverse fabric of Australian society. For procurement practitioners and the broader Australian community, the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP, or the Policy) offers a unique opportunity to reshape the landscape of procurement, enabling us to champion not only economic growth but also social justice for Indigenous communities. As we delve into the nuances of the IPP, we must ask ourselves: how can we leverage this framework to drive meaningful change, achieve value-for-money and foster an inclusive economy?
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Insight
The informed purchaser mindset -what is it and why do I need it?
Who and what’s an informed purchaser? In simple terms, an informed purchaser is someone who gets the best value-for-money – and that applies to any procurement, whether you’re shopping for a new car or buying essential goods for the Commonwealth. The challenge for procurement practitioners and those working in the government sector is that ‘the Commonwealth,’ ‘the State’ or ‘the Territory’ can be seen as an abstract concept, along the lines of ‘big government’ or faceless or nameless processes. However, a simple way to think about being an informed purchaser, and any procurement process is to ask yourself – what would I do if I were spending the money? The first step is to do a little research – and that applies equally to buying submarines, power plants or the family ute.
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Insight
Are we lawyers dead with AI?
It’s fair to say that Shakespeare was not thinking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in late 16th Century England when he put quill to parchment – and coined that phrase in Henry VI, Part 2. But the sentiment has endured well into the 21st Century – and it’s been echoed in gleeful predictions about the demise of lawyers and the legal profession.
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Insight
Unlocking Value: The Essential Role of Auditing in Effective Contract Management
The word ‘audit’ can often invoke anxiety for many individuals and businesses. On top of the anxiety, not knowing what to expect during the audit process can create apprehension. Apprehension leads to worry. Worry leads to potential and actual errors in financial or other records, as well as compliance issues. All of those issues can be uncovered during an audit, along with ‘unforced errors’ that may not paint a fulsome picture of your organisation, its staff and operating procedures. Audits also require significant time and resources to prepare for, which may disrupt regular operations. For individuals without much experience with or about audits, this can increase uncertainty about how to prepare and what will be evaluated. Those factors will exacerbate the inherent worry, anxiety and apprehensions that will arrive with the auditors.
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