The Role

Defence Legal is a national organisation, which provides legal advice and other legal support services to Defence. We draw upon the professional talent of our people to pursue excellence in support of Defence operations, command, management and administration.

As part of the General Counsel - Defence Branch, this position provides legal support to the Estate and Infrastructure Law (E&I Law) Team.

The day-to-day tasks undertaken by the role include providing legal advice and assistance to internal Defence clients, principally for the Security & Estate Group (SEG), including in relation to strategic and legal risk issues, the drafting and review of documents (including complex and bespoke documents) and the oversight of external engagements, on matters relating to the Defence Estate and covering all jurisdictions within Australia.

This legal advice and assistance principally involves the provision of legal services in:

• Construction Law: including in relation to construction contracts; project administration; dispute resolution; and regulatory compliance;
• Real Property Law: including in relation to land tenure and title; the acquisition and disposal of real property; leases, licences, memoranda of understanding, easements and other arrangements for land access and use; encroachments, fencing issues and other adjoining property interface issues; and the Lands Acquisition Act (including compulsory acquisitions) and other legislation applicable to the Commonwealth Property Management Framework;
• Environmental Law: including in relation to contamination remediation; environmental risk mitigation; and legal compliance matters relating to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act;
• Native Title Law: including in relation to ILUAs and Cultural Heritage agreements; and
• Drafting, reviewing and providing legal advice on various administrative and legal documents including ministerial submissions and briefs.

This role is eligible for an additional remuneration benefit known in Defence as a Building Defence Capability Payment (BDCP). This enables Defence to provide a premium, in addition to the base salary otherwise payable under the Defence Enterprise Agreement (DEA), for positions in occupational disciplines/classifications that are critical to Defence capability. For further information, please contact the contact officer.

About our Team

The Estate & Infrastructure Law (E&I Law) Team in Defence Legal provides legal services primarily to the Security & Estate Group’s (SEG) Infrastructure, Estate Transformation and Service Delivery Divisions.

SEG manages the development, maintenance, management, leasing, acquisition and disposal of the Defence estate - one of the largest real estate portfolios in Australia.

To manage the Defence estate, SEG reviews, develops and constructs facilities and sites, often planning out to thirty years in advance. They create heritage and environment policies for all Defence properties across Australia. Property acquisitions, leasing, disposal and management of Estate related access, native title, mining and petroleum exploration issues, also fall within SEG's portfolio of responsibilities.

The E&I Law Team play a crucial role in providing strategic advice and managing legal risk for SEG.

The Team assists SEG on all aspects of the Estate, large and small, including: from its large-scale infrastructure and leasing projects, joint-user arrangements and Commonwealth and State agency MOUs; to its office accommodation, neighbouring land interface issues and cadet training needs.

In addition, the E&I Law Team provide legal advice and assistance to other areas of Defence who require construction, property, native title or environmental law expertise.

Our Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Extensive post-qualification experience in commercial law, relevant to construction law and/or property law;
• Experience in leasing and/or conducting property law matters across multiple Australian jurisdictions would be highly desirable;
• Experience in both transactions and dispute work would also be highly desirable;
• Experience with environmental, heritage and/or native title law would be desirable;
• Excellent communication, relationship management and client engagement skills;
• Ability to lead work streams and manage staff (when and where required) and to work collaboratively as a member of a team; and
• Manage competing priorities in a high tempo environment.

Application Closing Date: Sunday 13 April, 2025

For further information please review the job information pack, reference ASG/01680/25 on https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/?jati=539485E3-0AC2-4457-7E7E-E3A853669CCA