Geoff's clients include public and private hospitals and health care providers, government agencies, medical research organisations, therapeutic goods manufacturers and distributors, and biotechnology companies.
Geoff’s long term involvement in the health and aged care industries means that he understands the practical, commercial and ethical issues his clients face. He is committed to ensuring that the law supports the excellent provision of health and aged care.
As well as working in private practice, Geoff has been Principal Legal Officer at NSW Health and the Cabinet Office of the NSW Government, and has taught Health Law at UNSW.
Experience
- Advice to the NSW public health system, private and not for profit hospital operators and health care providers on clinical, health and commercial law issues;
- Therapeutic goods regulatory advice to manufacturers and distributors;
- Corporate governance advice to public, not for profit and private health organisations;
- Advice to biotechnology and medical research organisations;
- Advice on all aspects of privacy and data governance, including in health and e-health, business and credit settings;
- Consultant engaged by the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council on national consultation projects on advance care directives and draft adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation policy;
- Advice and development on NSW Health's end-of-life policies: Guidelines on End-of-Life Care and Decision-making and Using Advance Care Directives;
- Reviewing the legal infrastructure of NSW public health administration through a review of the Health Services Act 1986 and of NSW health care civil liabilities through a review of the Health Care Liability Act 2001, both reviews tabled in Parliament.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Art (Hons), University Medal (Government)
- Diploma of Professional Legal Training
Professional Memberships
- Several human research ethics committees, including currently, the NSW Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee
- Law Council of Australia, Privacy Law Committee
- Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law
- AIDS Council of NSW Board (previous)
- Harmonisation of Multi-centre Ethical Review (HoMER), Insurance and Indemnity Committee (previous)
- Corrections Health Service Committee, NSW Health (previous)
Publications
- Guide to Insurance and Indemnity for Human Research in New South Wales, 2009, commissioned by the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research and Cancer Institute NSW
- “The regulation of research through research governance: within and beyond NSW Health”, article co-authored with Deborah Frew, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 2009, 19, 11&12: 199-202
- Guidelines for end-of-life care and decision making, NSW Health, GL2005_57, member of Expert Advisory Group and author of law-related components
- Using Advance Care Directives (NSW), NSW Health, GL2005_56, member of Advance Care Directive Working Group and provision of legal advice