Annual Report 2018 - 2019
Board members, 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019
Craig Smith
Dip Law (BAB) Dip Crim (SYD)
Chair
Craig Smith was appointed by the NSW Attorney General as Chair of the Board from 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
A solicitor and former judicial registrar of the District Court of NSW, Mr Smith has four decades of experience in the administration of justice in NSW. He has worked in various government legal and policy positions, including senior positions with the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He was a director of court services and then director of judicial support before his appointment as a judicial registrar in 2010.
Mr Smith has served as Chair of the Legal Aid NSW Board since 18 February 2013.
(Attended six meetings)
Brendan Thomas
BA
Chief Executive Officer
Appointed by the NSW Attorney General, Brendan Thomas commenced his role as CEO of Legal Aid NSW on 22 May 2017.
Before this, he was the NSW Deputy Secretary of the Department of Justice.
Mr Thomas worked for the NSW Department of Justice for more than 20 years and has a strong track record of designing and implementing reforms providing services for victims of domestic violence and for Aboriginal communities.
He has worked in crime prevention and criminal justice for two decades and has written widely on crime prevention and Aboriginal justice issues.
(Attended five meetings)
Peggy Dwyer
BA LLB (ANU) PhD (University of Edinburgh)
Board member
Peggy Dwyer was appointed as a representative of the NSW Bar Association by the NSW Attorney General for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
Dr Dwyer was called to the bar in 2010 after more than 10 years as a solicitor, specialising in criminal and, later, coronial law. She has previously worked for the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT), the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in the Northern Territory, and the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office. As a barrister, Dr Dwyer appears in a wide range of criminal matters, including jury trials, appeals, Children’s Court of NSW matters and State Parole Authority hearings. She has a busy practice in coronial proceedings and a significant interest in medical law.
She appeared as Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission into the Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse and as Counsel for the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.
Dr Dwyer was an Associate to Justice Michael Kirby in the High Court of Australia between 1995 and 1996.
(Attended six meetings)
Ainslie van Onselen
LLB (UWA), MAppFin, GDipAppFin (Finsia), GAICD
Board member
Ainslie van Onselen was appointed by the NSW Attorney General as a representative of consumer and community interests for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
Ms van Onselen has practised as a commercial litigator for two decades and is admitted to practise law in several jurisdictions across Australia. She also sits on the Boards of Beem It and RAMS Financial Group Pty Ltd, and is Chair of the Kambala Girls School Council.
Previously, she was Director and National President of the Migration Institute of Australia, a columnist for The Australian, a Sky News panellist and Associate Professor of the University of Western Australia.
She is currently General Manager of Deposits and Unsecured Lending in Westpac’s Consumer Bank. She has been with Westpac Group for more than five years in a range of senior roles. Most recently she was Managing Director of RAMS, and prior to this, Director of Women’s Markets, Inclusion and Diversity.
(Attended four meetings)
Michael Coleman
M Comm, B Comm, FAICD, FCA, FCPA
Board member
Michael Coleman was appointed as a representative who, in the opinion of the NSW Attorney General, possesses skills and experience that would benefit Legal Aid NSW for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
The Board also appointed Mr Coleman Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee from 29 June 2016 to 22 June 2019. He was reappointed to the position for the period 23 June 2019 to 23 June 2021.
Mr Coleman is a chartered accountant. He retired from KPMG in 2011 following a career that included 30 years as an audit partner and practice leader.
Mr Coleman is a member of the boards and chairs the audit committees of Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank. He is Chair of Bingo Industries Limited, was a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s audit committee, and enjoys a number of significant roles with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
He is an Adjunct Professor at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales, Chairman of the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation, a Governor and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of The Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, and a director of the Belvoir Street Theatre Foundation.
(Attended five meetings)
Richard Henry
AM, MB BS, MD, FRACP, Dip Clin Epi
Board member
Richard Henry was appointed as a representative who, in the opinion of the NSW Attorney General, possesses skills and experience that would benefit Legal Aid NSW for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
He is Emeritus Professor and Pro-Chancellor of UNSW Australia. He was Professor of Paediatrics at both the University of Newcastle and University of NSW, and held senior leadership roles in both the university and health sectors. From 2006 to 2012, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Vice-President at the University of NSW (UNSW). Since his retirement from UNSW, he has worked as a consultant in health and higher education. Current unpaid roles include Pro- Chancellor at UNSW, Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute, Trustee of the Sydney Grammar School, Chairman of Trustees and Director of Paediatrio.
He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 for service to paediatric respiratory medicine as a clinician, researcher, educator and mentor, and for serving in a range of roles with professional medical organisations.
(Attended five meetings)
Sue Gilchrist
LLM, BA LLB (Hons)
Board member
Sue Gilchrist was appointed as a representative who, in the opinion of the NSW Attorney General, possesses skills and experience that would benefit Legal Aid NSW for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
Ms Gilchrist is a senior intellectual property disputes partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and she is experienced in all intellectual property areas, including patents, designs, copyright, trademarks, passing off and confidential information. She is regularly recognised in the top ranking of legal profession directories for intellectual property litigation, and in particular, patent litigation.
Ms Gilchrist also has strong management experience, having been the Regional Managing Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills for Asia and Australia until 2017. Ms Gilchrist is a member of the Global Council for Herbert Smith Freehills. She is also a member of her firm’s governance body for pro bono and citizenship, and its governance body for diversity and inclusion. She is Chair of the firm’s Reconciliation Action Plan Steering Committee, and is proud to have helped the firm reach the Elevate level for its Reconciliation Action Plan, as endorsed by peak body Reconciliation Australia.
(Attended six meetings)
Darryl Browne
LLB, Accredited Specialist (Wills and estates), FAICD, Public Notary, TEP
Board member
Darryl Browne was appointed by the NSW Attorney General as a representative of the Law Society of NSW for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
Mr Browne is an accredited specialist in wills and estates. His forte is estate planning, including involving wills, superannuation, powers of attorney, enduring guardian appointments, advance care directives, trusts and related aspects, but he also conducts estate and other litigation for clients. He advises clients concerning commercial law issues, including business acquisitions, leases, employment issues and planning matters, as well as with conveyancing and related real estate transactions.
Mr Browne’s professional achievements include Director (Councillor) of the Law Society of NSW, Chair of the Elder Law, Capacity and Succession Committee, Chair of the Elder Abuse Working Group, member of the Specialist Accreditation Board, Director of Lawcover Insurance Pty Ltd, member of the Future Committee, Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s Elder Law and Succession Committee, member of the state government’s steering committee on preventing and responding to elder abuse, and member of the University of Sydney’s Law Extension Committee.
(Attended six meetings)
Anna Cody
LLM (Harvard), GDip LP (UTS), LLB (UNSW), BA (UNSW)
Board member
Anna Cody was appointed by the NSW Attorney General as a representative of bodies providing community legal services for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019.
She is currently Dean of the Western Sydney University School of Law, and was previously Director of the Kingsford Legal Centre, which specialises in discrimination and employment law. The centre is part of the University of NSW Law Faculty. Professor Cody worked at the centre for more than two decades.
She was the winner of the 2016 Human Rights Commission Law award and in 2007 she was named community lawyer of the year at the NSW Women Lawyers Achievement Awards. From 2011 to 2013, she was the Chair of Community Legal Centres NSW and was a member of the Board of LawAccess NSW. She was also the Deputy Chair of the NSW Legal Assistance Forum. She is currently a member of the Board of the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
(Attended six meetings)
Rachel Francois
BA (UNSW), LLB (UNSW)
Board member
Rachel Francois was appointed by the NSW Attorney General as a representative of Unions NSW for the period 23 June 2016 to 22 June 2019. She resigned her membership of the Board on 6 November 2018.
As a barrister at the NSW Bar, Ms Francois specialises in discrimination law and consumer protection cases and also practises in administrative law and commercial litigation. She was employed by Legal Aid NSW as a lawyer in civil litigation between 1996 and 2000. During that time, Ms Francois was a member of the Public Service Association Departmental Committee and a delegate to the Peak Consultative Committee.
She has a strong commitment to union principles and social justice, and acted as Junior Counsel Assisting the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in its investigations into the corporate wrongdoing of HIH Insurance and James Hardie. Her more recent cases include the class action against Cash Converters in relation to alleged unlawful interest rates and the landmark sexual harassment decision in Richardson v Oracle (2014) 223 FCR 334.
(Attended two meetings)