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  • About us
    • What we do
    • How we work
    • Vision and values
    • Our clients
    • Partnerships
    • Panels
    • Awards
  • Solutions
    • Consulting
      • Evaluation and Review
      • Governance
      • Business Improvement and Organisational Change Management
      • Program, Project Management and Assurance
      • Regulatory Reform
    • Legal
      • Corporate and Commercial Law
      • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Support Services
      • Public Law
    • Commercial
      • Procurement Reviews and Improvement
      • Cost Modelling
      • Procurement Strategy and Delivery
      • Business Cases
      • Contract and Vendor Management
      • Negotiation Support
      • Probity
    • Analytics
      • Analysis
      • Advanced Modelling
      • Decision Support
  • People
  • Careers
    • Opportunities
  • Community
    • Our themes
    • Pro Bono
    • Our Partners
    • Events
    • Fundraising
    • Reconciliation
  • Thought Leadership
    • Insights
    • Case studies
    • Events
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • News
    • The Pulse
  • Contact

Content published prior to November 2025 has been created by Proximity, a firm we acquired in 2025.

Proximity Day Out

Event

Proximity Day Out focuses on topics that are current, disruptive, and forward-thinking in the consulting, legal and commercial sectors. 

It’s a free event for government attendees, and you’ll receive lots of practical advice to take back to your workplaces and put into action. 

You’ll hear from some of the nation’s most experienced senior public servants and private sector leaders who will share their experiences and advice to help drive innovation and prepare your organisation for the future.

Additionally, you can gain professional development points for ACT Legal Practitioners, AIPM, AICD, and CIPS.

Tuesday 25 February 2025
Free – all day event
Hotel Realm

Proximity Day Out focuses on topics that are current, disruptive, and forward-thinking in the consulting, legal and commercial sectors. 

It’s a free event for government attendees, and you’ll receive lots of practical advice to take back to your workplaces and put into action. You’ll hear from some of the nation’s most experienced senior public servants and private sector leaders who will share their experiences and advice to help drive innovation and prepare your organisation for the future. Additionally, you can gain professional development points for ACT Legal Practitioners, AIPM, AICD, and CIPS.

The line-up

8:30am – 8:55am

Registration opens

9:00am – 9:10am

Welcome address

Presenter:
Zoe Lynam – CEO, Proximity

9:10am – 10:00am

Balancing Risks and Unlocking Opportunities: How Government navigates the world of technology, artificial intelligence and cyber security

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way governments operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance service delivery, improve decision-making, and streamline operations.

Facilitator:
Declan Norrie – Special Advisor, Proximity

Panel Members:
Anthony Murfett –  Head of Division for Technology and Digital, Dept Industry Science and Resources

Anne-Louise Brown –  Head of Strategy and Insights, Akin Agency

Chris Taylor – Head of Statecraft and Intelligence Centre
Defence Strategy and National Security, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

10:00am – 10:45am

Morning tea

10:50am – 11:30am

Defence: Domestic Military and Operations Law

In this session, we will discuss emerging issues in Defence, with a focus on developments in operations law, combined with
recently introduced or proposed changes in military law.

Presenter:
Robin Creyke – Expert Advisor, Proximity

Environmentally Sustainable Procurement: Aligning Government Practices with Net Zero Targets

What is environmentally sustainable procurement? Current policies and what they look like in practice.

Facilitator:
Monica Beven – Advisor, Proximity

Panel Members:
Stephen Bailey – Senior Advisor, Proximity

Rachel Sanderson –  Commonwealth Sustainable Procurement Advocacy and Resource Centre, DCCEEW

Clare Hobby – Director, TCO Development

11:35am – 12:25pm

Trauma-Informed Legal Practice

This session will explore the concept of trauma-informed legal practice – an essential way forward to prevent harm to citizens and enable lawyers to manage burnout, compassion-fatigue and vicarious trauma.

Presenters:
Catherine Saunders – Senior Advisor, Proximity

Jasmin Douglas – Special Advisor, Proximity

Sitting on the other side of the fence: What it’s like to be a tenderer

This session will take participants through the tendering process, utilising case studies to identify traps to avoid and providing tips to ensure you get the best possible outcome from your tendering activities.

Presenters:
Andrew Stephen – Expert Advisor, Team Lead Commercial, Proximity

Mitchell Eddy – Senior Advisor, Proximity

12:30pm – 1:20pm

Networking lunch

1:25pm – 2:05pm

Contract Conundrums: Tackling Grandfather’s Axe, Expired Agreements, and Waiving ‘No Waiver’ Clauses

Navigating the complexities of Grandfather’s axe, reviving expired agreements, and the implications of uncertainty created by poor drafting.

Presenters:
Kimberley Baillie – Expert Advisor, Proximity

Ingrid Bremers – Special Advisor, Proximity

Rob Gibson – Special Advisor, Proximity

Celia Torres-Villanueva – Special Advisor, Proximity

Exploring changes to procurement processes in Defence: Balancing speed with risk

Managing decision-making and risks across projects, and equipping teams with essential new skills.

Presenter:
Dougal Pidgeon – Special Advisor, Proximity

2:10pm – 2:50pm

ESG and Climate Compliance: Essential Preparations for Upcoming Mandatory Disclosures

Preparing for mandatory climate disclosures: Essential systems, processes, and governance practices for over 6,000 entities facing new climate-related reporting requirements in the coming years.

Presenters:
Dannya Hu – Special Advisor, Proximity

Sharon Reay – Senior Advisor, Proximity

Strategic Partnerships: Building and Sustaining Key Relationships for Procurement Success

Explore various relationships (internal & external) a Procurement Officer should be aware of, why they are important, and how to successfully develop and maintain them.

Presenters:
Andrew Stephen – Expert Advisor, Team Lead Commercial, Proximity

Sean King – Co-founder, National Lead Commercial, Proximity 

2:55pm – 3:35pm

Applying Probity and Integrity Principles in an Evolving Landscape

Recent years have seen a significant shift in the probity and integrity field, driven by changing community expectations and increased complexity in the operations and practices of Government. We discuss these changes, canvass future developments and give practical advice on how officials can embed principles of probity and integrity into their decision-making – both in a procurement and broader governance context.

Presenters:
Felicity Cooper – Expert Advisor, Proximity

Elise Poiner – Expert Advisor, Team Lead Commercial, Proximity

Driving ICT Project Excellence: Harnessing the Power of the DTA Framework

There is a long history of failed or sub-optimal delivery of ICT projects in the public sector. The Digital Transformation Agency was established to provide strategic advice and assurance to the Australian Government on its digital and ICT-enabled investments. It has carriage for the Commonwealth Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework (IOF), which provides the rules and obligations on agencies seeking ICT investment funding. While the IOF sets expectations on agencies, it by no means ensures success. There are a common set of traits that successful projects share. This presentation seeks to highlight these and demonstrate their alignment with the IOF.

Presenters:
Nicoll Parton – Special Advisor, Proximity

Wayne Coulston – Expert Advisor, Proximity

3:35pm – 4:05pm

Afternoon tea

4:10pm – 5:15pm

Hypo-ethical 5.0

Ethics panel discussing a range of hypothetical scenarios.

Facilitator:
Zoe Lynam – CEO, Proximity

Panel Members:
Hannah von Forell – Special Advisor, Proximity

Petra Gartmann – Acting Chief Counsel Corporate Legal, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Leo Hardiman PSM KC – Expert Advisor, Proximity

5:20pm – 5:25pm

Closing remarks

Presenter:
Sean King – Co-Founder, Proximity

5:30pm – 6:00pm

Drinks and Canapes

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