Office of General Counsel (OGC)

As part of the 1999-2004 Operational Plan the University undertook a review of its effectiveness and as part of this it undertook quality reviews of its administrative services during 2003 & 2004. In 2003 in introduced a number of new senior positions which included the position of Legal Counsel. (2003 Annual Report, esp. p.9) Ms Nancy Dolan was appointed as General Counsel in January 2004. Her responsibility was to coordinate the provision of legal services for the University by both in-house and external lawyers. This included the provision of legal advice to the Senate and Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor and senior executives as required. (2004 Annual Report).In its 2005 Annual Report the University reported on enhanced risk management and governance; activities led by the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Significant changes in governance for the University were introduced late in 2004 and in 2005. In order to be eligible for additional Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding the University had to comply with specific governance criteria, the National Governance Protocols, and new Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements. Amendments were made to the University of Sydney Act 1989 (NSW) (as amended) to reflect the National Governance Protocols and a number of major projects were then carried out by the OGC to ensure compliance with the new legislative requirements, including new Delegations of Authority - Administrative Functions, Guidelines concerning Commercial Activities and Commercial Activities Register, review of Foundations, and review of Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs).OGC first appears in the Annual Report of 2006 (p. 45) as a stand alone entity reporting directly to the Office of the VC. In 2006 OGC provided extensive advice and support in relation to the Higher Education Workplace Requirements (HEWRRs) and the Workplace Relations Amendment (Workchoices) Act 2005 (Cth) which had a major impact on the regulatory framework in which the University operated.In 2019 the Office of General Counsel (OGC) portfolio was overseen by the General Counsel, Richard Fisher AM. and encompassed a number of specialist teams including:Office of General CounselPolicy Management UnitTrust Office, encompassing the Gift Register ProjectGroup Secretary’s OfficeArchives and Records Management ServicesAudit and Risk Management including:- Insurance - Investigations(source: http://sydney.edu.au/legal/about/index.shtml accessed 12/06/2019)As of February 1 2020 Internal Audit will move from OGC to the Office of the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor. The change in the team’s reporting line will enable a clearer separation of the functions performed by Internal Audit and the Office of the General Counsel, and occurs with the support of both departments and the University Senate. Internal Audit will continue to take direction from Senate, the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor.