Simon Brimingham's double standards: College Of Law allowed FEE HELP abuses denied other colleges

by Ganesh Sahathevan
June 11 2018

https://www.collaw.edu.au/about/corporate-governance/board-of-governors

The College Of Law (TCOL) ,once wholly-owned by the Law Society NSW but now a separate but controlled entity, has been busy in South East Asia, especially in Malaysia. TCOL executives are often in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines , to promote various educational programs and sponsor local events. The Malaysian Bar Annual General Meeting and Annual Dinner & Dance, Kuala Lumpur, 2018 is but one example.
Its main source of revenue is the Australian taxpayer, who funds FEE HELP grants for local law students whose enrollment at the College is more or less compulsory:the College is the only entity in Sydney (and one of two in NSW) authorized by the NSW Government's Legal Profession Admission Board to offer the Practical Legal Training diploma, without which admission to practice in NSW is almost impossible.

The use of FEE HELP funded revenue to fund the offshore expansion of any private college is probably not what taxpayers had in mind when FEE HELP and other forms of student aid was first spoken of . Nevertheless ,that is how the TCOL funds its overseas expansion,and the Department Of Education (DOE) does not seem to mind.

The DOE has informed this writer that the College and other FEE HELP recipients are free to charge whatever they like, and that funding is not limited to cost recovery.Instead FEE HELP grants are determined by the students, who determine their debt burden,
The DOE simply funds that debt,which is determined by the student and student only.

The Department and Minister Simon Birmingham have not explained how this is an efficient use of taxpayer funds.Neither have they been able to explain how an overseas adventure like that of the TCOL's,funded by the taxpayer, is of any use to the Australian taxpayer.
TCOL's FEE HELP funded business model is unique given that it remains tied to the Law Society NSW ,even if no longer wholly-owned, and its FEE HELP funded business in existence because of its Government mandated PLT duopoly in NSW, and virtual monopoly in NSW.
It is in other words a business of a professional body supported and funded by the Government.Take Government funding away, and its overseas adventures will cease.The same might be said for its local PLT business.

END

College Of Law

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Joseph Catanzariti AM

Chair, Non-Executive Governor

BA (UNSW), LLB (UNSW), FCL

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2009 and has served as Chair since that time
Chair of the Executive Committee
Chair of the Nominations Advisory Committee
Director of College of Law New Zealand Limited
Vice President of the Fair Work Commission
Adjunct Associate Professor in Work and Organisational Studies, School of Business at Sydney University
Visiting Professorial Fellow, School of Law, Faculty of Law at University of NSW

Previously held positions and experience

Chair of College of Law Pty Limited
Director of College of Law Queensland Pty Limited, College of Law Victoria Pty Limited and College of Law Western Australia Pty Limited
Senior partner and Practice Head of the National Clayton Utz Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety Practice Group
Trusted advisor to many of Australia's leading private companies and government departments (on all aspects of employment law and workplace relations)
A highly experienced commercial litigator
President of the Law Council of Australia
President of the Law Society of NSW
Chair of the Workplace Committee of the Law Society of NSW
Secretary of the Industrial Relations Society of Australia

Neville Carter AM

Chief Executive Officer, Principal Executive Governor

BA LLB (Syd), MBA (Mel) FCL

Current positions

Chief Executive Officer of The College of Law
Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2009
Member of the Executive Committee
Member of the Nominations Advisory Committee
Director of College of Law New Zealand Limited

Previously held positions and experience

In the 2018 Australia Day Awards, was made a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to legal education through executive roles, to the law as a legal practitioner, and to professional standards
Managing Director of The College of Law
Director of College of Law Pty Limited, College of Law Queensland Pty Limited, College of Law Victoria Pty Limited, College of Law Western Australia Pty Limited and Quality in Law Inc
Extensive experience designing and managing large professional education programs
Strong background in business and management training for the legal profession
National Director, Institute of Professional Legal Studies, NZ
Associate Professor and Head of School of Legal Practice, UTS
Senior Lecturer and Head Professional Practice, University of Technology (MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia)
Partner in a three partner Sydney law firm
Chair of the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council
Evaluator for the Australian Business Excellence Awards

Judith Choate

Non Executive Governor

LLM, LLB, GDLP, BA (High Honors), CTA

Current positions

Appointed the Board of The College of Law Limited in February 2018
Chair of the College of Law South Australia Chapter Board
Director, Legal Services, South Australia for KPMG
Treasurer, Board of Management – Beit Shalom Synagogue Adelaide
Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Previously held positions and experience

Partner and National Head of Tax and Revenue – Piper Alderman
Founding Trustee – Remember the Holocaust Foundation
Corporate and commercial lawyer with 27 years’ experience in private practice in Australia specializing in Australian Tax and Revenue Law
Chartered Tax Adviser
Course Co-Ordinator and lecturer in Tax Law – Law Society of South Australia, GDLP and PLT Programs
Unit Co-ordinator and lecturer, Tax Law – Flinders University
Mentor – international post-graduate Tax Law students - University of Melbourne Law School
2015 finalist for the Tax Institute of Australia Chartered Tax Advisor of the Year Award

Glenn Ferguson AM

Non-Executive Governor

FAICD, FCL, FANZCN

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2011
Chair of the College of Law Queensland Chapter Board
Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee
Managing Director of Ferguson Cannon Lawyers in Queensland
Senior Counsellor with the Queensland Law Society
Founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law
Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand College of Notaries
Fellow of the College of Law
Chair of WorkCover Queensland
Chair of Lexon Insurance

Previously held positions and experience

Chair of College of Law Queensland Pty Limited
President of the Law Council of Australia, Lawasia
President of the Queensland Law Society
Served for 10 years as Member of the Federal Attorney Generals International Legal Services Advisory Council and the Immigration Ministers Advisory Board
Appointed by federal and state governments to various advisory boards and taskforces in the legal, migration and business sectors
Has held (and continues to hold) a number of board positions in the public and private sectors (including insurance, superannuation, education, sport, charity and IT)
Chaired a publicly listed company
Appointed by the Prime Minister to the Expert Panel to consider the recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution in 2010
In the 2015 Australia Day Awards was made a member of the Order of Australia for his service to the legal profession both nationally and internationally – particularly in the Asia Pacific region

Alison Gaines

Non-Executive Governor

FAICD, FAIM, INSEAD Certified Director 2013

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2011
Chair of the College of Law Western Australia Chapter Board
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Chair of the Fellowship Advisory Committee
Member of the Nominations Advisory Committee
General Manager, Asia Pacific
Practice Leader and Board consultant for international executive search and consulting firm, Gerard Daniels
Chair of the Murdoch University Foundation and Veterinary Trust
Vice President of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (WA)
President of Australian Institute of Management (WA)
Deputy Chair of the INSEAD International Directors Program Advisory Committee (a global club)

Previously held positions and experience

Chair of College of Law Western Australia Pty Limited (until its deregistration in August 2015)
Non-executive Director of companies; university, superannuation fund, public sector and industry training boards; and professional associations
Over 25 years of Board experience in Australia and internationally
Member of the Governance Committee, Law Council of Australia
Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of Western Australia
Director for strategic workforce planning and executive development in the Public Sector Management Office in the Western Australian Government
Academic and researcher at several Australian universities
Member of the Murdoch University Senate (1999- 2008) and its Deputy Chancellor from (2006-2008) and Adjunct Professor in its Law School
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Murdoch University and received the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award
Holds degrees and qualifications in law, governance, public policy and international politics

Terrence McFadgen

Non-Executive Governor

LLB (Hons) (Auck), LLM (Harv)

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2011
Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee and the Executive Committee
Director of College of Law New Zealand Limited

Previously held positions and experience

Chief Executive Officer, College of Law New Zealand
Senior executive experience with extensive general management and leadership experience in the Australasian industrial sector
Commercial partner at Simpson Grieson, Auckland
Chief Executive Officer of a number of New Zealand listed companies including Fletcher Challenge Building, Fletcher Challenge Forests and Jennings Group Limited
External Monetary Policy Advisor, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

William O'Shea

Non-Executive Governor

BSc, LLB (Honours) (Mel), Dip Ed (Mel) FC

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2015
Chair of the College of Law Victoria Chapter Advisory Board
General Counsel of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust
Member of the Elder Law and Health Law Sections of the Law Institute
Chair of AMREP AS Pty Limited, a company jointly owned by Baker IDI Limited and The Burnet Institute that operates The Alfred precinct's animal facility
Co-host of weekly radio program on 774 ABC Victoria with Alfred psychiatrist Dr Steve Ellen covering current legal and medical issues

Previously held positions and experience

Chair of College of Law Victoria Pty Limited (until its deregistration in August 2015)
General Counsel at Alfred Health (2003-2015)
Managing Partner and Head of the Commercial Law Practice Group of national law firm, Hunt & Hunt
President of the Law Institute of Victoria in 2003, member of its Council for seven years
Member of the International Legal Services Advisory Council (ILSAC)
President of the Australia China Business Council in Victoria for 10 years and is a life member
Director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2003-2006)
A ministerial advisor and speechwriter to the then Premier of Victoria
Teacher of secondary school mathematics in Australia and the UK
Council member of Caulfield Grammar School (1996-2007)
A key legal advisor in the establishment of the Caulfield Grammar School China campus in Nanjing, China in 1998

Lewis Patrick

Chief Academic Officer, The College of Law

BA LLB (Sydney); LLM (Sydney); Grad Cert in University Teaching and Learning (CSU); Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2011
Chair of the Academic Board
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Chief Academic Officer
Member of the Course Committee and Senior Management and Executive Management Teams
Member of the Law Society of New South Wales
Officer of the Academic and Professional Development Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA)

Previously held positions and experience

A variety of positions at The College of Law including Senior Lecturer, Lecturer and Director, Co-operative Programs
Over 30 years' experience in general legal practice
Holds a Masters of Law and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning
Recently completed a SoTL Leadership Certificate on Curriculum and Pedagogy in Higher Education at the University of British Columbia

John Randall

Non-Executive Governor

BEc, FCPA, FCIS and MAICD

Current positions

Appointed to the Board of The College of Law Limited in 2011
Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee and the Executive Committee
Director of Outcomes Australia Pty Limited

Previously held positions and experience

General Manager Finance and Company Secretary of Metcash Limited (joined the company in 1997 when it was Davids Limited and helped to reengineer the company to create the successful Metcash business)
Chief Financial Officer of Metal Manufactures Limited
Chief Financial Officer of Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited
Graduate of the University of Sydney and Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program
Experience in financial, marketing and operational management
President of the Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney
National President of the Group of 100
NSW President and National Board Member of CPA Australia
Actively involvement in several charitable organisations

Kathryn Laurie

Company Secretary

BBus, LLB, Grad Dip Applied Corporate Governance, FGIA, MAICD

Current positions

Joined the College of Law in October 2011 and is the Company Secretary of The College of Law Limited and its Australian subsidiaries
Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia
Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Previously held positions and experience

Over 15 years’ company secretarial experience, including Company Secretariat of Qantas Airways Limited, secretary of Qantas’ subsidiaries and a number of managerial positions
A Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance
Admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 2010

Niall Henderson

Chief Financial Officer

BAcc, CA, ACA, GAICD

Current positions

The College's Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Previously held positions and experience

Chartered Accountant (Australia and Scotland)
Over 25 years’ commercial experience including eight years as Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of a leading AS

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Ganesh Sahathevan