Chantel Potter
Narrabundah
Summary
Dynamic Executive Branch Manager with a proven track record of delivering results across a diverse range of ACT Government business units. A reputation for excellence in leading teams who produce elegant policy solutions to complex stakeholder needs through a commitment to collaboration. Spearheaded legislative reforms and strategic initiatives, enhancing regulatory compliance and developing the next leadership team for the ACT Public Service. Passionate about driving change and delivering impactful solutions that elevate an inclusive, values driven service.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Branch Manager, Integrity Policy
Office of Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety, CMTEDD
01.2022 - Current
- Supporting the Chief Ministers portfolio for Integrity policy including development of a business case to deliver Government Commitments from the 2024 election, and provision of advice, briefs and Cabinet submissions regarding integrity and public sector oversight.
- Advising and supporting ACTPS Directorates in relation to integrity matters including conflicts of interest, fraud and corruption controls, SERBIR functions and sensitive employment matters.
- Leading a high performing branch to deliver policy reform for the Integrity Commission Act and Public Interest Disclosure Act Reviews and plan for the review of the Public Sector Management Act in 2025.
- Delivering Government Responses to Integrity Commission and Standing Committee Reports including liaising with the Government Solicitors office as required regarding sensitivities and ancillary litigation to Integrity Commission investigations.
- Procurement and contract management of services related to the legislative review.
- Leading a high performing branch to developing legislative and policy options to respond to issues arising from the operation the Integrity Commission and Inspector functions as well as intersections with the Public Sector employment framework.
- Leading extensive stakeholder consultation with internal and external agencies, community organisations and peak bodies.
- Negotiating a renewed Service Level Agreement with the Commonwealth Ombudsman to undertake the role of ACT Ombudsman for completion June 2025.
- Working across the policy suite of the Public Sector Standards Commissioner and Professional Standards Unit to support the independence and functions of the Commission and provide legislative reform options as required.
Acting Senior Manager
ACT Corrective Services JACS
01.2017 - 02.2025
- Authored a range of documents including Government responses to Coronial Inquests, Ministerial Statements, and operationally topical Ministerial briefs.
- Led a team to manage the Cabinet and ministerial documentation for appointments to Sentence Administration Board.
- Conducted national reporting on service outputs, including ROGS.
- Developed media content and strategy in collaboration with JACS Media Unit.
- Led the development of Question Time Briefs and Annual Report Hearing and Estimates Briefs for Minister for Corrections.
Executive Branch Manager, Governance, Compliance and Legal Policy
Corporate Division EPSDD
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Developing and implementing the Directorate’s enterprise reporting functions for work on items under the ACT Parliamentary and Governing Agreement between the ACT Labor and ACT Greens.
- Ensuring robust governance and effective management of the Directorate’s internal audit function, including support to its Audit and Risk Committee.
- Ensuring quality services under the suite of integrity oversight mechanisms and complaint handling for the Directorate including SERBIR functions, ACT Ombudsman complaints, and compliance with orders issued by the ACT Integrity Commission.
- Leading the provision of internal legal policy advice and liaising with the Government Solicitors to obtain legal advice for complex matters across the Directorate.
- Developing the 22-25 EPSDD Strategic Plan as the first Wellbeing Plan.
- Leading the development of the Directorate’s Annual Reports.
- Leading implementation of the Directorate’s Records, Information and Data Management Program and associated policy suite to increase the Directorate’s maturity in achieving compliance with legislation.
- Leading implementation of a range of governance improvement tools and resources including support for business resilience and continuity as well as crisis management.
- Representing the ACT Government on cross-jurisdictional committees and forums.
- Ensuring effective coordination and development of the Directorate’s legislation program and government business including matters requiring Assembly, Cabinet, and Ministerial support as well as appointments and legislative instruments.
- Supporting the governance arrangements of the City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Agency under relevant arrangements within the portfolio.
- Leading the review and potential re-development of service level standards and associated agreements relevant to the Branch.
- Developed and implemented the Mura Yurdhara—Strong Pathway Program to employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the ANU to increase workforce participation in line with the Directorates strategic intent.
Executive Branch Manager, Customer Coordination
Access Canberra CMTEDD
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Providing strategic direction for a branch of 270 staff and operating budget of $28 million across five sites. Setting a vision and staff engagement strategy for regulatory service delivery and provision of information to the Canberra community via Access Canberra service centres, phonelines, and planning authority shopfront.
- Delivering new services and implementing business changes to support cross-government initiatives for the ACT Community. Including emergency responses such as building and running the dedicated COVID-19 phonelines for community and businesses, and phone support for the ACT business voucher stimulus scheme, and for Elections ACT.
- Providing executive leadership to pivot to contactless transaction services at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, completely redesigning multiple business processes. Developing the Access Canberra data capability to inform improvements for both customer service and regulatory compliance functions.
- Representing ACT Government on inter-jurisdictional committees.
- Leading workforce change and adaptable business processes to best match demand for services and provide inclusive and socially appropriate approaches for vulnerable Canberrans.
- Ensuring agile resourcing to allow for seamless service delivery with fluctuating staffing levels and oversighting protocols the guarantee day-to-day compliance with relevant legislation and entitlements under multiple Enterprise Agreements with casuals, shift-workers, and labour-hire.
- Administering the ACT Land Titles System including law reform and digital transformation to E-Conveyance with associated industry consultation and education.
- Working with Property Group ACT in leading design and procurement processes for the new lease and fit-out of the new Belconnen Service Centre.
- Executive leadership of Access Canberra complaints handling processes across the full range of Ministerial portfolios including; consumer law, business and regulatory services, building quality, and environmental protection. This involved being the executive tier of customer support to contact constituents about matters which were escalated to the Ministers office.
- Engaging on responses to complaint mechanisms to oversight agencies including Ombudsman, ACT Human Rights Commission, Information or Privacy Commissioners and for administrative review processes in ACAT.
- Providing direction and support to ensure compliance with workplace health and safety requirements. This has included additional COVID-19 safeguards, and occupational violence measures for frontline workers, and the public including contracted security services, physical barriers and de-escalation training.
- Collaborating in cross-Government work to inform collaborative policy work. This has included electronic gaming reform, road safety policy and parking policy as well as participating on the Wellbeing Indicator Policy Council sub-committee.
Executive Branch Manager, Fair Trading and Compliance
Access Canberra CMTEDD
01.2019 - 01.2020
- Leading a branch of 90 staff and operating budget of $34 million operating across three site locations and a dispersed workforce conducting parking and speed traffic compliance to enhance road safety.
- Representing ACT Government in ACCC Fair Trading forums and meetings.
- Providing the strategic vision for harm reduction and community focussed outcomes in determining the compliance focus for regulated ACT industries and activity including:
- - Casino activities and electronic gaming machines
- - Retirement villages
- - Unit titles administration by strata bodies
- - liquor licensees
- - Controlled sports events
- - Real estate agents use of trust money
- - Home based car repairers and roadworthy compliance operators
- - Parking in ACT Government car parks and road related areas
- - mobile and fixed speed camera
- Providing executive leadership for regulatory investigations and prosecutions for complex consumer law and fair-trading breaches including subsequent penalties and associated litigation, as well as remedies for community members. This included instructing GSO in litigation in ACAT, and the Supreme Court and assisting the DPP in matters resulting in criminal charges.
- Supporting the Minister with relevant briefings and advice about consumer law matters including appearing at relevant Legislative Assembly committee hearings and assisting with law reform proposals to influence national policy development.
- Engaging in community outreach for education campaigns on product safety and consumer protection including several television appearances and radio interviews and community and business ‘town hall’ style events.
- Meeting with community members and businesses to discuss concerns and establish the most appropriate regulatory response.
- Meeting with regulated businesses to educate and work on best practice compliance with relevant legislation including the roll-out of the controlled sports legislation in 2019.
- Leading procurement and asset management for traffic compliance technologies including fixed speed cameras, mobile speed vans, and parking operations fleet of vehicles (total 35 vehicles).
Executive Branch Manager, Economic and Regional Branch and Senior Director Regulation and Productivity
Policy and Cabinet CMTEDD
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Leading a team of senior policy officers to deliver robust and sustainable policy solutions to regulate Canberra industries and adapt government rules to facilitate safe and practical operation of disruptive technologies. Examples include drone technology, ride-share platforms and accommodation-share platforms.
- Delivering regulatory and social reforms for safe practices in industries impacting community safety and wellbeing including controlled sports and second-hand trading.
- Providing briefings directly to Head of Service and the Chief Minister for Cabinet submissions coming from across Government relating to regulation schemes across the ACT including; gaming reform, dangerous dogs, work safe, motor injuries, integrity commissioner.
- Providing advice and briefs to Government Ministers on the operation of legislation and areas for potential reform, including matters of conflicting jurisdictional Commonwealth authority to legislate.
Acting Senior Director of Criminal Law
Legislation Policy and Programs JACS
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Leading a team of nine and operating budget of 40 million including a significant profile of initiative funding, to deliver sound policy advice and law reform on criminal justice, legislative reform, and program implementation. This work spanned across multiple Ministerial portfolios including Policing, Justice, Corrective Services, Sentence Administration, and the Attorney General and involved astutely navigating relationships and policy platforms within different offices to achieve results.
- Outcomes if the initiatives I led include:
- O Designing and delivering the legislative framework for the Inspector of Corrective Services
- O Legislative measures to address outlaw motorcycle gangs including firearms reform and anti-fortification legislation which required intensive consultation between ACT Policing and the ACT Human Rights Commission.
- O Initiating the design for the Drug and Alcohol Court and successfully delivering budget funding through the 18-19 budget cycle
- O Delivering a range of new criminal offences on the statute book to capture behaviour including; drink spiking, intimate image abuse and to implement outcomes of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
- - Leading advice on complex legal matters relating to family violence, proposed terrorism laws, sentencing issues, the operation of bail review, criminal offences and associated ministerial correspondence, question time briefs, and ministerial statements.
- Directing new legislation end-to-end for ten bills within 18 months from policy approval, drafting instructions to Parliamentary Councils Office, consolidation of stakeholder feedback from circulation and further drafting instructions, final cabinet approval, introduction package, media, and debate package in compliance with Government policies including the Cabinet Handbook.
- Appearing as a witness before the Select Committee on Budget Estimates to discuss the Inspector of Correctional Services and represented JACS on a range of National working groups and initiatives including:
- - Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission National End-User Chemical Working Group
- - National Family Violence Working Group -
- - Counter Terrorism Legislation Task-Force – Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department
- - National Cyber Crime Working Group
- Drafting ACT Government business cases for 2018-19 and managed procurement of outsourced contracted policy services in relation to data analysis.
Director
ACT Corrective Services JACS
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Authoring Government responses to coronial reports and reviews of ACTCS and coordinated internal investigations and responses to service complaints to oversight committees by clients and members of the public including: the Human Rights Commission, Health Services Commissioner, Ombudsman, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and Public Advocate.
- Preparing briefs to the Minister for Corrections and JACS Executives for Annual Report hearings, Estimates hearings, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body hearings, and Standing Committee hearings
- Preparing responses to documents for ACT Legislative Assembly debates, question time, and hearings including:
- - Question Time Briefs for the minister for Corrections
- - Questions on Notice taken by the Minister for Corrections
- - Notice of Motions
- - Cabinet Submissions
- Coordinating timely and secure release of information in accordance with relevant ACT legislation including under Freedom of Information, Child and Youth Protective Services, Subpoena, and to several Commonwealth departments
- Briefing the ACTCS Executive Director on the legal considerations relating to litigation against the ACT government involving ACTCS and provided instructions to Government Solicitors Office
- Notifying ACT Insurance Authority of operational incidents which might result in litigation and liaise with operational compliance to ensure protection of potential evidence
- Delivering training to operational areas on operational compliance with legislation relating to governance, record keeping, probity in procurement and recruitment.
Manager - Legal Specialist
ACT Revenue Office, Grants and Tax Duties CMTEDD
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Developing policy and procedures in relation to the assessment and collection of taxes and duties administered by the ACT Revenue Office and informed the program to digitise these services in the Revenue Transformation project.
- Providing training and managed a team of up to 20 staff, including managing the operations of the public counter and call-centre which administered stamp-duty collection and funding of ACT Grants programs in direct interface with the public.
- Promoting the program of change management in implementing the IT transformation project on behalf of the design authority and facilitated business analysts to map business processes to define current and future state operating models
- Interpreting and researched policy and legislation to conduct assessments applying the provisions of ACT taxation laws, to decide outcomes in assessment of complex transactions and grants
- Preparing Ministerial briefs for the Treasurer and Executive briefs for the Under Treasurer on the Concessions schemes and Act of Grace Payment requests
- Coordinating with Government Solicitors Office for legal advice on complex transactions and policy development
- Providing advice to members of the public and their solicitors on the application of revenue laws and associated policies
- Managing the ACTIA Work Place Health and Safety Risk Register and due diligence reporting requirements including the role out of the Riskman reporting process
- Successfully led the sections strategy for office relocation to 220 Northbourne from Nara House with sensitive timeframes on duty assessment for property transactions without any error or delays
Education
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Hons) - Law For Legal Practice As A Solicitor
Australian National University
Canberra, Australia01-2010
Bachelor of Arts - Anthropology and Film
Australian National University
Canberra, Australia01-2009
Master of Laws (LLM) -
Vrije University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, NetherlandsGraduate Diploma of Legal Practice - Law
Australian National University
Canberra, AustraliaTertiary Certificate -
Utrecht University
Utrecht, NetherlandsSkills
- Policy development
- Stakeholder engagement
- Legislative review
- Team leadership
- Change management
- Regulatory compliance
- Strategic planning
- Business planning
References
- Geoffrey, Rutledge, Deputy Director-General, OIRWS, CMTEDD, People for whom I have worked
- Craig, Simmons, Executive Group Manager, Corporate Services, 0417 206 293, EPSDD, People for whom I have worked
- Adam, Roach, Senior Director Legal Policy and Integrity, 6207 7803, EPSDD, People who have worked under my leadership
- Dorena, Morris, Senior Director Government Services, 6207 5989, EPSDD, People who have worked under my leadership
Earlier work history
Prior to working in ACT Government, I worked in The Hague in The Netherlands in international criminal law across several courts and tribunals specialising in victim advocacy in cases involving war crimes and crimes against humanity. I am happy to provide details of this work on request.
Languages
English
First Language
French
Beginner
A1
Timeline
Executive Branch Manager, Integrity Policy
Office of Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety, CMTEDD
01.2022 - Current
Executive Branch Manager, Governance, Compliance and Legal Policy
Corporate Division EPSDD
01.2021 - 01.2022
Executive Branch Manager, Customer Coordination
Access Canberra CMTEDD
01.2020 - 01.2021
Executive Branch Manager, Fair Trading and Compliance
Access Canberra CMTEDD
01.2019 - 01.2020
Executive Branch Manager, Economic and Regional Branch and Senior Director Regulation and Productivity
Policy and Cabinet CMTEDD
01.2018 - 01.2019
Acting Senior Manager
ACT Corrective Services JACS
01.2017 - 02.2025
Acting Senior Director of Criminal Law
Legislation Policy and Programs JACS
01.2017 - 01.2018
Director
ACT Corrective Services JACS
01.2015 - 01.2017
Manager - Legal Specialist
ACT Revenue Office, Grants and Tax Duties CMTEDD
01.2014 - 01.2015
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Hons) - Law For Legal Practice As A Solicitor
Australian National University
Bachelor of Arts - Anthropology and Film
Australian National University
Master of Laws (LLM) -
Vrije University of Amsterdam
Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice - Law
Australian National University
Tertiary Certificate -
Utrecht University