Dominic Beckett
Associate Director
Sydney Office
M: +61 427 668 333
E: dominic.beckett@bicksteele.com.au
Dominic has more than two decades of professional experience in the public, private and community sectors working as an advisor, advocate, negotiator, law reform and policy consultant and mediator.
Clients and past employers include Commonwealth government agencies, statutory Aboriginal Land Councils and native title representative bodies (including the Northern Land Council, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council and various Local Aboriginal Land Councils), the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission, the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, private law firms, numerous non-government agencies and corporations, and native title claimant groups and Aboriginal communities. He has worked in every mainland Australian State and the Northern Territory.
Dominic has experience in a broad range of legal and policy areas including Aboriginal land rights and native title, administrative law, criminal law, commercial litigation, tax, customs, corporate structuring, community development, housing and environment and planning. Significant projects and proceedings in which Dominic has played a major role include:
administrative law proceedings and appeals – including proceedings and appeals on behalf of Commonwealth government agencies and proceedings concerning aspects of the Northern Territory’s criminal justice system,
native title claimant applications – including the Waanyi People’s claim in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland,
statutory Aboriginal land claims and appeals – including proceedings in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory,
law reform projects – including extensive involvement in the development of aspects of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW),
mining project negotiations – including uranium mining projects in the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory,
advising Aboriginal land councils, representative bodies and other statutory and not-for-profit organisations about a broad range issues – including performance of statutory functions, strategic planning, policy development and organisational structuring, and
land access, use and management negotiations – including negotiations in relation to national park joint management and pastoral land access and use.
Qualifications
Dominic has the following qualifications awarded by the University of Sydney:
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
He also holds the following additional qualifications:
Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance and Risk Management from the Governance Institute of Australia
Panel Member, Federal Court of Australia's Native Title External Mediator List
Credentials
A selection of matters on which our Team have advised or acted during the course of their career can be found here.