Nicholas Smith Email & Phone Number

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

In this role I have performed a range of policy functions within the Centre for Road Safety, an agency that sits within the Transport for NSW cluster. The functions I have performed have included:- Guiding the development and providing policy and regulatory input and expertise to the development of an online education and testing platform for the acquisition of learner driver licences.- Provided road safety input to the development of new regulations and resources to improve road safety outcomes for food delivery riders in NSW.- Providing policy support to Transport NSW’s input to the review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law. This has included providing advice from a safety to perspective to common input made by Transport for NSW to the national review process and reviewing various consultation documents and proposals to assess their alignment with the position voiced by Transport in the past.- Developing a regulatory and policy proposal to update the regulations relating to external digital display technology on vehicles in NSW. This has included undertaking assessments of inadequacies of the current regulatory framework, obtaining advice from subject matter experts and drafting proposals and developing a consultation strategy that will be used to inform the new regulations and policy guidance that is eventually issued.- Providing regular advice on the application of the NSW road rules and other relevant regulations in relation to correspondence received from organisations and members of the public by the Minister for Transport.

Sydney, Australia

Acting role within the Department of Communities & Justice. I have had primary responsibility for managing the Secretariat functions of the whole-of-government NSW Disability Inclusion Plan Implementation Committee (DIPIC). This has involved the following:- Managing the ordinary secretariat function for the committee, including organisingmeetings, overseeing the committee inbox and drafting the committee’s officialcorrespondence- Coordinating DIPIC’s contribution to the review of the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 thatis currently taking place.- Working with the Minister for Disability Services, local government and NSWGovernment Departments to assess the impact of COVID-19 on disability planning.- Conducting a review of the committee’s terms of reference to ensure they are still bestplaced to deliver on DIPIC’s role within the NSW Government.Assisting the review of the Disability Inclusion Act led by Disability Inclusion. I conducted apreliminary review of the Act to identify parts likely requiring change, assisting the organisationof public consultations needed for the review and developing briefs to communicate thereview’s progress to the Minister for Disability Services and departmental leadership.I have continued to assist with the secretariat functions of the Disability Council NSW. Aparticular project I have led during this period with the Council has been to guide and supportthe Council in forming a position on the funding of disability advocacy in NSW. This has involvedsummarisation of position papers and studies published by other organisations on this issueand the drafting of the Council’s own position paper on the topic.I acted as an assessor for the Combatting Social Isolation for Seniors during COVID-19 GrantsProgram. This involved reviewing applications for grant and making assessments on theirsuitability.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Acting role where I was responsible for leading the secretariat duties for the Disability CouncilNSW. This involved organising the logistics for the Council’s regular meetings, managing theCouncil’s email inbox and mail box and assisting with the preparation of paperwork andcommunications.Additionally, in consultation with the Council’s leadership, I coordinated a number of projectsincluding:- resolution of outstanding issues in the implementation of the National DisabilityInsurance Scheme (NDIS) with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Idrafted communications between the Council and the NDIA to yield solutions andresponses.- coordinating the preparation and delivery of submissions from the Council to a numberof parliamentary inquiries both at the state and federal level.- working with Council members and the Department’s Legal team to find workablesolutions for applying funds that had been left to the Council in a bequest.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

In this role I worked on the following projects:- Conducting the necessary research and writing draft official communications includingletters, speeches and briefing notes for the Minister for Disability Services.- Assisting in the performance of secretariat functions for Disability Council NSW.- Developing and drafting official communications for the Disability Council inconsultation with its members. This has included letters, submissions to governmentinquiries and media releases.- Project planning and procurement work in relation to the review of the DisabilityInclusion Act.- Project planning and procurement work regarding the implementation of therecommendations by the Department from a report providing advice to improve itsaccessibility.- Consulting with representatives from various NSW Government departments andsynthesising the feedback to draft and develop the NSW Government’s input into thenation-wide review of the National Disability Strategy.- Assisting and preparing advice for local councils and NSW Government Departments ofthe nature and details of their obligations under the Disability Inclusion Act.

Sydney, Australia

The third of three six-month rotations within the NSW Government Graduate Program. Iworked with the Strategy, Design and Stewardship team within the Inclusion and EarlyIntervention directorate.Projects worked on during this rotation included:- Assisting in the management of the ministerial advisory councils for which FACS,Inclusion & Early Intervention provided secretariat services (Disability Council NSW,NSW Carers Advisory Council & the NSW Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing).Organising the logistics of meetings, preparing agendas, newsletters, liaising withministerial staff and managing council finances.- Analysis of the Carers (Recognition) Act 2010 to identify the obligations that it applied toNSW Government agencies. I then used this analysis to prepare explanatory materialsthat were provided to NSW Government agencies and NSW local councils to improvecompliance with their obligations under this legislation.- Undertook an audit of annual reporting issued by NSW government departments toassess their compliance with their obligations under the Carers (Recognition) Act 2010.- Assisted with the preparation of annual action plans being developed under the NSWGovernment’s Ageing Strategy, this has involved the collection and conglomeration ofvarious plans prepared by NSW Government departments and agencies.- Assisted with the preparation of whole of government progress reports being draftedunder the NSW Government’s Ageing Strategy.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The second of three rotations within the NSW Government Graduate Program.In this role, my duties have included:- researching and developing strategies to better implement housing affordability initiatives of the NSW Government.- formulating amendments to revenue legislation to better facilitate the policy initiatives of the NSW Government.- developing training materials to better explain NSW revenue legislation and government policy.

Sydney, Australia

The first of three six month rotations as part of the NSW Government's Graduate Program.In this role, my responsibilities have included: - reviewing and further developing the organisation wide policies and procedures in place to regulate and manage the commissioning relationships that FACS has with its contracted service providers;- developing and managing the procedures that FACS has in place to evaluate and respond to complaints made against its contracted service providers;- reviewing and adapting FACS' complaints management policies and procedures to ensure that they are aligned with FACS' obligations under relevant NSW legislation; and- participating in the selection of, and then managing the use of online Analytics software to better manage and use the data that FACS accumulates through its own contractual relationships and that which it receives through partnerships with other government agencies.

Sydney, Australia

Undertook a variety of different tasks in my role as an assistant to the Tax Practice Area in Sydney including:- researching legislation and case law;- assisting in the preparaton of an academic paper;- assisting with research and the preparation of legal advice;- assisting with court work, including attending counsels' chambers;- reviewing and updating legal precedents; and- attending client meetings and preparing file notes regarding the same.

Bachelor’S Degree, Laws

Diploma Of Government

Graduate Diploma Of Legal Practice