David leads Industry and External Engagement for the Victoria University Business School. He has responsibility for ensuring VU’s business programs are industry-connected and highly ‘applied’.
Previously, he was a member of the faculty of RMIT University’s Graduate School of Business and Law. At RMIT David was MBA Director (2016 to 2019) and Director of the Juris Doctor program (2015 to 2016). In 2017 he coached a team of Executive MBA students to first place in the prestigious International Graduate Competition hosted by the Canadian university HEC Montreal, competing against top international business schools.
David is also a practising Barrister, having signed the Victorian Bar Roll in 2010. He maintains a commercial law practice specialising in alternative dispute resolution, international trade and maritime law. He also advises across areas such as corporations law, corporate governance and regulatory issues.
Before moving to academia, David enjoyed a successful business career of more than two decades, holding senior executive roles with major publicly listed companies.
He was Vice President Corporate Affairs of the global shipping company Neptune Orient Lines of Singapore (2005-10), Executive Vice President Corporate Affairs of BlueScope Steel Ltd (2000-05) and General Manager External Affairs of OneSteel Ltd (1998-2000).
David’s early career included periods as a corporate lawyer with the BHP Group and as Legal Manager, then General Manager New Zealand, of the Australian National Line.
David holds a PhD in Law and a Master of Business in Logistics Management from RMIT University, a Diploma in Commercial Law from Monash University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland. He has also completed a Graduate Certificate in International Arbitration at the National University of Singapore and is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.
His current research interests straddle alternative dispute resolution, maritime law, business ethics, the pedagogy of business education and the economic torts.
Portfolios
Areas of expertise
- International business
- Business ethics
- Corporate governance
- Corporate social responsibility
- Business consulting
- Commercial law
- Shipping and international trade law
- Alternative dispute resolution
Contact details
Teaching responsibilities
Research grants
2018: Research Agreement with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to undertake the following project, 'Dispute Services Concerning Medical Decision-making for People Who Lack Cognitive Capacity'
2015: Research Agreement with the Victorian Ombudsman Office (on behalf of a consortium of State and Territory Ombudsman Offices) to undertake the following project, 'Benchmarking and Public Reporting Across Ombudsman Offices: Opportunities for Improved Outcomes’
Publications
Refereed journal articles
Goodwin D, Justification Defences under the Economic Torts (2019) 26 Tort Law Review 143.
Goodwin D, Book Review: Melis Ozdel, Bills of Lading Incorporating Charterparties (2019) 33 Australian and New Zealand Maritime Law Journal 120.
Shelley A and Goodwin D, Optimizing Learning Outcomes Through Social Co-Creation of New Knowledge in Real-Life Client Challenges (2018) 1 (2) Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching 13.
Goodwin D, Banking on the House: Freight Forwarder Bills of Lading and the CRO Case (2018) 32 Australian and New Zealand Maritime Law Journal 10.
Goodwin D, Lawyers, Gunns and Money: An Australian Perspective on Environmental Campaigns and the Economic Torts (2016) 23 Torts Law Journal 230.
Goodwin D, Exempting Environmental Protection Boycotts from Competition Laws: Should Purpose or Public Benefit be the Test? (2015) 23 Australian Journal of Competition and Consumer Law 260.
Douglas K and Goodwin D, Artistry in Mediator Practice: Reflections from Mediators (2015) 26 Australian Dispute Resolution Journal 137.
Book chapters
Goodwin, D. (2020). The Contest of Rights and Interests in the Context of Australia's Economic Torts. In P. Babie, L. Neudorf, V. Arora, & A. Tomer (Eds.), Comparative Reflections on the Constitutional Models of India and Australia (Part II: Extent of constitutional recognition of fundamental rights in India and Australia and future trends). Bloomsbury.
Conference presentations
Goodwin D, The Enactment of Queensland’s Aboriginal Protection Legislation, 1897-1901, presentation to the Australian and New Zealand Law History Society ‘Does Law’s History Matter?’ conference hosted by Victoria University, December 2019.
Goodwin D, The Fair Pay Debate: An Aspect of Effective Governance, presentation to the ESG for Sustainability Colloquium hosted by Victoria University, October 2019.
Goodwin D, The Contest of Rights and Interests in the Context of Australia’s Economic Torts, Keynote Address at the International Conference on Comparative Constitutional Law (organised by Amity University Law School and the University of Adelaide Law School), New Delhi, India, February 2019.
Goodwin D, The Virtuous Circle: Coaching and Mentoring, presentation to the Institute of Managers and Leaders ‘Accidental Manager to Intentional Leader Masterclass’, Melbourne, August 2018.
Goodwin D, Navigating the Maze: Liabilities of Australian Freight Forwarders, presentation to the annual conference of the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, Melbourne, October 2017.
Goodwin D, Lawyers, Gunns and Money: Environmental Activism and the Economic Torts, presentation at a conference on ‘Protecting Business and Economic Interests: Contemporary Issues in Tort Law’ (organised by Singapore Management University and Bond University), Singapore August 2016.
Douglas K, Goodwin D and Clarence B, Using Actors and Lawyers to Gain Authentic Feedback: Lessons Learned When Running a Law Firm Simulation, presentation to the Australasian Law Teachers Association conference, Melbourne, July 2015.
Goodwin D and Young T, Briefing Barristers: Strategies for Unlocking Efficiencies, presentation to the annual conference of the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, Queenstown, New Zealand, September 2014.
Professional membership
- Victorian Bar, since 2010
- Nationally Accredited Mediator, since 2010
- Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow
- Panel Member, Arbitration Panel of the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, since 2009
- President, Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, since 2019
