About

ATSB is an independent statutory agency whose purpose is to improve safety and public confidence in Australia’s transport system. When it separated from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development in 2009, Patrick Hornby followed suit becoming ATSB’s legal manager. Since then he has developed the legal function there progressively expanding the team’s expertise to cover a range of new practice areas. 2016 saw Hornby and his function become responsible for governance issues giving them a greater remit for influencing the strategic direction of the agency.

As ATSB’s manager of legal and governance, Hornby is credited for guiding the organisation on a range of key matters. Such matters include leading the development of commercial contracts and procurement documentation for the underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), advising on the intergovernmental charging and collaboration arrangements for the ATSB to take over all rail investigations on the metropolitan and regional networks across Australia and developing the legislative amendments to establish the ATSB as an independent commonwealth agency and to create confidential reporting schemes for the aviation, rail and marine industries. Having improved the safety millions of transport-using Australians through his legal work, Hornby is rightly recognised among Australia’s top in-house lawyers.