I work with employers in all aspects of the employment relationship including in relation to:

advising and providing representation in courts and tribunals on industrial disputes, bullying, underpayment, unfair dismissal, general protections and discrimination claims, and safety prosecutions;

advising on compliance with industrial, legislative and contractual obligations, secondment and executive employment arrangements, performance and behaviour management, terminations of employment and redundancies, and enterprise bargaining.

I regularly conduct investigations (including in relation to racism and sexual harassment at executive levels), undertake conciliations and mediations before State and Federal tribunals and courts and deliver workplace training. My experience includes providing employment and safety advice for commercial due diligence processes.

Career highlights

Advisory:

• Advised and assisted providers of disability, aged care, pathology, and nursing services and employers in the manufacturing and mining sectors on enterprise bargaining processes, including in circumstances involving industrial action.
• Advised a disability services provider about the effect of copied state instruments on transferring public sector employees, and implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in the workplace.

Employment Litigation:

• Advised and represented a disability and children's care services provider on an unfair dismissal claim brought by an employee who was dismissed for non-compliance with child safe practices.
• Advised and represented an aged care services provider on an adverse action claim filed by a manager experiencing significant mental and physical health challenges with substantial periods of absence from work before termination.
• Advised and represented a pathology services provider, with MinterEllison's Disputes Resolution practice, in relation to seeking Anton Pillar Orders following misuse of confidential information by a departing member of a business development team and suspected leakage to a competitor.

Industrial disputes:

• Advised and represented three State Government Departments / entities on a protracted and publicised industrial dispute by a Union alleging work health and safety risks arising from lack of access to meal breaks, excessive overtime worked, and fatiguing on-call arrangements.
• Advised and represented three State Government Departments / entities on seeking an order prohibiting disclosure of certain documents to a Union. This matter involved a successful application seeking orders confirming the documents were privileged from production based on public interest immunity.
• Advised and represented two State Government Departments on an internal review application by a Union of orders issued by an industrial tribunal preventing members of the Union from taking proposed industrial action.
• Advised and represented two State Government Departments on an industrial dispute alleging an unsafe work environment arising from on-call work arrangements and insufficient staff at an isolated location.

Investigations:

• Investigated: alleged misconduct and unethical conduct in breach of a State Public Sector Code of Ethics raised by a whistle-blower; alleged bullying and harassment involving executive officers; alleged sexual harassment involving a C-Suite manager; and alleged institutional racism through practices tolerated by an executive manager.

Misconduct advice:

• Advised a health service in relation to misconduct processes for an employee regarding alleged sexual misconduct, an employee before and following conviction for theft from a patient of statutorily protected drugs and an employee barred from working with children because of alleged sexual conduct towards their child.

Safety:

• Advised and represented a food distribution provider on a prosecution for a workplace accident involving hospitalisation and significant rehabilitation of a worker.
• Advised and represented a local council on notices to produce documents notices prohibiting use of equipment issued by State safety regulators, including applications for internal and external review of the same.

Pro bono:

• I regularly provide pro bono assistance through Justice Net, the Fair Work Commission’s Workplace Advisory Service and the firm’s Pro Bono and Community Investment Program.