I regularly guide employers through complex investigations, conduct and performance processes, managing ill and injured workers, enterprise bargaining, industrial disputes, governance, regulatory and administrative matters. I have considerable litigation experience and have represented large organisations in employment, industrial relations and discrimination matters before a range of Commissions, Tribunals and Courts.

Career highlights

• Advising higher education and research institutions in relation to a wide range of regulatory and employment issues and disputes. Recent examples include active advisory roles in the negotiation, voting and approval process for University enterprise agreements, assistance with large scale wage remediation projects, and the conduct of a high profile inquiry into allegations of research misconduct.
• Advising schools, school governing bodies and early learning providers on governance and regulatory compliance, child safeguarding, bargaining and industrial relations, staff and student discrimination, staff performance and conduct, enrolment disputes and safety and wellbeing.
• Acting for numerous employers in proceedings under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), including complex adverse action proceedings in the Federal Court, unfair dismissal, disputes under enterprise agreements, industrial action and stop bullying applications.
• Regularly acting in relation to sensitive, confidential and reputation-critical matters – including sexual harassment, discrimination and racial vilification, psychosocial hazards, crime and corruption matters, whistleblowing/public interest disclosures, parallel HR processes and managing difficult employees.
• Conducting training and seminars for executives, legal counsel and HR professionals about a range of matters, including appropriate workplace behaviour, psychosocial safety and wellbeing, conducting investigations and performance management.
  
  

• High Court provides guidance on academic freedom: Ridd v James Cook University
  

  Most universities in Australia have an academic or intellectual freedom clause in their Enterprise Agreement. We discuss why the High Court's recent interpretation and application of this clause is useful guidance for universities.