We act for:
- Government agencies (NCCEs) and entities (CCEs) at a Commonwealth level.
- Various departments, offices and entities of the NSW, Queensland and South Australian State governments.
- Universities and research institutes, directly and via the loss protection provider Unimutual Limited.
Our firm is a member of the federal Whole of Government Legal Services Panel. We have a deep knowledge of the regulatory framework and statutory confines within which State/Territory and Commonwealth government agencies operate and an understanding of their unique needs. We have built strong relationships with the in-house teams of a number of agencies who trust us with their matters. Complemented with strong commercial acumen, our team delivers pragmatic advice and legal solutions tailored specifically to the public sector.
Areas of expertise include:
- Intentional tort matters in law enforcement, detention centre, police and military contexts
- Civil litigation including negligence claims. Our substantial practice in this area includes public liability as well as workplace injury claims (e.g. injuries to contractors and secondees).
- Discrimination claims under Commonwealth and State law, including involving allegations of discrimination on grounds of disability, sex, race and political views. Discrimination matters often have a complex background and the underlying reasons for a complainant’s grievance may not be straightforward. We bring our experience to understand the whole of the matter, identifying the optimum form of resolution. Our experience includes:
- COVID-19 litigation including an important case on political discrimination Western Sydney University v Thiab [2023] NSWCA 57
- Strong defence of unmeritorious or vexatious matters, such as in Manny v Commonwealth of Australia; Manny v University of Canberra [2023] ACTSC 160)
- Resolution, including via conciliation and mediation, of cases involving allegations of disability discrimination in a healthcare context, various cases of sex and disability discrimination and victimisation in an academic context and racial discrimination in a Commonwealth agency.
- Privacy, data breach and access to information matters, especially for Commonwealth and higher education sector clients. Our experience includes:
- Investigations and conciliation matters at the OAIC for the Commonwealth, including sensitive matters
- Acting for universities in State and Territory tribunals (for example EJE v Charles Sturt University [2021] NSWCATAD 190).
- Abuse matters
- Public and administrative law matters in Commonwealth and State tribunals and courts
- Asbestos and silica claims for State government agencies in NSW, Queensland and South Australia
- Environmental law matters relating to government policy initiatives including water law and compulsory acquisition
- Property damage matters arising from natural disasters and humanitarian relief work. Our recent work has included representing a government department in claims brought by third-party property owners, where the loss was allegedly contributed to by relief efforts.
- Workplace health and safety
We also have a long history of representing clients in the higher education sector including public universities and research institutes. We have acted in landmark litigation decisions and have expertise in niche and specialised fields peculiar to the sector. That includes matters involving research output, plagiarism, clinical trials and more.