Explore the most significant issues, reforms and legislative developments in employment law for 2024. Hear from a leading panel of employment law specialists, as you scrutinise proposed future reforms and impacts of recent legislative changes. Get your annual update on general protections cases and a practical guide to general protections proceedings. 243W14  

Presenters

Nicholas Ellery, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Nick is a barrister focussing on employment, industrial relations and workplace safety issues. He works with leading industries in WA with large and complex workforces such as government, healthcare, maritime, oil and gas, construction, mining and others. He has been regularly recognised as a leading practitioner in various industry guides such as Best Lawyers, Chambers, Doyles Guide and others. At the forefront of legal employment issues Nick regularly provides training, workshops and news commentary. He is a national committee member at the Australian Labour Law Association, and was Partner in Charge of the Corrs Perth office for over 10 years, before joining the Bar in early 2023.


Ms. Maria Saraceni, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Maria Saraceni is a barrister practising in regulatory and compliance law - particularly in workplace relations; employment-related matters and occupational safety and health. She is also an active non-executive director an accomplished public speaker and an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University.


Samantha Maddern, Partner, Mills Oakley
Samantha has worked across a variety of roles in human resources, employee relations and employment law, including secondments at INPEX Australia and AMMA (WA), as an in-house lawyer for a mining company, and as an employee relations consultant for WA’s leading employer organisation. This diverse experience means her advice is practical and solutions-focussed as she helps her clients (large or small) successfully navigate the complexities and challenges that frequently arise in the modern Australian workplace and to effectively manage workplace risk – both the expected and the unexpected. Sam’s clients come from a broad range of sectors but, in particular, the mining, oil & gas, tertiary education, and not-for-profits sectors. Sam is an avid North Melbourne supporter and hoping for a MUCH brighter future now that Clarko has arrived.


Renae Harding, Partner, Jackson McDonald
Renae Harding practises in all aspects of workplace relations and safety offering expertise across all aspects of employment, industrial relations and occupational safety and health laws, both in the private and public sectors. The nationalisation of workplace relations and safety legislation together with her previous experience working on both employment and safety related matters in NSW, VIC, SA, NT and Qld mean that Renae is able to provide assistance not only in Western Australia but throughout Australia.Renae is known and respected for her ability to swiftly identify the issues, provide clients with clear advice that is easy to understand and then work with clients to develop response strategies that address both the client's legal and commercial objectives. This has resulted in her becoming a trusted advisor to many clients and HR and Safety advisors who will call Renae for advice as issues arise. The added advantage of this approach is that it will often enable the client to resolve the issue before it progresses to a formal claim. Understanding your business and the challenges your business faces is critical to ensuring that our legal advice and recommendations meet your needs. Recognising this Renae is often out on site conducting inspections, meeting with relevant personnel, conducting site training, both safety or employment related, or liaising with regulatory authorities such as WorkSafe, Energy Safety, Resources Safety and the Fair Work Ombudsman. Whether you are looking for tactical guidance during union negotiations, assistance drafting employment contracts and policies, representation during unfair dismissal proceedings or guidance in dealing with and responding to a critical incident, you can be assured that Renae has the expertise to assist.


Ms. Dominique Hartfield, Special Counsel, Jackson McDonald
Dominique is a Special Counsel in the Workplace Relations and Safety team. She specialises in providing commercially focused and strategic advice and representation on a wide range of employment, human resources and industrial relations matters and occupational health and safety. Her experience includes advising local, national and global clients from a broad range of industries. Dominique advises on the full range of employment issues, including helping employers understand their rights and obligations under the State and Federal industrial relations systems, the interpretation of employment legislation and industrial instrument, large and small scale investigations, bullying and harassment complaints, managing unwell employees, the redundancy/restructuring process, performance and misconduct issues, termination issues (including restraints of trade), industrial relations issues and enterprise agreement making and due diligence. She is experienced in drafting and reviewing a range of employment related contracts and policies. Dominique has appeared, both as instructing solicitor and independently, in a range of employment related conciliations and tribunal/court matters. Having previously worked for many years at a global firm, Dominique also has experience in helping clients with employee mobility issues (overseas transfer/secondments), the employment aspects of cross-border transactions, and project managing foreign counsel advice, for clients who have operations in overseas jurisdictions.