Nick is a market leading workplace and safety practitioner in Queensland, having advised on contentious workplace and safety matters for over 25 years.
For much of his career, Nick has been positioned at the forefront of workplace and safety execution in some of the most difficult industrial settings.
Nick has a wealth of industry expertise in aviation, rail, mining, logistics, finance, health and education in both private practice and industry. Nick also has extensive public sector experience.
As former executive general counsel at Queensland Rail and former general manager, workplace relations at Virgin Australia, Nick has a unique insight into the application of workplace and safety law in business.
Key deals
Queensland Rail
In his capacity as General Counsel for Queensland Rail, Nick was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and led the legal, governance, risk, compliance, internal audit and insurance functions. He was a key member of the team who implemented various reform measures to help prepare Queensland Rail for contestability. He also led the team that managed QRs conversion from a GOC to a statutory authority and with that a change in its industrial regulation from Federal to State laws.
Virgin Australia
During his time as General Manager Workplace Relations at Virgin Australia, Nick led a number of significant projects including:
- development and implementation of Virgin Australia's workplace relations strategy;
- negotiations for replacement collective agreements covering pilots, cabin crew, ground crew and engineers, all of which were concluded without adverse media attention or industrial action;
- consultation with employees and unions about major industrial changes; and
- representing Virgin Australia in various industrial Tribunals and Commissions.
Industrial action campaigns
Acted for BHP and Anglo Coal in various Tribunals, as well as in the Federal and Supreme Court with respect to various campaigns of industrial action by the CFMEU, AMWU and CEPU.
Disputes
Represented BHP and Anglo Coal in various disputes involving their extensive coal mining interests in Queensland as well as the Cannington Mine, the Yabulu Refinery, and the Hay Point and Barney Point Coal Terminals.
Safety
Acted in a number of serious safety incidents, including for BHP Coal in the first prosecution under the coal mining safety and health legislation.