Matthew Smith

Partner

Matthew is a partner in Sparke Helmore's Workplace team, in Brisbane.

He has more than 17 years' legal experience and is well versed in all areas of workplace relations, environment, industrial relations and occupational health and safety law.

Matthew provides strategic and commercially focused legal advice and has extensive and in depth experience in advising major corporate clients on workplace issues, such as employment policies, contracts of employment, unfair dismissal, independent contracts, alternative dispute resolution, enterprise bargaining, discrimination, awards and industrial agreements, industrial disputes and occupational health and safety.

Matthew regularly advises many of the major corporate entities operating in the mining and resources, construction, manufacturing, and retail industries in Australia on compliance issues relating to industrial, environmental, safety and corporate governance matters.

Matthew also has extensive experience in advising government clients on industrial, employment, occupational health and safety and environmental issues at both a Federal and State level.

Matthew has also previously worked as senior advocate and general counsel at Commerce Queensland (Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry), where he headed the industrial advocacy team acting in many of the major cases of that field in recent years.

Matthew has appeared as counsel before high profile coronial inquests, royal commissions of inquiry and CMC (formerly CJC) inquiries. Matthew has also acted more recently for persons of interest in the Cole Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Matthew is very active within the Workplace arena, regularly appearing as a guest speaker at industry-related functions and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Queensland.

Memberships

Committee member, Industrial Relations Society of Queensland