Emma Goodwin

Emma is an experienced workplace relations law practitioner who has been advising private and public sector employers on a wide range of legal issues for over 20 years.

Experience

Emma has worked in mid and top tier law firms, in senior roles with the Fair Work Ombudsman, for employer associations and as an in house-solicitor. This diversity of practice places Emma in a position to consider legal issues from a range of perspectives and to craft practical solutions for her clients in all aspects of employment and industrial relations law.

Emma is recognised for her particular expertise in general protections law. She is the co-author of the textbook General Protections Under the Fair Work Act and numerous journal articles in this area, regularly lectures on the subject at Monash University, and has presented to the Australian Labour Law Association on these issues.

Emma also has extensive experience and interest in privacy law, particularly in the intersection of employment and industrial law and privacy law. She has also practised in workers' compensation law, and from her time with the Fair Work Ombudsman, has considerable knowledge of matters relating to enforcement and compliance.

Emma's areas of expertise include:

• restraint of trade issues
• compliance and enforcement issues, such as underpayment matters and dealing with compulsive notices
• industrial disputes
• termination of employment
• privacy issues in employment
• employment and industrial relations issues arising in Federal, State, and local government
• issues relating to directors and senior employees under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), including restrictions on remuneration and termination benefits
• cross-border matters relating to employment and industrial relations
• enterprise agreements and awards
• managing illness and injury in the workplace
• whistleblowing.

Career highlights

Emma's career highlights include:

• acting for a major gig economy employer for a range of disputes regarding the status of its workers
• successfully appearing in the Fair Work Commission regarding a pay dispute for a Victorian Government department
• advising on a range of privacy law issues affecting employees in the State, Federal, and local government contexts
• running the first proceeding seeking penalties for non-compliance with paid parental leave entitlements
• undertaking major award classification and compliance reviews for major employers in the health and telecommunications sectors
• assisting with implementation of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) on Norfolk Island
• successfully defending general protections claims for a range of public and private sector employers.