Mann, Catherine
Corporate Advisor
Catherine is a senior dispute resolution lawyer specialising in public sector employment and workplace relations law.
She represents and advises Commonwealth agencies on the full range of employment and workplace relations issues and disputes, including complex and contentious matters relating to conduct and performance, discrimination, dismissals, SES employment, medical issues, enterprise agreements and public interest disclosures. She regularly handles litigation in the Fair Work Commission, courts and tribunals, including using alternative dispute resolution processes to achieve favourable resolutions for clients. Her experience also includes administrative law and workers’ compensation.
She was solicitor on the record for the Minister for Workplace Relations in the Board of Bendigo TAFE v Barclay High Court appeal, and for the Commonwealth in the Ashby v Slipper litigation. She also worked on the fleet-grounding Qantas dispute.
Catherine regularly trains Commonwealth clients on public sector employment issues. Catherine was recognised in 2013 with an Australia Day Award for her contribution to AGS’s employment and industrial law practice.
Recent experience
- appearing in the Fair Work Commission to successfully resist interim anti-bullying orders (Re Hodgkins [2019] FWC 3344)
- advising on and negotiating an outcome to claims brought by 9 former employees of a contractor to a Commonwealth agency, which raised complex and novel legal issues under the Fair Work Act 2009, Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
- at short notice, appearing in the Federal Court and successfully obtaining the dismissal of an urgent application before the start of proceedings which, among other things, sought an injunction to prevent the gazettal of the applicant’s termination of employment in the APS Gazette (Krombholz v Secretary, Department of Defence [2016] FCA 345)
- successfully defending Federal Court proceedings regarding payments of an allowance during periods of industrial action (CPSU v Commonwealth [2019] FCA 975).
Qualifications
Bachelor of Laws (Honours), University of Sydney, 2007
Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Sydney, 2005
Recognition
2013 AGS Australia Day Award, in recognition of her contribution to AGS’s employment and industrial law practice.