Sekler, Irene

Irene is a member of AGS’s In-House Counsel team – a dedicated Commonwealth counsel team with deep and broad expertise in core areas of Commonwealth public law and who are briefed to appear in courts and tribunals nationally.

Irene has a counsel practice encompassing areas of law of particular importance to the Commonwealth such as public interest immunity and information protection law, national security issues, statutory interpretation, administrative law, parliamentary privilege, royal commissions and inquiries, bankruptcy and insolvency, as well as aspects of employment and compensation law.

She has been briefed as counsel for diverse Commonwealth clients such as the Director-General of Security, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Industrial Relations, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, the Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation and Comcare.

She has appeared for the Commonwealth in a wide range of courts and tribunals. This includes proceedings in the Federal Court (and the Full Federal Court), various State Supreme Courts (including in the Appellate jurisdiction), the Family Court, the AAT, the Fair Work Commission, courts martial, coronial inquests and other types of inquiries.

Irene has also worked, as part of her previous solicitor practice, on many cases of particular significance to the Commonwealth, including royal commissions and proceedings before international tribunals or concerning international treaties. She led the AGS team responsible for the public health aspects of the Phillip Morris Asia v Government of Australia (tobacco plain-packaging) for a number of years.

Relevant experience

• Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd v AMWU; Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations v AMWU (HCA and FCAFC – statutory interpretation, led)
• Qantas Airways Limited v Transport Workers Union of Australia (HCA – statutory interpretation, led)
• CFMMEU v Minister for Industrial Relations (FCAFC – interpretation of delegated legislation, led)
• Davis v Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and Shafran v Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FCA - judicial review, unled)
• Dunkerley v Comcare (FCA – bankruptcy law, unled and FCAFC on the papers, unled)
• Kraues v Honourable Michaelia Cash (FedCFamC, tort of injurious falsehood)
• the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide
• for various clients concerning public interest immunity and other information protection claims
• in various Hague Convention Child Abduction matters for the Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department
• in the AAT for a wide range of Commonwealth clients including in relation to the interpretation and application of the FOI Act, the Archives Act, the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act and other Commonwealth legislation
• in the FWC for a wide range of Commonwealth clients