Academic qualifications
1980: Bachelor of Economics (Honours) (Monash University)
1982: Bachelor of Laws (Monash University)
1989: Master of Laws (University of Melbourne)
Employment experience
1983-1987: Solicitor
1988-1989: Associate to the Honourable Justice Nathan of the Supreme Court of Victoria
1989- Member of the Victorian Bar, including practising as a Silk since November 2010
Doyle’s Guide Ranking
Ranked “Pre-eminent” in the category “Leading Employment Law Senior Counsel" – Australia 2024
Leading Employment Law Senior Counsel - Victoria, 2024 - Doyle's Guide (doylesguide.com)
Chambers Ranking - Employment: The Bar - Australia - Band 1
"Justin Bourke KC of List G Barristers (Aickin Chambers) is an exceptionally experienced litigator - to High Court level - of workplace-related cases, in which he acts for both employers and a wide range of government agencies. Sources describe him as a "very high-quality" and "really good" employment silk, one calling him "the leading barrister in industrial relations - very thorough and highly prepared." https://chambers.com/lawyer/justin-bourke-qc-asia-pacific-8:1162855
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific Guide 2024 Ranking - Commercial Disputes - Leading Silk
Business Today 2023 - Top Ten Pioneering Employment Bar Lawyers in Australia
"Highlighted for his exceptional litigative experience in workplace-related cases, Justin Bourke KC at List G Barristers assists both employers and an extensive range of government agencies. His outstanding command of industrial relation issues is well known within the Victorian Bar"
Practice at the Victorian Bar
Justin brings immense experience to the conduct of trials and appeals, having done numerous trials, including trials of substantial length, and complex appeals, in the areas of industrial, employment and discrimination law since coming to the Victorian Bar.
Justin’s experience includes being involved in numerous interlocutory applications, especially in respect of applications to stop industrial action and applications to enforce post-employment restraints and protect confidential information.
Justin also regularly provides strategic advice to regulators, State and Federal governments and the corporate sector.
High Court experience
Justin’s practice has extended to him being involved in some of the most important industrial cases to go to the High Court in recent years. These cases are listed below (the party Justin represented being indicated in bold):
Justin successfully argued for a broader construction of the independent contractor provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) on behalf of the Fair Work Ombudsman, overturning a previous unanimous decision of the Full Federal Court.
Justin successfully argued that a contravention of the “adverse action” provisions of the FW Act requires a prohibited subjective state of mind, not merely a causal link between the conduct and the adverse action, overturning an earlier majority decision of the Full Federal Court.
Justin was one of a number of Counsel who acted for the Commonwealth in the landmark Constitutional case where the High Court found that the Work Choices industrial legislation could be supported by the corporations power.
Justin represented the Federal Minister for Employment, who intervened in this appeal in support of Amcor. Amcor successfully argued on appeal that the relocation of its workforce to a related company did not trigger a redundancy entitlement for its workforce under the enterprise agreement.
Justin successfully argued that the then “transmission of business” provisions in the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) were not engaged when a person opened the same type of business at the same location and hired some of the previous business’s staff, overturning an earlier unanimous decision of the Full Federal Court.
A selection of other cases:
Justin successfully defended CSIRO in a 13 day District Court trial in New South Wales where a former senior employee had alleged that CSIRO conspired to make him redundant because he had made various whistleblower allegations against CSIRO.
Justin successfully established that the MUA had discriminated against a married couple because they did not have union membership. Penalties were secured against the MUA as well as a compensation order in favour of the couple totalling the sum of $723,300 (reduced on appeal to $330,000).
Justin successfully overturned a decision of a Federal Circuit Judge who found that a person who ran a Tattsbet outlet under an agency agreement was an employee of Tattsbet, not an independent contractor.
Justin successfully defended Monash University and two professors from numerous allegations of sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace in a trial of 15 days’ duration.
Justin successfully argued before a five member Full Federal Court that Etihad Stadium was entitled to summarily dismiss its senior manager for serious misconduct, overturning a contrary finding of a County Court Judge at trial. This case is now the leading case as to when an employer can rely on a ground to dismiss where such ground was not known or not raised at the time of dismissal.
Justin successfully defended EnergyAustralia in what was a high profile adverse action case brought by Kate Shea against EnergyAustralia, wherein Ms Shea, in what was a 2½ week trial, alleged she was dismissed for complaining about a corporate culture of sexual harassment in the workplace. The appeal by Kate Shea both against the liability judgment and an adverse indemnity costs order was successfully resisted.
Justin at first instance, in part, successfully argued that a number of the provisions of an enterprise agreement said to be breached by the CFA were constitutionally invalid. This decision was later overturned on appeal.
Justin successfully defended the Victorian Education Department from a disability discrimination claim in a trial of four weeks’ duration. The proceeding was later settled on appeal, the settlement being approved by the Court: [2015] FCA 902.
At first instance, in what was a test case, Justin successfully argued that the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool used by the Commonwealth to assess wage rates for persons with a disability did not infringe the Disability Discrimination Act. The decision was later overturned on appeal.
Justin successfully argued that the MUA had contravened the adverse action provisions of the FW Act when it published and distributed a scab poster on the Western Australian waterfront naming five men who the MUA claimed worked during a strike. Compensation orders were made in respect of each of these men. Judgment in the appeal is pending.
Justin, in what was a trial of 21 days duration, successfully defended a disability discrimination case brought by a student against the Victorian Education Department. The case made important observations as to the limits on the reach of indirect discrimination claims. The Applicant’s appeal was successfully resisted.
Justin successfully defended Linfox from a claim by a former manager that he was misled into commencing employment with Linfox in what was a trial of 13 days’ duration. The Applicant’s appeal was successfully resisted.
Associations
Readers
2010: Cathy Dowsett
2007: Robyn Sweet
2005: Mark McKenney
2004: Marc Felman
2002: Paul O’Grady QC
2001: Gary Hindson
2000: Edward Johnson