Matthew Giles

Overview

Matthew brings deep expertise in work health and safety (WHS) matters covering incident response and management, and regularly attends worksites following incidents and fatalities to assist with collation of documentation, interviews of key witnesses, internal or external investigation of the incident, management of and liaison with safety inspectors, and to advise clients on management of staff. Matthew has extensive knowledge and experience advising on officer liability, notices to produce, notice reviews, coronial inquests, and defence of prosecutions by health and safety regulators.  

Matthew also advises on employment law, defending employment and industrial disputes, providing guidance on or conducting workplace investigations, and management of ill, injured and underperforming employees. He has assisted numerous clients in relation to employee disciplinary and termination processes, wage underpayment issues, enterprise bargaining, and right of entry powers, whilst also having drafted and reviewed workplace policies and procedures, and employment contracts. 

Matthew also represents clients in relation to investigations and prosecutions by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) for breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law. 

Matthew's expertise has been recognised with a number of awards including Best Lawyers 2023 - 2026 editions: Ones to Watch for Labour and Employment Law, Occupational Health and Safety Law and Regulatory Practice. He has earned consistent recognition from Lawyers Weekly for his excellence in legal practice. In 2024, he was named a Finalist in the Special Counsel of the Year category. Prior to that, he was a Finalist for Senior Associate of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards in both 2022 and 2023. His expertise was also acknowledged as a Finalist in the Dispute Resolution & Litigation category at the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards in 2022, and in the Workplace Health & Safety category across three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022. 

Matthew has a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons). In 2015 he was admitted to practice in the Qld Supreme Court of Australia.