Matt Kelleher

Clayton Utz
Partner Melbourne

I have found Matt's advice, and that of his team, to be practical and concise. Matt understands the operational context of a sophisticated client and how to balance legal risk with business outcomes. Matt's advice is well-suited to an Executive audience. Matt is adaptable, responsive to urgent demands and easy to deal with.

– Senior In-House Lawyer

I honestly can't praise you and your team enough for your professionalism, expertise, flexibility, stakeholder engagement and communication, good grace in trying circumstances, and now delivering ahead of schedule. I have worked in HR for more than 25 years and I can honestly say, without hesitation, that you are the best lawyer I have ever worked with.

– Senior Human Resources Executive

Overview

Matt has a unique breadth of experience, having advised a wide-range of private and public sector employers for over 15 years. He advises employers around Australia on all aspects of employment law, industrial relations and occupational health and safety.

He is regularly instructed to provide strategic advice on complex employment management issues, enterprise bargaining, workplace investigations, sexual harassment, discrimination, executive remuneration, and workplace restructuring and disputes.

Matt is also widely recognised as one of the leading industrial and employment regulatory lawyers in the country with extensive experience resolving complex workplace disputes before the High Court, Federal Court and Fair Work Commission.

Notable Work
  • Bulla Dairy Foods: trusted advisor on all aspects of employment issues, workplace disputes, and governance.

  • State Electricity Commission: advises on the full spectrum of employment, industrial and safety matters and general workplace compliance.

  • South32 Limited: advises on contentious workplace matters, including general protections and unfair dismissal applications, workplace investigations and workplace compliance.

  • Tundra Resource Analytics: advises on the management of workplace matters.

  • Various Commonwealth Departments & Agencies: advises a raft of public sector clients on all aspects of workplace relations law, has comprehensive knowledge of the public sector employment framework, regularly conducts Code of Conduct investigations, and advises on many of the Commonwealth's most significant and sensitive employment matters.

  • Fair Work Ombudsman: advises and conducts complex workplace regulatory litigation including general protections and underpayment matters.

  • Large private clients: regularly advises numerous private clients on workplace compliance matters, executive employment arrangements, management of risks associated with terminations, restraints, misuse of confidential information, and regularly presents to Boards on workplace governance and psychosocial hazards in the workplace employment.

  • Brookfield Multiplex: advised on large-scale industrial litigation arising from significant industrial action, coercion and contempt.

  • Roads Australia: advises on workplace compliance, industrial and employment matters.

Insights
Universities should act now to address robust recommendations in report into the quality of governance
12 Dec 2025 | Article
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Wage underpayment class actions: How to prepare for what is coming next
26 Nov 2025 | Article
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Victorian employers get new requirements on psychosocial hazards
2 Oct 2025 | Article
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CFMEU Administration upheld by High Court ruling, clearing the path for major union reforms
19 Jun 2025 | Article
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Chambers Global Practice Guides - HR Internal Investigations 2025
19 Mar 2025 | Document
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Clocking off? APSC releases its guidance on the right to disconnect
27 Aug 2024 | Article
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Closing Loopholes No 2: What you need to know about the next raft of changes commencing 26 August
26 Aug 2024 | Article
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Fair Work Commission to review fixed term clauses in university modern awards
22 Jul 2024 | Article
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Perspectives on Closing Loopholes with Clayton Utz
14 Jun 2024 | Audio
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Closing Loopholes No. 2: what you need to know on the right to disconnect, casual employment and more
21 Feb 2024 | Article
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Closing Loopholes Bill split in two: Wage theft and labour hire amendments passed the Senate today
7 Dec 2023 | Article
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New rules for fixed-term contracts from 6 December 2023: are you ready?
30 Nov 2023 | Article
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Do you understand your employees' public holiday entitlements?
22 Nov 2023 | Article
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IR reforms 3.0: get ready for changes to casual and gig employment, labour hire, wage theft and union rights
5 Sep 2023 | Article
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Reminder: Deadline for deletion of COVID-19 vaccination information in Victoria
17 Jul 2023 | Article
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IR reforms 2.0: new protections and entitlements in Protecting Worker Entitlements Bill passed by Federal Parliament
7 Jul 2023 | Article
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The resurgence of enterprise bargaining 03: what to expect when you're expecting to bargain
30 Jun 2023 | Article
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Corruption and misconduct post-1 July under the Public Interest Disclosure Act and the National Anti-Corruption Commission
29 Jun 2023 | Article
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Multi-employer bargaining and flexible work laws start today
6 Jun 2023 | Article
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Contract remains king and the superannuation guarantee is still unsettled, so check your independent contractor contracts
29 May 2023 | Article
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Poor report card on modern slavery compliance acknowledged with $8m to implement Anti-Slavery Commissioner
12 May 2023 | Article
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Further IR reforms are on the way, including huge penalty increases for wage underpayments
3 May 2023 | Article
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The resurgence of enterprise bargaining 01: navigating the industrial relations changes to enable effective bargaining
26 Apr 2023 | Article
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Employees can now reasonably refuse to work public holidays – so what can employers do now?
20 Apr 2023 | Article
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Media: Rostering staff on public holidays: what you can do now
31 Mar 2023 | Audio
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Media Release: Clayton Utz welcome alumnus Matt Kelleher as a partner in our Workplace Relations team
8 Feb 2023 | Media Release
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