Shae McCartney
Clayton Utz
Partner
Brisbane
Shae McCartney provides appropriately structured, strategic and operational advice to ensure that business outcomes can be met and industrial interests remain strongly protected.
– Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Overview
Shae leads the national safety practice and provides sharp counsel to large corporations. With over 25 years of expertise, Shae specialises in industrial and employment issues, strategic industrial relations, workplace health and safety, as well as legal compliance, regularly advising on monumental projects and disputes. Her clients consistently praise her deep industry insights, combined with a genuine interest and grasp of their business intricacies, resulting in consistently practical, commercially-minded, and outcome-driven legal guidance.
Notable Work
- Toowoomba Bypass project: advised on safety incidents, regulatory compliance, and complex industrial and safety issues.
- Cross River Rail Project: managed work health and safety strategies across complex interface arrangements and multiple work packages.
- Safe Work Australia: reviewed the feasibility of developing national WHS sentencing guidelines.
- Critical incident response leadership: practical guidance during complex incidents, including fatalities, outbreaks, and personal liability implications, such as Legacy Way and APLNG/Origin safety incidents.
- Due diligence advice: advises on complex risks, particularly in energy, resources, and infrastructure acquisitions.
- Remote work: navigates challenges including confidential matters, complex sexual harassment and compliance issues.
Insights
Chambers Global Practice Guides - HR Internal Investigations 2025
19 Mar 2025 | Document
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New obligations introduced for Queensland employers to manage the risk of workplace sexual harassment
10 Oct 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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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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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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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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Employment outside NSW won’t automatically count for long service leave in NSW, so review how you track it now
15 Dec 2022 | Article
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Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill to be introduced to Federal Parliament next week, but how far it goes is still unknown
19 Oct 2022 | Article
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Navigating Australia’s record-breaking labour market – a Governance perspective
24 Aug 2022 | Article
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Revised Building Code released, and reduction in powers of the ABCC
26 Jul 2022 | Article
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Federal election 2022: The new Labor Government's industrial relations agenda at a glance
23 May 2022 | Article
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Industrial manslaughter update: Person controlling a business or undertaking (PCBU) sentenced to 5 years' jail
31 Mar 2022 | Article
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European Commission takes huge step towards mandating corporate sustainability due diligence
17 Mar 2022 | Article
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The terms of the contract are decisive of the employee/contractor issue – with some provisos, says High Court
11 Feb 2022 | Article
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Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies still possible, if done correctly
6 Dec 2021 | Article
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My employee refuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19: What do I do?
29 Nov 2021 | Article
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Mythbusting legal misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine mandates: what employers can do
16 Nov 2021 | Article
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New mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for Victorian authorised workers
8 Oct 2021 | Article
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Webinar: Keeping up to date with the latest in workplace law: Have you been paying attention?
19 Aug 2021 | Article
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High Court overturns Rossato decision giving clarity around casual employee classification
5 Aug 2021 | Article
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Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry into Grosvenor coal mine explosion releases final report and recommendations
16 Jun 2021 | Article
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Latest Government guidance reaffirms voluntary COVID-19 vaccination policy
23 Feb 2021 | Article
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The Federal Government's omnibus IR reforms legislation: what is in, what is out, and what you need to do now
10 Dec 2020 | Article
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High Court gives employers some relief by fixing unreasonable view of personal leave accruals
13 Aug 2020 | Article
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The Dreamworld tragedy: the Coroner's findings, the prosecution and lessons learnt
6 Aug 2020 | Article
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Victoria's work restrictions – considerations for all Australian employers
3 Aug 2020 | Article
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Victorian employers' COVID-19 incident notification duties have changed
30 Jul 2020 | Article
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Victoria to mandate face coverings - what does this mean for PCBUs across Australia?
21 Jul 2020 | Article
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Queensland mining & resources changes come into effect from 1 July 2020
29 Jun 2020 | Article
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National COVID-19 Safe Workplace Principles and Industry-specific Guidelines
18 May 2020 | Article
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Federal Parliament passes legislation meaning JobKeeper payments will soon flow
8 Apr 2020 | Article
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COVID-19: Protecting your most vulnerable workers when they need it most
20 Mar 2020 | Article
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Rest and relaxation is no holiday for casual employees' minimum employment period
21 Feb 2020 | Article
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Employee underpayments in focus as Senate establishes wage theft inquiry
15 Nov 2019 | Article
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Media release: Toowoomba Bypass opening a celebratory milestone for Clayton Utz as legal advisers
27 Sep 2019 | Media Release
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Executive payout more costly for employer than proper performance management
5 Sep 2019 | Article
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Record $3 million damages to an asbestos victim underscores need to identify latent workplace risks
5 Sep 2019 | Article
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Court clarifies the meaning of "reasonable practicability" in OHS after finding a Magistrate has misstated the test
22 Aug 2019 | Article
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Hold Your Fire! Anonymous tweeting can breach the APS Code of Conduct and justify termination
8 Aug 2019 | Article
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Federal Election 2019 – key workplace issues 05: Industrial Manslaughter
4 Apr 2019 | Article
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Your casual workers are not actually casual, says Full Federal Court – so review all casual engagements now!
17 Aug 2018 | Article
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Media Release: Clayton Utz's Shae McCartney and Mark Geritz among winners at the 2018 Partner of the Year Awards
28 Jun 2018 | Media Release
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Mine your business: Improved safety laws provide extra safeguard for mineworkers
12 Apr 2018 | Article
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Compulsory Family and Domestic Violence Leave is on the way for Modern Awards
27 Mar 2018 | Article
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High Court gives significant win to employers during enterprise bargaining
6 Dec 2017 | Article
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Significant changes to QLD WHS laws to commence shortly – are you ready?
26 Oct 2017 | Article
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New tenfold penalties for "serious contraventions" ‒ where does this leave franchisors and holding companies?
14 Sep 2017 | Article
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Building a safer Queensland: Tough new stance on non-conforming building products brings new duties to supply chain
25 Aug 2017 | Article
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Penalty rate cuts for hospitality and retail sectors – transitional arrangements commence on 1 July
6 Jun 2017 | Article
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New labour hire licensing laws in Queensland will affect providers and their clients
29 May 2017 | Article
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It's time to take an early mark… Tips for employers to manage fatigue in the workplace
2 Mar 2017 | Article
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The cuckoo in the nest: how to protect against employee information theft
2 Mar 2017 | Article
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Can in-house counsel be held liable for their employer’s sins? Accessorial liability under the Fair Work Act
1 Mar 2017 | Article
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Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in modern awards reduced for hospitality and retail sectors
23 Feb 2017 | Article
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Honeymoon period ends early for construction industry: review enterprise agreements now
10 Feb 2017 | Article
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High Court overturns controversial Barclay adverse action decision
7 Sep 2012 | Article
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