David Thompson

Areas of practice

• Employment
• Industrial Relations
• Equal Opportunity
• Occupational Health & Safety

Experience

David acts for employers in a wide range of industries in the area of employment and workplace relations law. This includes a range of clients in the manufacturing, health, local government, community services, education, transport, retail, entertainment and building and construction industries.

His expertise includes:

• Change management – implementing workplace change
• Employment – recruitment issues; pre-employment procedures; individual and collective employment agreements; disciplinary action and dismissals; defending dismissal litigation in Courts and Australian Industrial Relations Commission; downsizing – planning & implementation
• Minimum terms and conditions – advising clients on minimum terms and conditions of employment applicable to their employees under the relevant awards and AFPCS
• Executives – entry and exit strategies
• Industrial relations – strategy concerning industrial disputes; handling dispute litigation at the AIRC and Federal Court; negotiating collective agreements with unions
• Occupational health and safety – urgent advice following major workplace accidents; advice on injury management and strategy; putting policies in place; providing training to managers and workforces; defending WorkSafe prosecution proceedings
• Equal opportunity – putting policies in place; providing training on policies; investigating complaints; defending claims lodged with AHRC, Federal Court, Federal Magistrates' Court, Victorian EO & HRC, VCAT
• Workers compensation – general advice on claims and failure potential
• Privacy issues
• Transmission of business

David has been the client relationship manager for the Workplace Ombudsman, since Hunt & Hunt's appointment to the panel in January 2007.  He has been involved in running and supervising prosecution proceedings since that time.  In the past, David has acted for Industrial Relations Victoria, in pursuing prosecution proceedings against employers for failing to pay long service leave entitlements to employees on termination of employment.

David also has significant experience in other types of enforcement proceedings.  He currently acts for employers in defending WorkSafe Occupational Health and Safety Prosecutions lodged in the Magistrates' Court of Victoria.  Early in his career, David also performed significant amounts of work for the fraud divisions of both the Victorian Transport Accident Commission (and its predecessor) and the Victorian WorkCover Authority.  This included assistance in the collection and assessment of investigation material subsequently used in prosecution proceedings against fraudulent claimants.

As David's practice is across a range of industries, he is well placed to advise on issues relevant to any industry.

Membership

• Member, Industrial Relations Society of Victoria
• Member, Litigation Lawyers Section, Law Institute of Victoria
• Trustee, Sir Henry Bolte Trust, The Sovereign Hill Museums Association

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws, Monash University