About Brayden

Brayden is a Senior Associate in the Maddocks Employment, Safety & People team. Brayden advises and acts for government, private sector and not-for-profit clients across a broad range of employment and discrimination matters. 

Brayden’s practice has a strong litigation and advisory focus, with particular expertise in managing complex employment disputes from inception to resolution in the Fair Work Commission and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Brayden is sought out for his experience in discrimination and equal opportunity matters and is an experienced solicitor advocate.

Brayden is a trusted day-to-day advisor to key clients in the state government, local government and not-for-profit sectors. He is known for his clear communication, practical approach and ability to achieve favourable outcomes in high-stakes matters, including unfair dismissal claims, general protections disputes, discrimination proceedings and bullying applications. 

Brayden has served as Melbourne Vice Chair of Maddocks Pride and is passionate about diversity and inclusion for all.

Experience

• Employment litigation and dispute resolution
  • Acting for state and local government clients and not-for-profit organisations in complex employment litigation in the Fair Work Commission and VCAT, including unfair dismissal claims, general protections disputes, discrimination proceedings, stop bullying applications and jurisdictional objections.
     
  • Department of Education (Victoria) - Acted for the Department in numerous contested matters before the Fair Work Commission and the Disciplinary Appeals Board, including a matter which was successfully dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.
     
  • Department of Families, Fairness & Housing (Victoria) - Representing the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing in relation to an Executive employment termination matter involving complex Constitutional, policy and statutory interaction issues and a long running Federal Circuit Court matter involving multiple employment related claims.
     
  • Department of Justice & Community Safety (Victoria) - Undertook secondment to the Public Law & Litigation Team.
     
  • Court Services Victoria - Advising Court Services Victoria in relation to complex workplace relations matters and representing CSV in a general protections claim in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
     
  • Private sector client - Acting for a private sector employer client in relation to a significant underpayment and breach of Award claim in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
     
  • Mallee Family Care Inc - Acted for Mallee Family Care in a stop bullying application, which was considered without merit and successfully dismissed. Emily Craig v Mallee Family Care Community Legal Service [2025] FWC 1403 
• Discrimination and human rights
  • Advising and representing State and Local Government in goods and services, as well as employment, discrimination claims under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) in VCAT and interstate anti-discrimination tribunals, including successfully obtaining orders striking out proceedings and managing claims involving self-represented applicants.
     
  • Business Licensing Authority - Acted for the BLA, a business unit within the Department of Government Services, in a large-scale VCAT discrimination claim involving 28 applicants, including bringing two wholly successful strike-out applications: Maxwell v Business Licensing Authority (Human Rights) [2025] VCAT 308; Maxwell v Business Licensing Authority (Human Rights) (No 2) [2025] VCAT 979
     
  • Acting for and representing a number of Victorian Councils, including Yarra City Council, Hobsons Bay City Council, Melton City Council, Hepburn Shire Council and Whitehorse City Council in equal opportunity matters before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
• Advisory matters
  • Providing practical employment advice to Commonwealth, State and Local Government clients, and not-for-profit clients, on a range of matters including complex discrimination issues, constitutional industrial relations matters,  enterprise agreement and Award compliance and transfers of business.
• Workplace investigations
  • Advising employers on the management of workplace complaints and misconduct, including investigations into allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination for clients in the government, emergency services and not-for-profit sectors.