About Catherine

Catherine Dunlop is one of Australia's leading workplace safety, investigations and regulatory lawyers. She advises Boards, CEOs, executives and public sector leaders on work health and safety (OHS/WHS), workplace investigations, sexual harassment, bullying, psychosocial hazards, major incidents, fatalities, coronial inquests and Royal Commissions.

Catherine is widely recognised for her ability to help organisations navigate their most serious people, safety and governance issues. She is frequently appointed by Boards and senior executives to conduct independent investigations into allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, workplace misconduct and cultural concerns, particularly where credibility, objectivity and stakeholder confidence are critical.

As leader of the Maddocks Safety practice, Catherine works proactively with clients to strengthen governance, manage safety risks and develop effective reporting and assurance frameworks. She has particular expertise in psychosocial hazards, contractor management, executive due diligence and responding to workplace and public safety incidents.

Catherine has acted in some of Australia's most significant safety, coronial and inquiry matters. She has assisted organisations dealing with fatalities, serious injuries, public safety incidents and high-profile regulatory investigations, helping clients manage legal risk while addressing the very real human impacts of critical events.

Clients value Catherine's calm, strategic and practical approach during crises. She provides responsive support to organisations across government, health, education, emergency services, retail, courts and tribunals, and the not-for-profit sector, assisting them to engage effectively with regulators, manage investigations and respond to prosecutions, inquests and inquiries.

Catherine is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, where she teaches workplace health and safety in the Master's program. A sought-after presenter and thought leader, she regularly advises Boards and executive teams on officer due diligence, governance, psychosocial risk management and emerging developments in safety law.

Experience

• Work Health & Safety
  • Acting for clients in dealing with WorkSafe, Comcare and other safety regulators, in defending prosecutions, and in appealing notices
  • Negotiating enforceable undertakings on behalf of clients in safety prosecutions
  • Advising on safety compliance, including contractor management, risks arising from climate change, physical and psychosocial hazards
  • Advising on work related aggression and violence, addressing high conflict customer behaviour, and related safety and discrimination advice
• Bullying & Sexual Harrassment
  • Providing advice on psychosocial hazards and positive duties in sexual harassment and bullying and providing training to employees and managers
  • Acting in bullying and sexual harassment investigations and related litigation
• Advice, Training and Investigations for Boards and Executives
  • Sought after for providing due diligence training
  • Trusted by Boards, CEOs and executive teams across all sectors to conduct independent investigations into allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, executive misconduct, workplace culture concerns and other sensitive matters, delivering rigorous, evidence-based findings that withstand scrutiny from stakeholders, regulators and courts.
• Public, Transport and Child Safety Duties
  • Advising on public safety including emergency management, rail and road safety legislation, 
  • Advising on child safety obligations and investigations  
• Royal Commissions and Inquiries
  • Acting in over 150 coronial investigations and inquests, including in a number of significant major hearings
  • Acting in multiple Victorian inquiries and Royal Commissions including the Acted for the Country Fire Authority in the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission from the day after Black Saturday, leading a large team working for over 18 months as part of the Victorian Government Response to the Commission
  • Acting for multiple parties in the Report of the inquiry into the appointment of the former Prime Minister to administer multiple departments
  • Acting for a Departmental Secretary in the Royal Commission in the Home Insulation Program
  • Acting for a party in the Trade Union Royal Commission