The Hon Graeme Watson has long been recognised as a preeminent employment and labour law expert, and a much sought after strategic adviser on industrial relations and collective labour issues.
In 2006, after 19 years as a partner of a leading employee relations law practice Graeme was honoured to be appointed Vice President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and subsequently the Fair Work Commission. In those capacities he was the panel head for many important industries including airlines, oil and gas, retail, hospitality, registered organisations, major projects, health and welfare, education and maritime.
He served on numerous full benches including the 2008-2010 award modernisation full bench that reduced thousands of disparate instruments to 122 modern awards.
After leaving the bench he became the senior Industrial relations adviser to the Morrison government from 2018 to 2021.
As a law firm partner, senior tribunal member, mediator and ministerial adviser Graeme has knowledge and experience across all industry sectors, and particular expertise in energy and resources, airlines, supply chains, financial services, manufacturing, and retail. He has been involved in Australia’s largest industrial disputes from a variety of perspectives and is well known to all industry participants.
His achievements include negotiating the resolution to the 1998 waterfront dispute, advising Comalco in the 1996 Weipa dispute, rationalising work practices in the coal industry, arbitrating the outcome of the 2012 Qantas dispute, advising the federal government during the Covid era, and assisting the Commonwealth Bank adopt a private sector culture.
Graeme has an unparallelled reputation within both business and government for his specialist knowledge, successful change management strategies, the development of high performance workplace cultures, strategic advice, legislative reform and commercial nous.
Graeme is the chair of the Minerals Council of Australia Workplace Relations Taskforce. He is a regular opinion contributor to the Australian Financial Review.
Graeme’s expertise includes:
- industrial relations and collective labour issues
- workplace cultures
- change management and restructures
- legislative and regulative reform
- employment disputes of all types
