Karl Luke

Karl acts for major employers including energy, oil and gas, mining, defence, construction, manufacturing, health, technology, disability and aged care organisations. Karl’s practice spans both contentious and advisory employment and WHS work, acting for boards, executives, general counsel and HR across private and government clients. He is the author of the Thomson Reuters National Work Health and Safety Practice subscription service.

Karl advises on all aspects of employment law and WHS governance, acting as both barrister and solicitor across more than 30 years of practice. His contentious work covers workplace litigation, workers compensation, WHS investigations and prosecutions, coronial inquests, Royal Commissions and general protections and unfair dismissal matters. His advisory practice spans performance management, termination, enterprise bargaining, transfer of business, bullying, harassment and discrimination, and WHS governance systems for boards and executives. He conducts workplace assessments, independent investigations and cultural reviews.

Karl has advised the Australian Submarine Corporation on a major safety governance project, designed safety management frameworks for ElectraNet, and conducted WHS governance reviews for major defence and energy operators. He has appeared as counsel in coronial inquests, Royal Commissions and WHS prosecutions across all Australian jurisdictions, and has conducted more than 600 WHS regulatory investigations and defended over 250 WHS prosecutions as part of the Thomsons national employment team.