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Experience

Sarah practises primarily in commercial and public law. Sarah also accepts briefs in law enforcement, quasi-criminal and some common law matters.

Sarah is regularly briefed to advise and appear in trials, appeals and other hearings within those fields, including in competition and consumer, financial services, constitutional and statutory interpretation matters. In 2018, Sarah was part of the team of counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.

Before coming to the Bar, Sarah was an Associate to the Hon Justice Stephen Gageler AC at the High Court of Australia. Sarah also worked as a Trial Division Researcher at the Supreme Court of Victoria, a solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team of King & Wood Mallesons, and a sessional lecturer in the JD program at Melbourne Law School.

Sarah holds undergraduate degrees in Arts and Law (with First Class Honours) from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School.

Recent matters in which Sarah has been briefed include:

Commercial and regulatory law

• Electoral Commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission v Laming (2024) 304 FCR 561 and [2024] HCASL 330: for the Commissioner, led by T Begbie KC
• Karpik v Carnival plc [2023] HCA 39; (2023) 98 ALJR 45: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth and the ACCC, intervening, led by S Donaghue KC, Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth and R Higgins SC, with S Rajanayagam
• Re Telstra Corporation Ltd (2023) 376 FLR 1: for the ACCC, led by M Hodge KC, with D Roche and M Salinger
• ACCC v Ashton Raggatt McDougall Pty Ltd [2023] FCA 351: for the ACCC, led by E Bennett SC
• Proceedings under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) (Federal Court of Australia): for the CEO of AUSTRAC, led by M Hodge KC, with C Gleeson, A Poukchanski and W Liu
• ACCC v BlueScope Steel Ltd (Federal Court of Australia): for the ACCC, led by M Hodge KC, with S Chordia (see, eg, [2020] FCA 625)
• Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd v ACCC [2020] FCA 117: for the ACCC, led by M Hodge KC and C Button KC, with N de Young, T Prince and D Foster
• Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (2018): Part of the team of counsel assisting, led by R Orr KC and M Hodge KC, with A Dinelli, E Dias, M Costello, M Hosking, C Schneider and T Farhall
• Director, Consumer Affairs Victoria v The Reject Shop [2018] FCA 211: for the respondent company, led by R Orr KC and P Neskovcin KC
• Application for merger authorisation by Tabcorp Holdings [2017] ACompT 1; ATPR 42-550: for the ACCC, led by A McClelland KC, with K Anderson, P Thiagarajan and I Cowen
• Abrahams v Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Federal Court of Australia, 2017, resolved prior to hearing): for the applicants, led by R Merkel KC, with E Nekvapil

Sarah also has experience in: other aspects of Part IV of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), including misuse of market power (Federal Court of Australia, led by R Orr KC, with D Roche) and informal merger clearances (led by P Collinson KC with S Hogan and S Rajanayagam); the Australian Consumer Law (led by M Hodge KC); and proceedings under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth).

Constitutional law

• Maxwell v Hersant (Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, Case No P12425201): for the Attorney-General of Victoria, intervening
• YBFZ v The Commonwealth [2024] HCA 40; (2024) 99 ALJR 1: for the Commonwealth, led by S Donaghue KC, with M Hosking
• Albyn Queensland Pty Ltd v Australian Postal Corporation [2024] VSC 584: for the Attorney-General of Victoria, intervening, with L Chircop
• Yuan An v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2024] VSC 518: for the Attorney-General of Victoria, intervening, with L Chircop
• Vanderstock v Victoria [2023] HCA 30; (2023) 98 ALJR 208: for the State of Victoria, led by R Orr KC, Solicitor-General for Victoria, with M Salinger
• Carr v Attorney-General of the Commonwealth [2023] FCA 1500: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, led by T Begbie KC
• Unions NSW v New South Wales [No 3] [2023] HCA 4; (2023) 277 CLR 627: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, intervening, led by S Donaghue KC, with S Rajanayagam
• Thurin v Krongold Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd [2022] VSCA 226; (2022) 407 ALR 187: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, intervening, led by G Hill SC
• Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs v Montgomery (High Court of Australia, resolved prior to judgment): for the Northern Land Council, intervening, led by S Glacken KC
• LibertyWorks Inc v The Commonwealth [2021] HCA 18; (2021) 274 CLR 1: for the Commonwealth, led by S Donaghue KC, with B Lim
• Zhang v Commissioner of Police [2021] HCA 16; (2021) 273 CLR 216: for the Commissioner, led by S Donaghue KC and P Herzfeld SC
• Palmer v Western Australia [2020] FCA 1220 and [2020] FCA 1221: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, intervening, led by S Donaghue KC, with P Herzfeld and M Hosking
• Zheng v Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police [2020] HCATrans 91: for the Commissioner, led by L Cheeseman SC, with D O’Leary
• Smethurst v Commissioner of Police [2020] HCA 14; (2020) 272 CLR 177: for the Commissioner and the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, intervening, led by S Donaghue KC and C Lenehan SC
• Minogue v Victoria [No 2] [2019] HCA 31; (2019) 268 CLR 1: for the State of Victoria, led by P Hanks KC, with A Pound
• Palmer v Australian Electoral Commission [2019] HCA 24; (2019) 269 CLR 196: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, led by S Donaghue KC, with G del Villar
• Re Canavan [2017] HCA 45; (2017) 263 CLR 284: for Mr Windsor, led by R Merkel KC and J Gleeson SC, with E Nekvapil

Sarah also has experience in matters relating to ss 51(xxxi) (High Court of Australia, led by R Orr KC, with T Goodwin), 90 (High Court of Australia, led by K Walker KC, Solicitor-General for Victoria, R Orr KC and C Young SC) and 109 of the Constitution (Supreme Court of Victoria, led by P Hanks KC).

Other public law matters

• Patrick v Australian Information Commissioner [2024] HCASL 291: for the Commissioner, led by Z Maud SC, with A Wharldall
• Northern Territory of Australia v Aboriginal Land Commissioner [2023] FCA 1183: for the Northern Land Council, led by S Glacken KC
• Harris v Victorian Electoral Commission [2020] VSC 676; (2020) 62 VR 460: for the plaintiffs, led by P Hanks KC
• DBE17 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2019] HCA 47; (2019) 266 CLR 156 (and related proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia): for the applicant, led by B Walker SC and B Quinn KC, with M Albert and M Guo
• Chief Commissioner of Police v AMJK Pty Ltd [2018] VSC 250: for the Chief Commissioner, led by P Hanks KC
• Northern Territory v Griffiths; Commonwealth v Griffiths [2017] FCAFC 106; (2017) 256 FCR 478: for the native title party, led by S Glacken KC, with G Hill
• Proceedings in the original jurisdiction of the High Court of Australia, the original and appellate jurisdictions of the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth): for both the applicant and the Minister, and both led and unled (see, eg, Lasalo v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2024] FCA 790)

Law enforcement and quasi-criminal matters

• Pre-committal and pre-trial hearings in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria and the County Court of Victoria: for the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police
• Benbrika v Attorney-General of the Commonwealth; Attorney-General of the Commonwealth v Benbrika [2024] VSC 265: for the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, led by P Hanks KC, with S Rajanayagam and M Jackson
• Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police v Luppino [2021] FCAFC 43; (2021) 284 FCR 233: for the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, led by N Williams SC
• Proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth) (County Court of Victoria): for the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, led by R Craig KC
• Proceedings under the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth): for the requested person, led by R Orr KC, C Harris KC and L De Ferrari SC (see, eg, United States v Ghodskani [2018] FCA 14)

Sarah also has experience in foreign bribery matters (led by R Orr KC, with M Keks).

Common law

• Eildon Resort Pty Ltd v State of Victoria (Supreme Court of Victoria, resolved prior to hearing): for the State of Victoria, led by L Brown, Crown Counsel
• Tortious proceedings for the recovery of land (Supreme Court of Victoria, resolved prior to hearing): for a local council, led by R Orr KC, with R Knowles
• Proceedings alleging professional negligence against legal representatives (Supreme Court of Victoria): for a member of counsel, led by D Collins KC, and for a firm of solicitors, led by S Horgan KC
• Sarah also has experience in matters involving false imprisonment, misfeasance in public office and novel duties of care.

Sarah was a reporter for the Commonwealth Law Reports from 2016-2022.

From 27 Oct 2016, liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation.