Shae McCartney

Clayton Utz
Partner Brisbane

Shae McCartney provides appropriately structured, strategic and operational advice to ensure that business outcomes can be met and industrial interests remain strongly protected.

– Legal 500 Asia Pacific

Overview

Shae leads the national safety practice and provides sharp counsel to large corporations. With over 25 years of expertise, Shae specialises in industrial and employment issues, strategic industrial relations, workplace health and safety, as well as legal compliance, regularly advising on monumental projects and disputes. Her clients consistently praise her deep industry insights, combined with a genuine interest and grasp of their business intricacies, resulting in consistently practical, commercially-minded, and outcome-driven legal guidance.

Notable Work
  • Toowoomba Bypass project: advised on safety incidents, regulatory compliance, and complex industrial and safety issues.
  • Cross River Rail Project: managed work health and safety strategies across complex interface arrangements and multiple work packages.
  • Safe Work Australia: reviewed the feasibility of developing national WHS sentencing guidelines.
  • Critical incident response leadership: practical guidance during complex incidents, including fatalities, outbreaks, and personal liability implications, such as Legacy Way and APLNG/Origin safety incidents.
  • Due diligence advice: advises on complex risks, particularly in energy, resources, and infrastructure acquisitions.
  • Remote work: navigates challenges including confidential matters, complex sexual harassment and compliance issues.
Insights
Universities should act now to address robust recommendations in report into the quality of governance
12 Dec 2025 | Article
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Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) – key changes
26 Nov 2025 | Article
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Reduce hearing risk: New obligations for Queensland employers commence 29 July 2025
1 Jul 2025 | Article
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CFMEU Administration upheld by High Court ruling, clearing the path for major union reforms
19 Jun 2025 | Article
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Chambers Global Practice Guides - HR Internal Investigations 2025
19 Mar 2025 | Document
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New obligations introduced for Queensland employers to manage the risk of workplace sexual harassment
10 Oct 2024 | Article
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Closing Loopholes No 2: What you need to know about the next raft of changes commencing 26 August
26 Aug 2024 | Article
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Fair Work Commission to review fixed term clauses in university modern awards
22 Jul 2024 | Article
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Perspectives on Closing Loopholes with Clayton Utz
14 Jun 2024 | Audio
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Closing Loopholes No. 2: what you need to know on the right to disconnect, casual employment and more
21 Feb 2024 | Article
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Closing Loopholes Bill split in two: Wage theft and labour hire amendments passed the Senate today
7 Dec 2023 | Article
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New rules for fixed-term contracts from 6 December 2023: are you ready?
30 Nov 2023 | Article
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Do you understand your employees' public holiday entitlements?
22 Nov 2023 | Article
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IR reforms 3.0: get ready for changes to casual and gig employment, labour hire, wage theft and union rights
5 Sep 2023 | Article
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Multi-employer bargaining and flexible work laws start today
6 Jun 2023 | Article
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Contract remains king and the superannuation guarantee is still unsettled, so check your independent contractor contracts
29 May 2023 | Article
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Poor report card on modern slavery compliance acknowledged with $8m to implement Anti-Slavery Commissioner
12 May 2023 | Article
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What to know about the new Psychosocial Code of Practice
22 Feb 2023 | Article
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Employment outside NSW won’t automatically count for long service leave in NSW, so review how you track it now
15 Dec 2022 | Article
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Media: Secure Jobs, Better Pay
28 Nov 2022 | Article
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Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill to be introduced to Federal Parliament next week, but how far it goes is still unknown
19 Oct 2022 | Article
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Navigating Australia’s record-breaking labour market – a Governance perspective
24 Aug 2022 | Article
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Revised Building Code released, and reduction in powers of the ABCC
26 Jul 2022 | Article
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Reverse onus WHS laws promised by new Labor Government
9 Jun 2022 | Article
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Federal election 2022: The new Labor Government's industrial relations agenda at a glance
23 May 2022 | Article
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CU Safe Q&A
12 May 2022 | Article
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Industrial manslaughter update: Person controlling a business or undertaking (PCBU) sentenced to 5 years' jail
31 Mar 2022 | Article
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European Commission takes huge step towards mandating corporate sustainability due diligence
17 Mar 2022 | Article
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The terms of the contract are decisive of the employee/contractor issue – with some provisos, says High Court
11 Feb 2022 | Article
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Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination directions for Queensland
23 Dec 2021 | Article
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Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies still possible, if done correctly
6 Dec 2021 | Article
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My employee refuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19: What do I do?
29 Nov 2021 | Article
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Mythbusting legal misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine mandates: what employers can do
16 Nov 2021 | Article
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WA mining mandate directions issued
3 Nov 2021 | Article
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Webinar: Managing psychosocial responsibilities
20 Oct 2021 | Article
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New mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for Victorian authorised workers
8 Oct 2021 | Article
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Key steps to getting your ESG right
2 Sep 2021 | Article
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Clayton Utz Safety pod
31 Aug 2021 | Article
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Webinar: Keeping up to date with the latest in workplace law: Have you been paying attention?
19 Aug 2021 | Article
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High Court overturns Rossato decision giving clarity around casual employee classification
5 Aug 2021 | Article
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Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry into Grosvenor coal mine explosion releases final report and recommendations
16 Jun 2021 | Article
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Latest Government guidance reaffirms voluntary COVID-19 vaccination policy
23 Feb 2021 | Article
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The Federal Government's omnibus IR reforms legislation: what is in, what is out, and what you need to do now
10 Dec 2020 | Article
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Managing the risk of WHS incidents while working from home
18 Aug 2020 | Article
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High Court gives employers some relief by fixing unreasonable view of personal leave accruals
13 Aug 2020 | Article
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The Dreamworld tragedy: the Coroner's findings, the prosecution and lessons learnt
6 Aug 2020 | Article
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Victoria's work restrictions – considerations for all Australian employers
3 Aug 2020 | Article
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Victorian employers' COVID-19 incident notification duties have changed
30 Jul 2020 | Article
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Victoria to mandate face coverings - what does this mean for PCBUs across Australia?
21 Jul 2020 | Article
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Queensland mining & resources changes come into effect from 1 July 2020
29 Jun 2020 | Article
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