Dr Kristine Hanscombe QC

Her administrative law practice includes both judicial review and advice to government as to matters of legislative drafting and related issues. She is experienced in professional disciplinary matters, and related processes, mostly in relation to the legal profession. In addition she has substantial experience in merits review administrative matters, both in tribunals and on appeal, and has appeared as counsel assisting in various types of executive inquiries. She assisted in the Ambulance Royal Commission with particular responsibility for the telecommunications engineering expert evidence. She has represented potentially affected persons in other Royal Commissions and coroner's inquests, including the Cole Royal Commission into Trade Unions, the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission and the Hayden Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption and Governance.  In the Child Abuse Royal Commission, she represented multiple victims of child sexual abuse by institutions in some case studies and responsible institutions in others, and most recently appeared in the Royal Commission into Youth Detention in the Northern Territory.

She has substantial experience in class actions, in both the Federal Court and the Victorian Supreme Court. Cases of this type have included the GIO, Aristocrat Leisure and Mediaworld shareholders’ cases, the Concept Sports multi-plaintiff proceeding, and the Contract Blinds industrial class action for breach of award and contract. She appeared for the applicant in De Brett v Qantas Airways Ltd (formerly Auskay Pty Ltd v Qantas Airways Ltd & Ors),a large cartel class action concerning air cargo freight rates.  She led a large disability discrimination class action, Duval-Comrie v Commonwealth, settlement of which was approved in December 2016, having previously conducted the test case on the issue, Nojin & Prior v Commonweath (2012) 208 FCR 1.  She is presently briefed for the Applicants and group members in the Palm Island class action, Wotton v State of Queensland.

She is routinely briefed in commercial cases involving complex questions of trust and property law, as well as those concerning deceased estates, including as to the construction of wills and related instruments.

She has a substantial appellate practice in both State and Federal jurisdictions. She is an active member of the Monash University Law School External Professional Advisory Group and the Advisory Board for the Clinical Program conducted by Monash Law School.  

Liability limited by a scheme approved under the Professional Standards Legislation