Areas of Practice

Class Actions | Human Rights | Contract Disputes | Education Law | Negotiation | Restraint of Trade | Redundancy | Disciplinary Action | |Workplace Bullying | General Protections | Unfair Dismissal | Sexual Harassment | Workplace Discrimination | Industrial Disputes | Whistleblower Protections | Privacy Issues | Environmental Law | Cultural Heritage

Class Actions

Benedict is briefed in a number of class actions/representative proceedings including currently the Queensland Police Service (QPS) COVID Vaccine Mandate Class Action, and the Bravus/Adani Mining Racial Vilification representative proceedings.

Benedict was briefed in the Western Australian Stolen Wages/Slavery Class Action (led by William Edwards SC and Joshua Creamer of Counsel), the Ms Julieka Dhu Fines Imprisonment Racial Discrimination Class Action (filed in the Federal Court in Perth), a number of Palestinian/Jewish Australian Racial Discrimination Representative Proceedings against prominent media commentators, the Channel 9 Palm Island section 18C Racial Vilification Class Action (filed in the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne/Sydney) the Banksia Hill Detention Centre/Unit 18 AHRC Group Complaints/ Class Actions (filed in the Federal Court of Australia in Perth).

Benedict has been briefed to investigate and advise on a wide-range of other class actions in human rights, privacy rights and digital technologies, extraterritorial liability of Australian mining companies and mass sexual harassment and disability discrimination class actions against prominent Australian institutions. This includes advising on prospects of a class action into Pacific Labour Scheme, a class action against the Public Trustee, Kids in Adult Watch Houses, widespread breaches of privacy by multinational social media companies including Bytedance (the owner of TikTok).

Benedict was previously employed as a class actions lawyer at one of Australia’s pre-eminent class actions firms. During that time, he worked on the Queensland Floods Class Action and the Equine Influenza Class Action as well as involvement in shareholder class actions and investigating prospective toxic tort class actions including lead contamination.

As a senior solicitor and litigator, Benedict ran a number of Group Complaints/representative proceedings in the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) against Google, Apple and Facebook and Channel 7 Sunrise for racial discrimination/vilification claims all of which successfully resolved prior to hearing. He has since been involved in investigating and formulating prospective class actions including the PFAS representative proceedings in Katherine and Darwin.

Benedict successfully completed the Class Actions Masters Course at the University of Melbourne taught by the Hon. Justice Bernard Murphy of the Federal Court of Australia. The course encompassed the origins of class actions/representative proceedings and developing class action jurisprudence in Australia and overseas comparable jurisdictions.

Employment, Industrial & Professional Disciplinary Matters

Benedict is regularly briefed to represent medical practitioners/professionals, legal practitioners/professionals, Military Veterans, and Public Servants (including at the executive level, media advisors, police officers and corrective service officers) in professional disciplinary matters.

Benedict has broad-ranging experience successfully representing clients from executive level positions at multinational companies to medical professionals, senior educators, legal professionals, Tradies and independent contractors in a wide variety of claims and causes of action.

Benedict has successfully represented a wide variety of Public Servants from a range of departments and agencies and levels of experience including Senior Ministerial Staffers, Deputy Commissioners, Chief Medical Officers, police officers, medical professionals, senior level managers, Paramedics, Police Officers, Corrective Service Officers as well as local government employees.

Prior to being called to the bar, Benedict successfully completed his Specialist Accreditation in Workplace and Industrial Law through the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) and the Queensland Law Society (QLS). Benedict has broad-ranging experience representing both employees and employers from a wide variety of professions and industries. In the federal jurisdiction, encompassing the Federal Court of Australia (FCA), the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), the Fair Work Commission (FWC), and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). In the Queensland jurisdiction, Benedict is regularly briefed to appear in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC), the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) and the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC). Benedict has also been briefed in matters before the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Supreme Court of Tasmania.

Benedict has successfully represented numerous medical and legal professionals, Military Veterans, Executives, a Chief Medical Officer, police officers and Corrective Service Officers in various types of claims relating to their employment

Benedict was successful in representing 54 police officers in a judicial review proceeding pursuant to the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) against the Queensland Police Service (QPS) COVID-Vaccine Mandate: Johnston & Sutton & Ors v Carroll (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service) & Anor [2024] QSC 2; 19 QR 1

Benedict was successful in representing 400+ council workers in defeating the proposed Vaccine Mandate policy of Gold Coast Council sought to be introduced to apply to 4,500 workers. He also represented 39 paramedics and employees of Ambulance Victoria in an industrial dispute against the Vaccine Mandate in December 2021.

Administrative & Constitutional

Benedict is a strong proponent of freedom of speech and democracy. Benedict is briefed to appear in constitutional matters including in relation to the Implied Freedom of Political Communication in the Australian Constitution.

Benedict is regularly briefed to appear in the Supreme Court of Queensland in judicial review applications and successfully represented 54 police officers in the judicial review of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) COVID-Vaccine Mandate Directions pursuant to the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld): Johnston & Sutton & Ors v Carroll (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service) & Anor [2024] QSC 2; 19 QR 1

As a solicitor, Benedict had wide-ranging experience successfully representing clients in judicial review matters before the Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Benedict has experience formulating innovative and robust frameworks for decisive litigation on matters of significant importance including in the areas of regulation of the medical profession, environmental protection, Migration Law, Native Title and involving constitutional arguments including the implied freedom of political communication.

Benedict is currently briefed in a number of matters regarding judicial review of forestry/logging practices in Tasmania.

Benedict has appeared judicial review proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia led by Julian Burnside QC representing a medical doctor in an application against the federal Minister for Health and the Director of the Professional Services Review, inter alia, under the Health Insurance Act 1973 (Cth) including constitutional argument on the Implied Freedom of Political Communication in the Australian Constitution.

Defamation & Vilification

Benedict accepts briefs for vilification claims (i.e. vilification on the grounds of race, religion, sexuality, sex characteristics or gender identity) and has successfully represented numerous clients pursuing such claims.

Benedict accepts briefs in defamation claims and has represented numerous clients in relation to defamation.

Benedict has:

successfully represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a long-running vilification claim against a prominent media commentator which was recently successful on appeal: Hill & Valkyrie v Shelton (No 2) [2026] QCATA 46; Hill & Valkyrie v Shelton [2025] QCATA 121
successfully represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a long-running vilification claim against a prominent media commentator represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a strike application of a judicial review application filed in the Supreme Court of Queensland: Shelton v Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal [2026] QSC 126

Privacy & Digital Rights

Benedict holds significant interest in the area of privacy rights and has experience in privacy rights litigation.

Benedict accepts briefs for breaches of privacy that may be actionable as a tort for breach of privacy and the new Statutory Tort for Serious Invasions of Orivacy under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1998 (Cth).

Benedict has represented clients in claims for damages for breaches of privacy rights in the State jurisdiction by government agencies pursuant to Chapter 5 of the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). Benedict also represents clients in reviewing and appealing Right to Information (RTI) decisions and Freedom of Information (FOI) decisions.

Benedict was previously appointed as supervisor of the Edinburgh International Justice Initiative (EIJI) (at the University of Edinburgh Law School, Scotland) conducting a year-long investigation and comparative analysis into the use of biometric surveillance by law enforcement agencies in three European jurisdictions for European Digital Rights (EDRi) .

Benedict was previously appointed to the Advisory Council of Digital Rights Watch Australia.

Commissions, Inquests and Inquiries

Benedict was briefed to appear in the Queensland Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry.

Benedict has significant experience as a solicitor in representing and appearing for bereaved families in Coronial Inquests and Coronial Investigations, namely in a number of Death-in-Custody and Death-in-Care Inquests. Benedict has significant insight and empathy for families going through this process from his own personal experiences.

Benedict also has experience in representing and appearing for clients in a variety of Commissions and Inquiries including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Case Study No. 38 with respect to the criminal process (which subsequently prompted legislative reform regarding tendency and coincidence evidence) and the Grantham Floods Commission of Inquiry.

Human Rights & Discrimination

Benedict has a deep and abiding interest in human rights and social justice issues stemming from his secondary education at John XXIII College under the motto of ‘Seek Justice’. As both a barrister and solicitor, Benedict has represented a broad range of clients in wide ranging unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment claims in both the State and Federal jurisdictions including, inter alia, racial discrimination group claims against some of the largest companies in the world (Google, Apple and Facebook) and large media companies (Channel 7/ Seven West Media Ltd) as well as representing women from all walks of life in sexual harassment and sex discrimination claims and children against educational institutions in disability discrimination and age discrimination claims.

Between 2016 and 2018 Benedict served two consecutive terms as national president of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), a national association of legal professionals active in practicing and promoting awareness of international human rights standards in Australia. During his tenure, and in conjunction with his Masters dissertation, Benedict co-founded and launched the campaign for a Queensland Human Rights Act which, after four years, was successful in seeing the passage of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).

Benedict attended Australia’s Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva as an NGO observer on behalf of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR).

Benedict has presented at numerous national conferences as a keynote speaker on human rights issues as well as at an international conference in Paris on the topic of international business and human rights.

Benedict has:

successfully represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a long-running vilification claim against a prominent media commentator which was recently successful on appeal: Hill & Valkyrie v Shelton (No 2) [2026] QCATA 46; Hill & Valkyrie v Shelton [2025] QCATA 121
successfully represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a long-running vilification claim against a prominent media commentator represent LGBTIQ+ clients in a strike application of a judicial review application filed in the Supreme Court of Queensland: Shelton v Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal [2026] QSC 126
successfully represent 54 Qld Police Officers against the Commissioner of Police’s Vaccine Mandate Directions pursuant to the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) which was successful: Johnston & Sutton & Ors v Carroll (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service) & Anor [2024] QSC 2; 19 QR 1
represent approximately 450 Gold Coast City Council workers in an industrial dispute successfully overturning the Council’s attempted introduction of a Vaccine Mandate over a period of about 6 months;
represent 39 Ambulance Victoria paramedics and staff members in an urgent injunction against the vaccine mandate;
represent numerous Corrective Service Officers, Public/Private School Teachers against COVID Vaccine mandates, filed in the Supreme Court of Queensland and yet to be heard.

Intentional Torts & Personal Injury

Benedict has an energetic interest and experience in traditional and intentional tort claims including false imprisonment claims, assault and battery, misfeasance in public office, the tort of conspiracy to injure via lawful/unlawful means, and the tort of deceit.

Benedict has experience as a solicitor in litigating intentional tort claims in the District Court of Queensland as well as developing prospects for such cases in the federal jurisdiction. Benedict has a background in personal injury law in Queensland and was employed for a time at a leading national personal injury law firm successfully advancing claims for clients in workers compensation, motor vehicle accidents and public liability law.

Benedict is particularly interested in the tort of misfeasance in public office as a means of accountability in government decision-making and protecting the rights of people adversely impacted by such decisions.

International

Benedict has been engaged to perform international advocacy in a number of different areas, from assisting with death penalty defences in the Philippines to cases of alleged corruption in the Asia Pacific, as well as working with international law firms to lodge complains with various United Nations Treaty Bodies, Working Groups and Special Rapporteurs. Benedict has also been involved in devising and running international litigation strategies in education and administrative law matters for international students.

Benedict has an active interest in Business and Human Rights and along with a number of his colleagues from the University of oxford he assisted in co-founding an international business and human rights consultancy, Synceritas. During the start-up phase Benedict engaged numerous NGOs and an international banking representative in Geneva for various projects including drafting and consulting on a substantive submission to the federal Australian Parliamentary Inquiry and Consultation regarding the introduction of a Modern Slavery Act for Australia. Benedict was also previously a Visiting Fellow of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Faculty of Law International Law and Global Governance (ILGG) Research Program.