Calendar

Solicitors wishing to brief Matt may use this calendar as a guide to his anticipated availability. To confirm Matt's availability or to make a booking, please contact his Chambers on (07) 3211 5613 or email him directly at matt@mblack.com.au.

Matt is happy to receive electronic briefs from solicitors. His preferred format for electronic briefs is a single indexed and paginated PDF file.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Practice Areas

Matt conducts a general practice, with a particular interest in:

  • Administrative law and civil litigation.
  • Personal injuries and workers' compensation.
  • Disciplinary proceedings and criminal law.

Matt is happy to receive electronic briefs from solicitors. His preferred format for electronic briefs is a single indexed and paginated PDF file. To discuss details, contact Matt on (07) 3211 5613 or by email at matt@mblack.com.au.

Some published cases in which Matt has appeared are listed below.

2024

2023

2022

  • Cousins v State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service) [2022] QIRC 491 (21 December 2022).
  • Crime and Corruption Commission v Shearer [2022] QCATA 182 (led by Hunter KC; 21 December 2022).
  • Amory v RMS Engineering & Construction Pty Ltd [2022] FCA 1505 (16 December 2022).
  • Morgan v Parole Board Queensland [2022] QSC 280 (9 December 2022).
  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Gilliland [2022] FCA 1421 (30 November 2022).
  • Del Bono v Workers' Compensation Regulator [2022] QIRC 453 (23 November 2022).
  • Syddall and National Disability Insurance Agency [2022] AATA 3738 (8 November 2022).
  • QVLL and Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission [2022] AATA 3203 (4 October 2022).
  • Langerak v State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service) [2022] QIRC 327 (19 August 2022).
  • Queensland Building and Construction Commission v McMain [2022] QCATA 111 (11 August 2022; see also [2021] QCAT 332).
  • Secretary, Department of Social Services and Thomas [2022] AATA 2324 (21 July 2022).
  • Norvill v Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service [2022] QCA 104; (2022) 11 QR 9 (10 June 2022; see also [2021] QSC 133).
  • Kumar v Secretary, Department of Social Services [2022] FCAFC 95 (1 June 2022).
  • Anthony v Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service [2022] QSC 124 (30 May 2022).
  • Yang v Workcover Queensland [2022] QSC 56 (led by Grant-Taylor QC; 13 April 2022).
  • Hulbert v Queensland Racing Integrity Commission [2022] QCAT 130 (12 April 2022).

2021

2020

2019

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Publications

Some of Matt's papers, articles and commentary are reproduced below. Nothing in this material should be relied upon as legal advice or for any other purpose. The material is likely to be out-of-date, and to contain errors and omissions. Queries may be directed to Matt on (07) 3211 5613 or by email at matt@mblack.com.au.

Supervision Orders, Judicial Review and Human Rights

14 June 2024. Matt presented a discussion at the Human Rights and the Criminal Justice System CPD program hosted by Prisoners' Legal Service. The paper discusses some of the judicial review and human rights issues that arise in relation to the operation of supervision orders.

Migration Law and Criminal Proceedings

17 March 2023. Matt presented this paper at the Legalwise Criminal Law Symposium. The paper discusses some of the intersections between migration law and criminal law.

AAT social security and NDIS current issues

4 March 2022. Matt spoke about some current issues in merits review proceedings involving social security and NDIS matters in the AAT at the Legal Aid Queensland Civil Law Conference in Brisbane. These are Matt's speaking notes.

Child support DPOs and appeals

26 November 2021. Matt spoke about child support departure prohibition orders and child support appeals at the Family Law Practitioners' Association 2021 Family Law Retreat in Noosa. These are Matt's speaking notes.

Veterans: Best Practice for Advocacy

18 November 2021. Matt spoke at the Legalwise (online) Veterans' Entitlement and the Royal Commission Conference on the topic of advocacy through veterans' claims and tribunal reviews. These are Matt's speaking notes.

Tips for a Successful Statutory Review

12 February 2021. Matt delivered a talk at an Australian Lawyers Alliance conference on the topic of 'Tips for a Successful Statutory Review', with a focus on 'mid-tier review' processes – that is, internal or external reviews that sit a tier below formal reviews and appeals in bodies like the QIRC or AAT. These are Matt's speaking notes.

Veterans: Court and Tribunal Litigation

1 December 2020. Matt spoke at the (online) Veterans Legal Issues Conference on the topic of court and tribunal litigation as relevant to veterans. These are Matt's speaking notes.

Model Litigant Obligation

5 March 2020. Matt prepared this paper for a Legalwise seminar in Brisbane on 5 March 2020. The paper discusses the sources and nature of obligations that fall on Government lawyers in respect of the model litigant obligation, and some issues that can arise. The paper follows on from this 2019 paper on the same topics.

Interpretation of Delegated Legislation

22 November 2017. Matt prepared this paper for the Legalwise seminar "Administrative Law: Statutory Interpretation and Judicial Review" held in Brisbane.

WorkCover Psychiatric Injury Claims

14 June 2017. Matt delivered a talk at an Australian Lawyer's Alliance event on the topic of certain liability issues relating to psychiatric injury claims under the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003. These are Matt's speaking notes.

GEPI - Status, Construction and Judicial Review

5 February 2017. This paper discusses the status of the Queensland Guidelines for the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (GEPI) as a statutory instrument. It provides a general overview in relation to some points of interpretation and issues arising in judicial review of assessments made pursuant to the GEPI.

Overview of the Comcare scheme

3 September 2016. This paper provides a general overview of the 'Comcare scheme' (the Commonwealth workers' compensation scheme). It outlines some of the main types of compensation claims that are litigated in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and some of the general concepts that are involved.

Judicial review proceedings - a CLE/CPD for QPILCH volunteers

31 May 2016. Matt prepared and delivered this paper at the QPILCH session "Assisting self-represented litigants with Judicial Review proceedings: A CLE session for volunteers of the Self Representation Service at the State Courts". The paper refers to a sample case file prepared by QPILCH. The session was kindly hosted by DLA Piper.

Judicial review of decisions (and status of reasons for decisions)

8 March 2016 (updated 6 August 2016). Matt prepared this paper for the Legalwise seminar "The Decision Making and Reason Writing Process" held in Brisbane. The paper was kindly presented by Mr Matthew Taylor of counsel, due to Matt's unexpected unavailability. The paper includes a discusion of the evidentiary status of reasons in judicial review proceedings.

Stay orders and disciplinary sanctions

8 September 2015. Matt prepared and presented this paper at the Queensland Law Society seminar "In Focus: Disciplinary Law". The paper discusses the power of QCAT and the AAT to stay disciplinary sanctions pending review, and matters for consideration when preparing an application for a stay order.

Challenging Administrative Decisions - merits review and judicial review

July 2015. Matt prepared this paper for a CPDS seminar. The paper was kindly presented by Mr Paul Flintoft, solicitor, due to Matt's unexpected unavailability. The paper discusses issues in both merits review proceedings and judicial review proceedings.

Tribunal Adjournments, Amendments and Admission of Evidence

26 March 2014. Matt prepared and presented this paper for the Legalwise seminar "Administrative Law: Key Decisions and Tribunal Practice". The paper discusses the issues of adjournments, amendments and the rejection of evidence in the AAT and QCAT.

Caring for the injured plaintiff - A back to basics for care claims

12 September 2013. Matt prepared and presented this talk at an Australian Lawyers Alliance seminar in Brisbane. The talk gives an overview of basic principles in paid or gratuitous care claims in personal injury matters.

Notes on Future Economic Loss

21 May 2013. Matt prepared and presented this talk at a Cooper Grace Ward lunchtime seminar in Brisbane. The talk deals with some general issues that arise in personal injury claims for future economic loss.

Tribunal review of social security compliance penalty decisions

In 2010, Matt prepared this brief paper on the topic of social security compliance penalties for the Social Security Reporter.

Towards a duty to disclose security breaches

In 2005, Matt published an article titled 'Towards a Duty to Disclose Security Breaches' in volume 8 (number 7) of the Internet Law Bulletin. This was one of the first publications to examine the issue of data breach notification in Australia (see the discussion in Burdon, Mark (2011) The Conceptual and Operational Compatibility of Data Breach Notification and Information Privacy Laws).

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

About

Matt Black is a barrister practising out of Brisbane's Quay 11 Chambers. Matt provides timely and pragmatic advice and advocacy, with a focus on achieving lasting results for clients. He advises and appears for a range of private and government clients in both state and federal jurisdictions.

Matt holds Bachelor's degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Griffith University and Law from the University of New England. He has completed the Advocacy Skills workshop with the Australian Advocacy Institute and the Advanced Trial Advocacy program with the Australian Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Queensland, the High Court of Australia, and the High Court of New Zealand (but does not currently hold a NZ practising certificate).

Immediately before coming to the Bar, Matt was an in-house lawyer with the legal services branch of Centrelink (now known as 'Services Australia'). He was the manager of a team of legal officers, with primarily an administrative law and debt litigation practice. His previous experience includes legal research for their Honours Kingham P and Koppenol DCJ (both formerly of the Land and Resources Tribunal).

Matt's other experience includes:

  • Since 2020, Matt has been a member of the Bar Association of Queensland's Future and Technology Committee. In this role, he has contributed to feedback and submissions to the Federal Court of Australia in relation to the use of techology in case management and trials.
  • Since 2018, Matt has held ad hoc appointments as an Inspector under the Corrective Services Act 2006 (Qld) for the purpose of investigating and reporting on deaths in custody and other matters.
  • From 2017 to 2020, Matt was a member of the Bar Association of Queensland's Migration Law Committee. In 2015, he was part of the legal team which was awarded the Australian Lawyers Alliance Civil Justice Award for its pro bono work on a significant migration law case.
  • Since 2017, Matt has been a reporter for the Queensland Reports (being the Authorised Reports of the Supreme Court of Queensland).
  • From 2010 to 2016, Matt held an appointment as an Official Visitor under the Corrective Services Act 2006 (Qld). In that role, he regularly attended correctional centres around South East Queensland to investigate prisoner complaints and review departmental decisions. Official Visitors form part of a statutory program of independent review that ensures administrative decisions made within correctional centres are fair and accountable. Official Visitors are also responsible for reviewing discrimination complaints, safety orders and maximum security orders.
  • From 2012 to 2015, Matt taught administrative law as a casual lecturer with the College of Law in Brisbane.
  • In 2010, Matt was called to the private Bar in Queensland.
  • From 2006 to 2010, Matt worked in the legal services branch of Centrelink (now 'Services Australia'). He regularly appeared in contested hearings in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and instructed external legal providers in Federal Court litigation.
  • From 2004 to 2006, Matt undertook legal research for the Land and Resources Tribunal, including working directly for Judge Koppenol (then President of the Tribunal) and Judge Kingham (then Deputy President of the Tribunal).
  • From 2003 to 2004, Matt worked in the members' support team at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, providing hearing room support and general assistance to members of the Tribunal.
  • In 2003, Matt undertook an internship at the Australian Institute of Criminology in Canberra. Resulting from this work he published two peer-reviewed papers in the AIC's Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice series: "Electronic monitoring in the criminal justice system" (with Russell G. Smith) and "Victim submissions to parole boards : the agenda for research".

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.