Kat Eather
Partner
Kat is the founder of Workable Law & IR and a Partner of the firm. She has more than 18 years’ experience practising in employment law and industrial relations, gained in specialist and top-tier law firms and in senior in-house roles with major Australian organisations.
Kat is an industrial relations specialist with deep experience at the bargaining table, in complex workplace disputes and in strategic workforce reform. She has partnered with organisations to lead enterprise bargaining negotiations across large, unionised and multi-site workforces, advised on industrial strategy for major infrastructure and resources projects, and represented employers in high-stakes disputes before the Fair Work Commission and superior courts.
Her experience spans senior in-house industrial relations leadership in the infrastructure sector, private practice in leading employment law firms, and executive-level roles involving workplace policy and regulatory reform. She understands both the legal framework and the commercial realities facing Australian employers.
Kat regularly advises on:
Enterprise bargaining and industrial strategy
Industrial disputes, protected industrial action and right of entry matters
Complex restructures, redundancies and workforce change program
Executive employment
Workplace investigations and regulatory matters
General protections, unfair dismissal, post-employment restraints and employment litigation
Development of compliant and practical workplace governance frameworks, including enterprise agreements, awards compliance, contracts and policies
Submissions, evidence and advocacy to Government inquiries, statutory reviews and other industry consultations.
She has acted for Australian and multi-national businesses, large and small, across industries including construction, contracting, infrastructure, retail, professional services, technology, aged care and health services, education, financial services and manufacturing. Kat has held statutory appointments to the National Workplace Relations Consultative Committee and the Energy Industry Worker Redeployment Advisory Group, and been a member of the Fair Work Ombudsman Tripartite Advisory Group.
Kat is known for her clear, pragmatic advice and her ability to resolve complex workforce issues in a legally sound, commercially workable way.
Qualifications
Kat is admitted to practice in New South Wales and holds a Master of Labour Law and Relations from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University
Kat is recognised in the Doyle's Guide as a Leading In-House Employment and WHS Lawyer (2019 to 2022).

