Principal Prosecutor – Make an Impact in Health and Safety Law
Are you a legal professional looking to take the next step in your career? This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference prosecuting work health and safety cases in Queensland.

We’re looking for passionate legal professionals who are:
• Admitted (or eligible for admission) as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of Queensland.
• Critical thinkers with strong advocacy and communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a collaborative and inclusive environment.

If you have advocacy experience and a keen interest in work health and safety and resources safety law, we’d love to hear from you.

Job details

Why Join us?
The Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor (OWHSP) plays a vital role in ensuring safe workplaces across Queensland.

As a Principal Prosecutor you will assist the OWHSP with the provision of an effective prosecutions service, including by providing authoritative and timely legal advice, assessing briefs of evidence, appearing in sentences and hearings and by managing the conduct of trials and appeals. You will liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including investigators, legal professionals and other experts.

The OWHSP is responsible for:
• Instituting and defending proceedings, including criminal prosecutions and civil penalty proceedings under:
• the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Electrical Safety Act 2002 and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 (WHS Acts); and
• the Coal Mining Safety and Health Act 1999, Explosives Act 1999, Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act 1999 and Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Resources Safety Acts).
• Applying the Guidelines of the Director of Public Prosecutions in determining whether or not to commence criminal prosecutions.
• Providing advice to the Work Health and Safety Regulator on matters arising under the WHS Acts, and the Resources Safety and Health Regulator on matters arising under the Resources Safety Acts.

Key role responsibilities include:
• Provide high quality legal advice (both written and oral), primarily on complex and critical prosecution briefs for alleged breaches of the WHS Acts and Resources Safety Acts (legislation), including to the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor and to investigators.
• Prepare matters for trial and sentence.
• Assist with the provision of training, including in relation to judicial process and evidential standards, to investigators and mentor junior prosecutors.
• Appear in court as required in complex matters and instruct external counsel in more complex prosecutions.
• Maintain effective liaison with courts and other stakeholders, including defence legal representatives.
• Provide information on the outcomes of legal proceedings, including in relation to the need for new or amending legislation and the effect of existing or proposed legislation as relevant.

Mandatory qualifications or conditions:
• You will be admitted (or eligible for admission) as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of Queensland.
• Intrastate travel is required and includes same day and multi-day (overnight) travel.
• An Open C class drivers' licence is a requirement with the ability to drive to local Court locations.

How to Apply:
Please refer to the attached role description for further details including the requirement to include your current resume, two referees, and a statement addressing the “What we are looking for” section, in particular, how it is your relevant skills and capabilities align with the key capabilities of the role as set out within that section.

Enquiries about culture, safety or reasonable adjustments can be directed to the contact person for this role. For technical difficulties with submitting your application, contact 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or phone OIR Human Resources on Ph: (07) 3406 9943. Please allow enough time before the closing date to submit your application. Requests for late applications are to be forwarded to the contact person for consideration. Please read OWHSP's Applicant guide to learn more about the OWHSP and assist you to apply for a role. To discuss your needs for cultural safety or reasonable adjustments to help you participate in the recruitment and selection process, please advise the contact person for this role.

Applications to remain current fo 12 months.

Further information

We are committed to building inclusive cultures in the Queensland public sector that respect and promote human rights and diversity.

Please ensure you download all attachments and follow the instructions on how to apply.

Documents

Before applying for this vacancy please ensure you read the documents below.

• Applicant Guide for OWHSP positions (PDF, 281KB)
  
  
  687686 26 Role Description v1 (Word, 869KB)