Noeline commenced her professional life as a registered nurse. Prior to admission as a legal practitioner, she had a long history of employment in the health & social welfare industries and the labor movement including working as a policy advisor and sitting on many government advisory bodies at a state and national level.
Noeline was elected National Secretary of the Australian Social Welfare Union in 1988. In 1992, she became the Assistant National Secretary (Social and Community Services) of the Australian Services Union. In these positions, Noeline acted as advocate on all industrial matters relating to the social and community services in State and Federal jurisdictions in a wide range of industrial and labour law matters such as rule change proceedings and demarcation disputes. Noeline acted as advocate for social and community service workers in a range of forums including in negotiations with Federal and State governments on policy direction and funding of services.
In June 2001, Noeline joined the Litigation Group of Gilbert+Tobin, specializing in employment/industrial relations and labour law. During her employment at Gilbert+Tobin, Noeline’s work continued to focus on statutory and common law employment issues and discrimination matters including acting as either advocate or instructing solicitor in litigation. As part of her work, Noeline undertook due diligence on behalf a number clients. A major triumph for Noeline during this time was achieving industrial justice for an intellectually disabled woman in relation to wages, conditions and superannuation which flowed on to the client’s work colleagues. During her employment at Gilbert+Tobin continued to be involved with policy development, corporate governance and lobbying government.
Noeline returned to the Bar in October 2003 and continues to combine the traditional work of counsel – advising and advocating for clients in her areas of expertise with providing advice in a range of policy areas, corporate governance and strategy development.
Noeline has been engaged as a sessional lecturer at a number of tertiary institutions and private education facilities, lecturing in relation to social work practice; labour relations; and employment law. Since 2004, Noeline has lecturerd at the NSW College of Nursing on legal and ethical issues relating to nursing (in the Refresher Program and to Overseas Qualified Nurses) and on Management Obligations and Strategies for Neophyte Nurse Unit Managers.
