Kingston Reid has appointed Joanna (Jo) Macchiesi as Special Counsel in its Melbourne office, further strengthening the firm’s national Safety and Regulatory practice.

Kingston Reid Managing Partner Alice DeBoos says:

“We are thrilled to welcome Jo to Kingston Reid. With deep expertise in safety, regulatory and employment matters across a wide range of industries, Jo will be an invaluable addition to our national team. This appointment reflects our continued commitment to providing market-leading advice to clients facing increasingly complex safety and compliance challenges.”

Jo has previously held senior in-house and private practice roles, including leading the design and implementation of major safety management systems for large enterprises.

Key work health and safety issues to watch in 2025 …

Jo joins the firm’s Melbourne office amid ongoing legislative reforms in the state and across Australia, but says there are two key work health and safety issues that employers need to be mindful of for the remainder of 2025:

“First, the new psychological health regulations that the Victorian Government is set to release next month, and which will take effect from 1 December 2025. This will align Victoria with regulations introduced in other Australian states and territories, reinforcing that psychosocial hazards, being work-related factors which can lead to physical or mental injury, are to be treated the same as physical hazards. Together with a Compliance Code providing practical guidance, employers with operations in Victoria will have greater clarity on how to meet their obligations to provide a psychologically safe workplace.

Second, across Australia we have seen increasing scrutiny of directors and officers following serious incidents, reinforcing the expectation that safety leadership is actively demonstrated from the top. While Victorian officers do not have the same positive due diligence duty that exists in other states and territories, they must be able to demonstrate the steps taken to ensure their organisation complies with its safety obligations. This is particularly important given the regulator’s heightened focus on individual liability.”

Jo Macchiesi is a Special Counsel in Kingston Reid’s Melbourne office.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining Kingston Reid and to play a key role in growing its Safety and Regulatory practice in Victoria,” Jo says. “I look forward to drawing on my operational experience to provide clients with practical, commercially focused advice that enables them to achieve sustainable and compliant outcomes.”

Kingston Reid Partner and Safety & Regulatory national lead John Makris says:

“Having Jo join the team is a significant development for Kingston Reid’s Safety and Regulatory practice. Her insights into the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly in Victoria, will be invaluable as our clients navigate new challenges and heightened expectations around workplace safety and governance.”

Jo brings extensive experience advising employers on work health and safety, employee relations, governance, and risk and compliance across sectors including education, mining, manufacturing, betting and financial services.

For further details, you can find Jo’s profile on our website here.