Elyane’s commitment to workers’ rights was ignited during the 1998 waterfront dispute, where witnessing the strength of collective action set her on a path in the union movement. Throughout her career, she has maintained a strong focus on empowering and supporting her clients.
Elyane has extensive experience as both an advocate and instructing counsel across numerous Australian courts and tribunals, including the Fair Work Commission, the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and the Federal Court of Australia. Her practice spans registered organisations, enterprise bargaining, award interpretation, industrial action, unfair dismissal, right‑of‑entry matters, and collective employment disputes.
Her professional background includes roles in government, higher education, and the not‑for‑profit sector, including work with a labour rights organisation in Beijing. Before joining Hall Payne Lawyers, she served as Principal at the Migrant Workers Centre, where she established a new community legal service dedicated to providing free employment law advice to migrants.
Elyane holds a Juris Doctor, a Graduate Certificate in Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours in Industrial Relations). She is an accredited specialist in workplace relations law with the Law Institute of Victoria and serves on its advisory committee for that practice area. She has also taught industrial relations at the University of Western Australia and Notre Dame University and has delivered CPD programs for organisations such as UnionsWA and the ACTU.
Her scholarly contributions include co-authoring a widely cited academic paper on gender pay equity in the aged care sector, “Sustaining low pay in aged care work” (2012).
Professionally, she has been recognised in Doyle’s Guide (2020–2024) as a Leading In‑House Employment & WHS Lawyer for her work with the CFMEU, where she managed significant Federal Court and High Court civil penalty proceedings.
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