Elizabeth Bateman

• Arbitrators & Mediators
• Class Actions
• Commercial Law
• Competition
• Environment & Planning
• Equity
• Inquests & Inquiries
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Professional Negligence
• Public Law
• Sports, Gaming & Licensing

Elizabeth practices in all areas of commercial litigation and arbitration, including consumer law and product liability, construction, class actions, energy, contract, insurance, and professional liability proceedings. Elizabeth also appears in commissions and inquiries.

She has significant experience appearing in large-scale, high-value litigation, particularly in the energy, resources and infrastructure sectors. Elizabeth also regularly appears unled.

Since 2020, Elizabeth has been recognised annually in Doyles ‘Leading Barristers’ Guide, including more recently as a Preeminent Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel in Victoria (2024-2026) and a Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel in Australia (2024-2026).

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Laws (Honours).

Elizabeth is a member of the Arbitration Committee and Insurance Law Committee of the Victorian Bar Commercial Bar Association. She also appears from time to time for Carlton Football Club before the AFL Tribunal.

A selection of Elizabeth’s cases is as follows:

Elizabeth’s selected cases include:

General commercial

• Inpex Operations Australia Pty Ltd & Anor v Akzonobel NV & Ors [2024] FCA 815; [2024] FCA 1221; [2025] FCA 320; [2025] FCA 503; [2025] FCA 680; [2026] FCA 571: appeared for INPEX in a multi-billion dollar proceeding for alleged misleading or deceptive conduct and false and misleading representations relating to an industrial coating product for the Ichthys LNG Plant (led by J Gleeson KC, T Breakspear SC and G Crafti SC, with H Lenigas).
• Fuller v Fletcher Building Limited (VSC): acting for the defendant in a shareholder class action alleging misleading or deceptive conduct and breach of s. 1041E of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (led by E Collins SC, with R Rozenberg and S Nambiar).
• Board of Inquiry into the McCrae Landslide: appeared for Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in the Victorian Government Board of Inquiry into the 2025 landslide in McCrae, Victoria (led by K Foley SC, with C Viney and W Phillips).
• Boroondara City Council v ADCO Group & Anor [2025] VSC 774: appeared for the defendants in litigation for a mandatory injunction and alleged collateral contract relating to the provision of a parent company guarantee (led by K Foley SC).
• RW Health Partnership Pty Ltd v Lendlease Building Contractors Pty Ltd[2019] VSC 353: appeared for Lendlease on an application for a stay under s. 8 of the Commercial Arbitration Act 2011 (Vic) (led by J Gleeson KC).
• Australia A108 Property Management v Owners Corporation PS732028U (VSC): appeared unled for the defendant in litigation for alleged wrongful termination.
• Owners Corporation Plan No PS 316440K v Valiturus Pty Ltd (VCAT): appeared unled for the respondents resisting the levying of a special fee under s. 24 of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) having regard to the “benefit principle” for the repair of a historical building in Geelong.

Construction & Engineering

• CPB Contractors Pty Ltd & Anor v Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd & Ors (VSC): acting for the proof engineer in litigation concerning the West Gate Tunnel Project (led by G Crafti SC).
• ADCO Group Pty Ltd v Boroondara City Council (VSC): acting for ADCO in litigation concerning the collapse of the Boroondara Recreation Complex (led by K Foley SC, with D Hope).
• Wadren v Probuild [2026] VSC 94: acting for the plaintiff in litigation concerning structural defects in the Werribee Centre (led by N Pane KC and P Thiagarajan SC, with J Gray) (see also, (2024) 78 VR 199)).
• The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust v Ian Hartley Architects Pty Ltd & Ors: acting for The Uniting Church in Australia in a multiparty proceeding concerning defective foundations of a building (see, [2022] VSC 233) (led by N Pane KC).

Arbitration

• Appeared for an EPC subcontractor in a multi-billion dollar international arbitration (ICC, Singapore) concerning alleged repudiation of a contract for the EPC of a combined-cycle power plant within an LNG Plant (led by J Gleeson KC, with D Bennett and P Thiagarajan).
• Appeared for a contractor in an arbitration concerning the construction of a waste water infrastructure facility (led by T Margetts KC).
• Appeared for a multinational corporation in relation to the delivery of several windfarms in Australia, involving issues of transportation, grid connection, delay and damage (led by M Christie SC).
• Appeared for an insurer in a subrogated recovery action concerning the Royal Adelaide Hospital (led by J Gleeson KC and A Dinelli KC).

Professional negligence and insurance law

• Lendlease Building Pty Ltd v McKenzie Group Consulting (VSC): acting for the building surveyor in a professional negligence action relating to the use of combustible cladding (led by S Senathirajah KC).
• Owners Corporation No. 1 PS526704E v TressCox (a firm) (VSC): appeared for the law firm in a professional negligence action following Lendlease Engineering Pty Ltd v Owners Corporation No 1 PS526704E [2022] VSCA 105 concerning the limitation period on building actions (led by L Hannon KC (as her Honour then was).
• Owners Corporation PS623721 v Shangri-La Construction [2022] VCAT 1499: appeared for the building surveyor (led by J Tesarsch) in a professional negligence action relating to the use of combustible cladding and other defective works.
• Green & Taylor v QBE Insurance (Australia) Pty Ltd (VCAT): appeared for the home owners (led by T Margetts KC) in a claim under a policy of insurance, involving issues of election and waiver.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation. The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister's clerk have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.