Matt Jackson

Contact

Areas of Practice

  • Criminal Law
  • Regulatory Law
  • Appellate – criminal
  • Public/Administrative Law
  • Civil & Human Rights/Discriminations
  • Inquests
  • Commissions of Inquiry
  • Statutory Tribunals
Matt Jackson

Expertise

Matt was called to the Bar in 2018. He has established a trial and appellate practice.

His trial practice is broad. He practises primarily in criminal law, and is regularly briefed to appear in pre-trial applications, sentences and jury trials in the District and Supreme Court, predominantly for defence. But his practice also extends to quasi-criminal proceedings: Allwood v Attorney-General (2021) 7 QR 346 (DPSOA; unled)  

Matt also appears unled in criminal and regulatory proceedings in the Magistrates Court for both the defence and prosecution: Malaguti v Orchard [2020] QDC 242 (Matt appeared at first instance on behalf of the National Regulator and was led on appeal by Crowley QC)

His trial practice also extends to appearing in professional disciplinary matters and coronial inquests. He has recently appeared led and unled in matters involving human rights and discrimination complaints: SQH v Scott [2022] QSC 16  [to be reported] (human rights; led by Holt KC) and Athwal v State of Queensland [2022] QSC 209 [to be reported] (led by Holt KC; appeal has been lodged).

Matt’s appellate practice includes appearing unled in appeals from the Magistrates Court to the District Court, for both the prosecution and defence.

He has been led in a number of applications for special leave  and appeals in the High Court: R v Baxter [2019] HCA 234 (special leave refused at an oral hearing: appearing for the respondent; led by Crowley QC); R v HBZ [2020] HCA Trans 187 (special leave refused at an oral hearing: appearing for the applicant; led by Holt KC); Davidson v The Queen [2021] HCA Trans 1 (special leave refused after a Full Court referral; led by McCarthy); GBF v The Queen [2020] 94 ALJR 1037 (appeal allowed; led by Holt KC).

Matt now appears unled in the Court of Appeal: R v Spreadborough [2020] QCA 291 (notable unreported decision); R v Taufao [2022] QCA 30; R v Turner [2022] QCA 175  (notable unreported decision); R v Woosup [2022] QCA 270 (conviction appeal allowed).  

Matt is regularly briefed to advise on strategic decisions pre-committal, and for advice on appellate prospects.

Qualifications, Appointments and Admissions

  • 2014 Bachelor of Laws (Public Law major) / Bachelor of International Relations (Business) (Bond)
  • 2016 Admitted as a Solicitor, Supreme Court of Queensland
  • 2017 Admitted as a Solicitor, High Court of Australia
  • 2018 Admitted as a Barrister, Supreme Court of Queensland
  • 2020 L.L.M. (Research) (QUT) Thesis Title: Gladue, Bugmy and ‘Special Treatment’ – Reconciling a Proposal for Sentencing Law Reform in Queensland with s.10 of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth)

Professional History

2012 – 2014     

Law Clerk, Nyst Legal – recipient of Nyst Legal Indigenous Corporate Scholarship

2015               

Associate to his Honour Judge Long SC, District Court of Queensland 

2016 – 2018     

Solicitor, Nyst Legal

Other Professional / Academic Contributions

2015 – 2017     

Volunteer Lawyer, Griffith University Innocence Project    

2016               

Guest Lecturer, Bond University, Criminal Law and Procedure

2017                 

Author, Submission (no 62) to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into incarceration rate of Indigenous Australians – cited at [6.100] and [6.103] in the ‘Pathways to Justice – An Inquiry into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’, Final Report (Report 133, 28 March 2018) 

2021-2022

Management Committee, Caxton Legal Centr

Professional Memberships

  • Bar Association of Queensland
  • Law and Justice Institute Queensland
  • Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

Notable Cases

R v Walker 2022 QCA 54 (sentence appeal; unled)

R v Taufao [2022] QCA 30 (conviction appeal; unled)

SQH v Scott [2022] QSC 16 [to be reported] (human rights; led by Holt Q.C.)

Allwood v Attorney-General (2021) 7 QR 346 (DPSOA; unled)

Davidson v The Queen [2021] HCA Trans 1 (special leave refused after a Full Court referral; led by McCarthy)

GBF v The Queen [2020] 94 ALJR 1037 (appeal allowed; led by Holt Q.C.)

Magill v The Commissioner of Police [2020] QDC 8 (unled; appeal dismissed)

Maher v The Commissioner of Police [2020] QDC 45 (unled; appeal allowed)

R v HBZ [2020] HCA Trans 187 (special leave refused at an oral hearing: appearing for the applicant; led by Holt Q.C.)

R v Spreadborough [2020] QCA 291(unled; notable unreported decision)

MCO v The Queen [2019] HCA Trans 73 (special leave refused at an oral hearing: appearing for the applicant; led by Callaghan S.C.)

R v Baxter [2019] HCA 234 (special leave refused at an oral hearing: appearing for the respondent; led by Crowley Q.C.)  

R v Mahony [2019] QCA 131 (led by Holt Q.C.)