Jay Hatten

Jay is a Principal with a focus on Litigation, Dispute Resolution & WH&S, and a founding member of CDI Lawyers.

E: jhatten@cdilawyers.com.au

Jay is a Principal at CDI Lawyers with a strong focus on dispute resolution, litigation and work health and safety in the construction, development, infrastructure, mining and natural resource industries. Jay’s background experience and involvement with some of Australia’s largest ever disputes in those industries enables Jay to efficiently and practically advise his clients on work health and safety related issues by utilising his experience and insights into the technical and practical requirements, complexities and the time related pressures associated with such projects.

In relation to his dispute resolution and litigation practice, Jay’s experience includes disputes under the security of payment legislation, termination, cashing securities, latent conditions, variations, extension of time claims, delay costs, and the application of contractual time bars. Such experience included acting for a joint venture of Monadelphous Engineering and Muhibbah (Malaysia) concerning the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal in Gladstone:

• The recovery of over $220 million in one of Australia’s largest ever adjudication disputes; and
• Supreme Court proceedings concerning claims and counterclaims in excess of $400 million.

In relation to his work health and safety practice, Jay’s experience included acting for an international client in relation to the fatality on the Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin, which saw Jay on-site almost immediately after the incident providing urgent support and legal guidance in relation to the internal and regulatory investigations, the management of union officials and compliance with regulatory action. In the subsequent criminal prosecution proceedings, Jay successfully argued that the charge brought by the statutory authority against his client was invalid, resulting in the charge being dismissed.

Jay’s work health and safety experience was also recently recognised in the 2025 Doyles Legal Rankings with Jay listed as one of the highly “Recommended” Work Health and Safety Lawyers in Queensland.

Select matters and projects

Managing and conducting investigations of a workplace fatality by WorkSafe officials, the Coroner, Unions and internal investigations – Fatality on the $50 billion-dollar Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin, requiring management and coordination of parties, workers and officials, the management and conduction of investigations and daily on-site support to the client and its employees.

Prosecution of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd by NT Work Health Authority – Successful strike out of charges brought against Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan) arising from the fatality of a worker.

Expert Determination – Latent conditions and associated delay and variation claims – Acting for the developer of a 25-storey, 220 apartment, mixed-use residential and retail development regarding a number of alleged latent conditions encountered by the contractor and the associated delay and variation claims. This required a detailed understanding and analysis of foundation piling, geotechnical reports and surveys, retail building foundations and ground anchoring.

OFSC Accreditation and ISO Accreditations – advising and assisting an international construction company with respect to it obtaining Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner Accreditation (OFSC Accreditation) and International Organisation of or Standardisation Accreditations (IFO Accreditation).

Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal, Gladstone (AU$6 billion) – Acting for the joint venture of Monadelphous Engineering and Muhibbah Engineering (Malaysia) against the developer of an AU$6 billion coal terminal in Gladstone, QLD. Monadelphous and Muhibbah recovered over AU$220 million arising from hundreds of complex and interrelated variation, delay and disruption claims.

ICC Arbitration, Ichthys LNG project, Darwin (AU$50 billion) – Acting for multinational Japanese heavy industries contractor in an AU$1.2 billion international arbitration under the ICC Rule against a consortium partner arising from the AU$50 billion Ichthys LNG project.