Kristina Mihalic
Kristina Mihalic
Biography
Kristina practices in the areas of government related litigation and administrative law.
She was selected by her peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia in the area of Government Practice. Kristina is also an officer of the National Executive of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law.
Kristina assists Commonwealth, State and Territory administrative decision-makers to effectively discharge their functions and acts in merits review matters in the Administrative Review Tribunal, and judicial review matters in the Federal Court and the High Court of Australia.
She has extensive experience providing statutory interpretation advice, drafting legislative instruments, and advising on regulatory frameworks. Kristina has a particular interest in freedom of information and privacy law.
Kristina is also experienced in acting in commissions of inquiry, royal commissions, and assisting with government investigations.
Kristina joined from another leading Australia law firm where she was a member of the Commonwealth Government Group for many years.
Professional experience
Representative experience
Representative experience
- Acting for a Commonwealth Minister and a Statutory Authority in the Federal Magistrate Court and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to challenges to statutory decisions made in relation to dredging and dumping of dredge soil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park;
- Representing an employee of a Commonwealth department in the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program;
- Acting for the Commonwealth in a coronial inquest into a death in Antarctica, acting for a Commonwealth department in related Federal Court and Full Court proceedings and assisting with an application for special leave to the High Court (successful);
- Acting for a Commonwealth department in an application for the review of a decision to not grant $800m of R&D tax incentives for the development of a facility off the coast of Western Australia;
- Advising a Commonwealth department in relation to many regulatory issues under the Health Insurance Act, ranging from double billing matters to pathology, community pharmacy and Medicare services;
- Providing statutory interpretation advice in relation to the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act and acting in merits and judicial review proceedings in relation to privacy and FOI decisions;
- Undertaking privacy threshold assessments and privacy impact assessments for numerous Commonwealth agencies;
- Assisting with drafting significant amendments to the Higher Education and Research Reform Amendment Bill;
- Assisting a regulatory authority with administrative decision-making including drafting banning decisions, compliance notices, infringement notices and warrant applications, drafting internal review decisions and acting in the external review of those decisions;
- Reviewing residential park legislation across Australian and advising a Commonwealth department on the harmonisation and development of those laws.
Rankings and recognitions
Rankings and recognitions
- Voted by her peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia in the area of Government Practice.
Education
Education
- Diploma in Croatian Language and Culture, University of Zagreb (2008)
- Bachelor of Law (Hons), University of Canberra (2009)
- Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Australian National University (2010)
Admissions
Admissions
- Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory 2010
- High Court of Australia 2012
Memberships and activities
Memberships and activities
- Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory
- Australian Institute of Administrative Law
- Institute of Public Administration Australia
Languages
Languages
- English
- Croatian
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