Matt Collins

Dr. Matt Collins AM KC is a Senior Fellow at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, and a member of the Victorian Bar. He serves as a past President of the Australian Bar Association and the Victorian Bar, and holds roles on the Board of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration and as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

He earned his PhD from Melbourne Law School, specializing in legal research with a focus on defamation and media law. His academic contributions include seminal texts such as Collins on Defamation and The Law of Defamation and the Internet, which are internationally recognized as foundational works in their fields.

Dr. Collins has represented clients in landmark Australian cases involving defamation, free speech, competition law, and administrative law, including Hockey v Fairfax Media, Lehrmann v Network Ten, and proceedings before the Royal Commission into Banking Misconduct. He has also advised on significant regulatory cases involving the ACCC and ASIC.

His recognitions include the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to law and education (2019) and inclusion in Australia’s 50 Outstanding LGBTI+ Leaders (2020). He contributes to legal education through teaching Defamation Law in the Melbourne Law Masters program and through his extensive publications.