Astrid Haban-Beer

Professional Background

Astrid Haban-Beer has a practice incorporating criminal law, public law and regulatory investigations.  Astrid’s practice includes appearing in jury trials, royal commissions, and coronial inquests. 

Astrid has extensive appearance and advisory experience as counsel, and both defends and prosecutes in criminal trials. Astrid has particular experience with white collar crime including corruption matters, Commonwealth Code matters, public interest immunity matters, and matters involving the intersection of criminal and civil law.  Astrid has a strong civil regulatory background and has acted for and against regulators across jurisdictions. 

Astrid has a current high level security clearance. 

Astrid undertakes appearances (trials, pleas, committals and applications) and advice work across all jurisdictions, in criminal and quasi-criminal matters, covering areas of:

• proceedings arising out of investigations conducted by the ACCC, ASIC, ATO, AFP and IBAC;
• Open Courts Act - suppression order and related applications;
• Crimes against the person;
• White collar crime (including criminal proceedings in the Federal Court);
• mental impairment (including special hearings and review proceedings);
• public interest immunity and other privileges (including subpoena arguments);
• competition and consumer law including civil penalty proceedings;
• terrorism, organised crime and national security;
• fraud and corruption offences;
• drug offences;
• sexual offences, including Commonwealth Criminal Code offences;
• internet and cyber offences, including Commonwealth Criminal Code offences and privacy offences;
• customs (including tarriffs), biosecurity and quarantine offences, and animal cruelty matters;
• copyright matters; and
• Coroner's Court matters.

 

Astrid has frequently acted for government and institutional clients, and individuals in a number of Royal Commissions including:

• The Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants
• The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
• The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption
• The Royal Commisison into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. 

 

Astrid is a Victoria Legal Aid Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister and holds an Indictable Crime Certificate (ICC). 

Background

As an experienced solicitor, Astrid acted for Commonwealth agencies in the areas of competition and consumer law, corporate regulation, customs and tariff law, national security, trade marks, regulatory enforcement and insolvency.

Astrid spent a significant period of time on secondment within in-house legal teams at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in the mergers branch, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Oil-For-Food Taskforce investigating alleged corruption in relation to UN sanctions.

Professional Interests

Astrid has recognised experience and leadership in gender, diversity, equality and access to justice issues. 

Current Board and Committee work:

• President of Australian Women Lawyers Ltd - the peak body for women lawyer organisations in Australia.
• Executive committee of the Women Barristers Association
• Committee of Australians Detained Abroad

Extended information

Astrid was awarded as winner of the 'professions' category of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians Leadership awards through Asialink in 2019., and advocates in relation to intersectional diversity issues.

Through her pro bono work with Australians Detained Abroad, Astrid has particular knowledge relating to the legal systems in The Philippines and Colombia and can assist the families of persons arrested in those countries. 

Astrid is a former Convenor and board member of the Victorian Women Lawyers Association (VWL) (2008-2013).

Astrid is a former Deputy Chair of the Victorian Bar's Equality and Diversity Committee, and led the Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity working group. 

Astrid was previously a director of the board of St Kilda Community Legal Centre from 2014-2018 and sat on the audit and risk committee. 

She was previously a member of the Bar's Indigenous Justice Committee, the Law Institute of Victoria's Diversity Taskforce (2012-2019), and the Law Council of Australia Equal Opportunity committee (2011-2017). 

Astrid has also worked in human trafficking policy and advocacy for the UNODC in Bogota, Colombia, and advises and appears in human trafficking matters in Australia and Asia.

Astrid completed her LLM at the University of Melbourne focusing on criminal law, evidence and disability/health data law subjects.

Astrid read with Benjamin Fitzpatrick and her senior mentor is Fiona McLeod SC.

 

Recent appearances include:

• DPP v Charisiou [2024] VSC 303 (Supreme Court of Victoria, fraud)
• CDPP v Vina Money Transfer Pty Ltd & ors [2022] FCA 665 (Federal Court criminal cartel proceedings, acting for the Director, arising out of ACCC investigation; first federal criminal cartel to sentence individual directors).
• CDPP v Bernard Collaery (ACT Supreme Court)
• R v El Debel and Kahlon (ACT Supreme Court jury trial 2022 - conspiracy to dishonestly obtain a gain from Commonwealth)
• Inquest into the death of Maria James, Coronial Inquest (2021 (Victorian Coroners Court);
• R v Benjamin Moarefi (ACT Supreme Court trial, acting for accused)
• DPP v Anderson & Anor [2021] VSC 311
• CDPP v Sun [2021] VCC 653
• Peters (a pseudonym) v The Queen [2021] VSCA 47
• QHFQ v National Disability Insurance Agency [2021] AATA 256
• BJR v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety (Review and Regulation) [2020] VCAT 310. 
• R v Baker [2019] ACTSC (acting for accused, drug importation and trafficking trial). 
• DPP v Cox [2019] VCC 1703
• Comptroller-General of Customs v Leggo [2019] VSC 501 (acting for the Comptroller-General, led by Ms Z Maud)
• SLT v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety [2019] VCAT 1025 (acting for the Secretary)
• CDPP v Leishman [2019] VCC 283 (prosecuting)
• Re X Y [2018] VSC 456 and Re X Y (No 2) [2019] VSC 268 (acting for the Attorney-General)
• Re Salter [2018] VCC 629 (acting for the Attorney-General)
• AB v County Court of Victoria [2018] VSC 188 (judicial review proceedings on behalf of a Council)
• Comptroller General of Customs v Amini [2018] VCC 327 (tobacco importation, acting for the Comptroller-General)
• Comptroller General of Customs v Haidary [2018] VCC 848 (tobacco importation, acti l>
• Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants (2019-2020) - acting for the Commonweath DPP (led by A Mitchelmore SC, and D Holding). 
• Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2014 - 2017) - acting for the State of Victoria (led by the Solicitor-General, C Scerri QC, K Judd QC and with L Brown). 
• Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption - acting for a person of interest (led by Dr K Hanscombe QC)

 

Other appearances of note:

• WKNH v Australian Securities and Investments Commission [2018] AATA 1325
• Woollard v Newland International (Vic) Pty Ltd (Civil Claims) [2016] VCAT 1519 (led by R Macaw QC)
• R v Beqiri & Ors [2016] VCC 401 (County Court trial, unled - Commonwealth drug importation offences)
• DPP v Dhankar [2015] VCC 189 (led by J Dixon QC)
• Wilson v Mitchell [2014] VSC 280; Wilson v Mitchell (No 2) [2014] VSC 332 (led by Mr D Aghion)
• Gary Braude v Henry Kaye [2013] VSC 705 (led by G Golvan QC);
• Wilde & Anor v Morgan & Ors [2013] VSCA 250 (led by B Carew);
• Liquidator's examinations in the Supreme Court;
• DPP v Koutsovasilis (County Court), mental impairment special hearing, unled)
• R v Garrett (County Court, unled)
• VCAT appearances and mediations - construction law matters in the Building Disputes List, and Australian Consumer Law matters.