• Victoria

• Public & Administrative Law
• Civil Liberties/Discrimination
• Common Law
• Coronial Inquests, Inquiries and Commissions
• Criminal Law
• Disciplinary & Related Tribunals
• Equal Opportunity
• Guardianship/ Mental Health (Protective Tribunals)
• Human Rights
• Open Courts Act
• Residential Tenancies

Gemma practises in civil law with a focus on public and administrative law. She accepts briefs to appear and advise.

Gemma has experience appearing and advising in relation to judicial review and appeals, including:

• JL v Mental Health Tribunal (No 2) [2022] VSC 222 (unled);
• JL v Mental Health Tribunal (No 1) [2021] VSC 868 (led by Lisa De Ferrari SC);
• Markiewicz v Crnjac [2021] VSCA 290 (led by Ron Merkel QC);
• Jafarpourasr v Tancevksi [2018] VSC 497 (unled);
• Danyl Hammond (a pseudonym) v Secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services & Ors (No 1) [2018] VSCA 356 (led by Claire Harris QC); and
• Department of Justice and Regulation v LLF [2018] VSCA 155 (led by Claire Harris QC).

Gemma has appeared regularly at all Victorian Courts, VCAT, the AAT and the Mental Health Tribunal. Cases in which Gemma has appeared include:

• Commissions and inquiries, including the Yoorook Justice Commission (led by Richard Knowles QC, with Helen Tiplady);
• Coronial inquests, including the Inquest into deaths at St Basil’s Homes for the Aged (unled, on behalf of 61 family members);
• Sexual harassment and discrimination matters, including ZBL v Olivo [2021] VCAT 850;
• Residential tenancy hearings at VCAT, including RFY v ACV [2021] VCAT 865 (led by Ron Merkel QC);
• National Disability Insurance Scheme matters at the AAT, including Ewin and National Disability Insurance Agency [2018] AATA 4726;
• Centrelink appeals at the AAT, including Miller; Secretary, Department of Social Services [2019] AATA 2315;
• Reviews under the CMI Act in the Supreme and County Courts, including Re KP [2019] VSC 7;
• Interlocutory applications, such as suppression order and stay applications, including GHJ v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety [2019] VSC 89;
• Matters involving the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act;
• Mental Health Tribunal hearings, including TUQ [2018] VMHT 13;
• WWCC matters at VCAT, including UPY v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Regulation [2018] VCAT 1424;
• Guardianship and administration order matters at VCAT, including THD (Guardianship) [2020] VCAT 677;
• Complex infringements matters, including Victoria Police v Gebrehiwot [2019] VMC012; and
• Child support matters.

Gemma has a busy advisory practice. She regularly advises on statutory interpretation, Coroners Court matters, the operation of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights, and applications for suppression and anonymisation orders.

Gemma holds an Australian Government baseline security clearance.

Prior to coming to the Bar Gemma was an Associate Public Defender (Civil Justice) in Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) Chambers, and a senior lawyer in VLA’s Civil Justice team.

She has also worked at Justice Connect Homeless Law, West Justice and Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre’s police accountability project.

In 2019 Gemma was highly commended by the Law Institute of Victoria for the Paul Baker Award for Human Rights or Administrative Law. Gemma is also the Chair of the Government Regulation and Equality Committee at Liberty Victoria, and a sessional staff member in the faculty of law at Monash University.

Gemma read with Elizabeth Bennett SC and her senior mentor is Claire Harris QC.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation. The information referred to above has been supplied by the barrister concerned. Neither Victorian Bar Inc nor the barrister’s clerk have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information and neither accepts any responsibility in that regard.