• 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.

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.

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

• Jafarpourasr v Tancevksi [2018] VSC 497 (unled) in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
• 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) in the Court of Appeal.
• 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:

• Reviews under the CMI Act in the Supreme and County Courts, including Re KP [2019] VSC 7;
• National Disability Insurance Scheme matters at the AAT, including Ewin and National Disability Insurance Agency [2018] AATA 4726;
• Interlocutory applications, such as suppression order and stay applications, including GHJ v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety [2019] VSC 89;
• Mental Health Tribunal hearings, including TUQ [2018] VMHT 13;
• Centrelink appeals at the AAT, including Miller; Secretary, Department of Social Services [2019] AATA 2315;
• WWCC matters at VCAT, including UPY v Secretary to the Department of Justice and Regulation [2018] VCAT 1424;
• Residential tenancy hearings at VCAT, including Van Gelder v You Yang Vista Pty Ltd [2015] VCAT 1743;
• Guardianship and administration order matters at VCAT, including THD (Guardianship) [2020] VCAT 677;
• Complex infringements matters, including Victoria Police v Gebrehiwot [2019] VMC012; and
• Matters involving the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act.

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

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 is reading with Elizabeth Bennett and her senior mentor is Claire Harris QC.