Liberty Victoria has dedicated, experienced and passionate people serving in management and policy roles on committees.
Executive Committee
Gemma Cafarella
President
Gemma Cafarella is a barrister who practises in public law. She works in human rights, discrimination law, commissions of inquiry and inquests, housing, disability and regulatory matters. Before she was a barrister, Gemma was a public defender in Victoria Legal Aid Chambers.
Gemma served on the Victorian Bar Council from 2023 to 2025. Gemma was the recipient of the Debbie Mortimer SC Award for her pro bono work in 2023 and was highly commended by the Law Institute of Victoria for the Paul Baker Award for Human Rights and Administrative Law in 2019.
Gemma has been a member of the general committee in November 2018 and was appointed President in October 2025.
Michelle Bennett
Immediate Past President
Michelle Bennett served as President from November 2023 to October 2025. Prior to this, she held the position of Senior Vice President, having been appointed in November 2021. Additionally, she served as the Treasurer of Liberty Victoria, having been elected in November 2018.
Thomas Kane
Vice President
Thomas Kane is a Melbourne businessman and photographer who joined the Management Committee of Liberty Victoria in 2010. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University, The Board of the Human Rights and Arts Film Festival and recently retired from the Board of international aid agency, Plan International Australia, after eight years service.
HANNAH FIGUEROA
Vice President
Hannah joined Liberty Victoria’s Policy Committee in 2020. She has experience undertaking advocacy-related work and policy research in various organisations promoting, defending and extending civil liberties, human rights and democratic governance both in Australia and abroad (Centre for Human Rights Studies Islamic University of Indonesia (PUSHAM UII); Human Rights Working Group Indonesia, Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, and Amnesty International Australia).
She has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Studies (LLB/BInSt) from the University of New South Wales, and a Masters in Human Rights Law from Melbourne Law School.
Gregory Buchhorn
Secretary
Greg Buchhorn is a barrister with a commitment to civil liberties, public law, and systemic advocacy.
Greg has extensive experience in criminal and administrative law, with a particular interest in appellate matters. His legal career includes roles as a Senior Solicitor at Victoria Legal Aid and as Senior Associate to the Honourable Justice Chris Maxwell AC, President of the Victorian Court of Appeal. Greg has worked in the community legal sector and previously hosted Done By Law on 3CR Community Radio. He also volunteers his time assisting community sports disputes.
Austin Dou
Treasurer
General Committee
Prof. Spencer Zifcak
Spencer Zifcak was President of Liberty Victoria during 2011 and 2012. He is Allan Myers Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Legal Studies at Australian Catholic University. He obtained his Ph.D from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His principal areas of research and teaching are in public international law, comparative constitutional law, international human rights law and international organization.
Hannah Dickinson
Hannah Dickinson is Special Counsel in the Pro Bono team at Russell Kennedy. She has over a decade’s experience as a refugee and migration lawyer spanning community, government and private practice, including as Principal Solicitor and Head of Legal at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and as a Senior Lawyer at Victoria Legal Aid.
Hannah was the recipient of the 2025 LIV Paul Baker Award for contributions in the field of human rights law. She is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Visa Cancellations Working Group, and former Secretary of Liberty Victoria.
She has particular expertise in public interest and strategic litigation, complex merits review, immigration detention and visa cancellation, particularly for those affected by severe barriers to access to justice.
KIARA WAGNER
Kiara (she/her) is the Chair of the RAP Steering Committee.
She was formerly a member of the 2020 criminal justice team and was one of the co-authors of RAP’s report “Police Panopticon: Zooming in on the Use of Body Worn Cameras by Victoria Police Officers”. Kiara is passionate about social justice and human rights and believes RAP has an important role in preparing a new generation of social justice advocates. Kiara is especially passionate about police and prison abolition, First Nations justice, and access to justice. Outside of RAP, Kiara works to promote human rights and equality as a discrimination and sexual harassment lawyer.
Brigid Arthur AO
Coordinator Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP). Worked with asylum seekers for over 20 years.
Brigid Arthur was confirmed as a member of the Policy Committee in November 2018
TESSA MAYBERY
Tessa Maybery is a senior lawyer working in Victoria Legal Aid’s migration program, advocating for the rights of migrants including people seeking asylum or from refugee backgrounds. She has particular expertise in complex migration litigation in the Federal courts. Tessa’s early career included working as an Associate in the Federal Court and in community legal centres. She joined Liberty Victoria’s general committee in 2023.
Rachel Cashmore
Rachel Cashmore is a barrister with a primary practice in criminal law, recognised for her commitment to therapeutic jurisprudence and restorative justice. She brings extensive experience working within specialist courts, and is dedicated to legal approaches that promote dignity, accountability, and community wellbeing.
Before coming to the Bar, Rachel worked at both the Office of Public Prosecutions and in criminal defence, giving her a broad and balanced perspective across the justice system.
Rachel has a long-standing commitment to human rights advocacy. She has volunteered in roles including assisting capital sentence appeals in Louisiana, and contributing to the Police Accountability Clinic at the Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre. She was awarded the Daniel McCluskey Social Justice Prize for her work in Victorian prisons, where she provided legal education and assistance through the PLEA Project.
Rachel also serves on the Victorian Committee for Pride in Law, Australia’s national LGBTQIA+ legal organisation.
Rabea Khan
Rabea is a barrister practising in discrimination, criminal and regulatory law. Prior to joining the Bar, Rabea worked as a solicitor in criminal prosecutions, defence and anti- corruption in both Victoria and New South Wales. Her work has encompassed complex legal matters with a focus on human rights.
Rabea has a particular interest in Counter-Terrorism Law. She was a contributing editor to the publication, "Anti-Terrorism Laws: ASIO, the Police and You’” (4th Edition, 2017) and has appeared in public hearings before the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Rabea served as a member of the Review Advisory Committee for the Review of Sexual Harassment in Victorian Courts, as well as a member of the Independent Pandemic Management Advisory Committee appointed by the Minister of Health.
Rachel Mason
Rachel Mason is a senior lawyer with expertise in migration and refugee law. With a background in the community legal sector, she currently conducts litigation in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, Federal Court and High Court. She also appears in the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). This work involves strategic challenges to unlawful administrative decision-making to defend the rights of asylum seeker and refugee clients.
Ella Casey
Ella has a broad practice in common law and criminal law.
Ella’s common law practice extends across all personal injury matters, including Worksafe and TAC. She also accepts briefs in intentional torts such as police misconduct.
She is particularly interested in the intersection between medicine and the law, including inquests and disciplinary matters.
Ella has also practised in Victoria Legal Aid’s Civil Justice team. At the Bar, Ella regularly appears in Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act (CMIA) matters- including reviews of Custodial Supervision Orders (CSOs).
Before coming to the Bar, Ella was a lawyer in Victoria Legal Aid’s Youth Crime team. She regularly represents young people in the Children’s Court.
She has worked and volunteered at community legal centres, most notably in respect to appeals of NDIA decisions at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (now the ART).
DAVID DE WITT
David De Witt is a barrister who practices in criminal and quasi-criminal law. Before becoming a barrister, David worked as a solicitor with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Victoria Legal Aid and in private practice.
David is particularly passionate about working closely with the aboriginal community to achieve fairer outcomes within the criminal justice system. He has had the privilege of appearing in the Koori Court across Victoria.
David has substantial experience assisting young people (including children) and members of the community with complex mental health and cognitive impairments who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
David holds a Bachelor of Laws (hons) and Bachelor of Journalism from the Queensland University of Technology.
Monique Hurley
Monique Hurley (she/her) is a human rights lawyer committed to working in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to call out racial injustice and alongside people with lived experience of incarceration to hold governments to account for the mistreatment of people behind bars.
Based on Wadawurrung Country in Djilang, Monique has worked at the Human Rights Law Centre, WEstjustice and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency. She got her start as a lawyer at Clayton Utz and has also worked as an Associate to a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
JOSEPHINE LANGBEIN
Josephine is an Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre where she works to defend the rights of migrants and refugees. She has also worked in solidarity with First Nations communities on criminal legal system
reform and economic justice.
Paige Darby
Paige Darby is an academic in sentencing law with a focus on the relationship between public opinion and criminal law reform. She lectures in introduction to law, criminal law and sentencing at Monash University and RMIT. She is also completing her PhD in sentencing law at Monash University.
Paige has extensive experience in criminal law and public policy, having spent nearly two decades in public service, including senior roles leading sentencing and criminal law reform projects for the Victorian Government. She holds an MPhil in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, a Juris Doctor (LLM) from Monash University, and undergraduate degrees in journalism and criminology. She is a previous participant in Liberty Victoria’s Rights Advocacy Project, advocating for a spent convictions scheme for Victoria and assisting on proposals to improve access to diversion schemes.
