Tara specialises in planning, compulsory acquisition, planning compensation, land valuation, and rating matters.
Prior to joining the Bar, Tara was a solicitor in the Public Law group at Maddocks, where she represented claimants and statutory authorities in complex land acquisition disputes in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, including matters under the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986, the Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009 and Part 5 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Her practice also involved land valuation and rating disputes.
Tara gained statutory planning experience as a local government town planner in Victoria, where she assessed a wide range of urban and rural applications, including large subdivisions and those involving complex issues related to bushfire planning, native vegetation, existing use rights, restrictive covenants, and Aboriginal cultural heritage. She also has represented Council in merits appeals at VCAT.
She commenced her legal career in the United States and was a planning attorney at a leading firm in Miami, Florida, where she represented developers of some of South Florida's largest commercial and residential projects.
Tara is reading with Jennifer Trewhella and her senior mentor is Paul Connor KC.