Cassandra Tanner

Cassandra is a leader at the VGSO, who acts for Victorian public sector clients in workplace and occupational health and safety matters and in regulation, administrative and disciplinary law.  

Cassandra has practised for many years, principally in investigations and litigation in the Victorian Courts and VCAT. She has established a practice that draws together the disciplines of occupational health and safety, workplace investigations, criminal law and procedure and administrative and disciplinary law.  She brings a solutions focus to her matters, balancing technical expertise with the strategy that serves her clients' interests.

A strong focus of her OHS practice is on advising clients and presenting to audiences on contemporary issues including remote working arrangements, workplace manslaughter, the prevention of occupational violence and OHS obligations as they apply to psychosocial issues including inappropriate workplace behaviour. She has acted in numerous OHS prosecutions, including defending charges on behalf of duty holders, and as a prosecutor while working in enforcement for a work health and safety regulator. Her workplace investigations practice complements this work as Cassandra both undertakes, and advises clients about managing investigations of workplace complaints (including integrity and public interest disclosures), culture reviews and addressing the issues that give rise to workplace grievances.  She is skilled at engaging sensitively with investigation participants and in rigorously applying legal reasoning and principles to the investigations.

More broadly, Cassandra has an established practice in administrative and public law matters, having acted for disciplinary boards in panel hearings and tribunal referrals and for public sector departments and agencies in numerous merits and judicial review applications in VCAT and in superior courts, with a particular focus on the health sector. She has addressed numerous boards and committees about due diligence and appropriate decision making. In the public sector, this has included advising on statutory interpretation and administrative law issues, including delegations. She has also acted as Solicitor Assisting an Investigating Panel appointed by the Judicial Commission of Victoria. 

Cassandra also brings to the role her experience in criminal law and procedure, having acted both as a defence lawyer and as a prosecutor. She is proficient in advising on and applying the rules of evidence and procedure to the matters in which she is engaged, and she has an excellent understanding of court processes and procedures.

Mobile: 0456 996 763
Email: cassandra.tanner@vgso.vic.gov.au
LinkedIn: Cassandra Tanner