Maya Narayan
- Commercial Law Employment & Industrial
- Public Law
Maya is an experienced litigator and conducts litigation in all state and federal jurisdictions, both at first instance and on appeal. Maya also has a complex and varied advisory practice, providing advice on diverse questions, including of constitutional and statutory interpretation, and concerning the operation of the common law and equity. Maya has particular expertise appearing and advising in the context of royal commissions and other public inquiries, having acted in the context of numerous such inquiries both while at, and prior to coming to, the Bar.
Maya has been briefed as junior counsel to a variety of silks, including Kenneth M Hayne AC KC, Noel Hutley SC, Peter Hanks KC, the Solicitor-General for Victoria, Richard Attiwill (then of Queen’s Counsel, now a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria), Christopher Young KC, Alistair Pound SC, Elizabeth Bennett SC, Graeme Hill SC, and Emrys Nekvapil SC, Mark Costello KC and Jonathan Kirkwood SC.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Maya was Counsel Assisting the Solicitor-General for Victoria (then Richard Niall QC, now the Hon Justice Niall of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria), Associate to the Hon Justice O’Callaghan of the Federal Court of Australia and a Principal Solicitor in the Constitution and Advice Team and the Chair of the Constitutional and Intergovernmental Relations Practice Group at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office.
In August 2023, Maya was appointed by the Attorney-General for Victoria as a member of the Victoria Legal Aid Panel of Independent Reviewers.
Maya is a member of the Australian Bar Association Ethics Committee, a Director of the Board of Directors of List G Barristers and a Reporter for the Victorian Reports.
Maya read with Emrys Nekvapil SC and her senior mentor is Rowena Orr KC.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
Contact
- P03 9225 8053
- M0404 061 576
- F03 9225 8668
- E[email protected]
- Connect on Linkedin
Koiki Mabo Chambers
66-68 Dudley Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Jane King
03 9225 8558
Expertise
- Appellate
- Consumer Law
- Residential & Retail Tenancies
- Taxation
- Appellate
- Discrimination
- Statutory Employment Rights
- Administrative Law
- Appellate
- Commissions & Inquiries
- Constitutional Law
- Judicial Review
Qualifications
B.A. (Hons) (Melb)
Juris Doctor (Melb)
MPub&IntLaw (Melb)
Victoria
High Court of Australia
Federal Court of Australia
State and Territory Courts and Tribunals
Recent Cases
Cotterill v Romanes & Sutton — challenge to the constitutional validity of the State of Victoria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic (for the defendants, in proceedings and applications in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal and Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria).
Woodman v State of Victoria & Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission — claim in tort and judicial review relating to IBAC’s conduct of Operation Sandon (for the State of Victoria in proceedings in the Court of Appeal and Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria).
Environment Council of Central Queensland Inc. v Minister for Environment and Water (two proceedings) — claim in judicial review in respect of Minister’s decision-making under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (for the applicant in both matters).
Thorpe v Head, Transport for Victoria — claim for equitable relief and judicial review arising from the Western Highway Duplication Project (for the first to fourth defendants).
Taylor v Attorney-General for Victoria — multiple judicial review proceedings arising from a petition for mercy (for the defendant).
Fowler v Minister for Fishing and Boating & Victorian Fisheries Authority — judicial review proceeding concerning the administration of the Discovery Bay Pipi Fishery (for the defendants).
Kinglake Friends of the Forest Inc. v VicForests — claim for equitable relief concerning the Victorian timber harvesting regulatory scheme (for the defendant, in multiple proceedings and applications in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal and Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria).
Warburton Environment Inc. v VicForests — claim for equitable relief concerning the Victorian timber harvesting regulatory scheme (for the defendant, in multiple proceedings and applications in the Court of Appeal and Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria).
Application for approval of the Country Fire Authority Professional, Technical and Administrative Agreement 2021 — for a witness.
The Australian Steel Company (Operations) Pty Ltd v Minister for the Environment & Anor — review of Minister’s decision-making under the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 (Cth) (for the Minister; proceeding resolved).
Yoorrook Justice Commission — for the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements — for the State of Victoria.
Negotiations between the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the State of Victoria under the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018 (Vic) — for the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Applications for reconsideration of 19 coal and gas proposals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) — for the applicant in respect of each application.
Maya Narayan, ‘A “Force of Last Resort”?: A Critical Evaluation of the Use of the Australian Defence Force in the Context of Bushfires and Pandemics’ (2022) 33 Public Law Review 246.
Hollie Kerwin and Maya Narayan, ‘When the Carnival is Over: the case for reform of access to royal commission records’ in Rubenstein, K, A Genovese and T Luker (eds) The Court as Archive (Melbourne University, 2019).
Maya Narayan, ‘Creature of Statute, Beast of Burden: the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the heavy lifting of human rights’ (2011) 66 AIAL Forum 1 (published as winner of the 2011 Australian Institute of Administrative Law Essay Prize).
Memberships
Australian Bar Association Ethics Committee
Australian Association of Constitutional Law
Board of Directors of List G Barristers
Commercial Bar Association of Victoria