Members of the ATSILS Rockhampton team attended the official launch of the Court Link initiative that kicked off this week in Central Queensland.
Aunty Niki Hatfield performed the Welcome To Country and enlightened the audience about why such is important to First Nations peoples. The Court Link Team gave great insight into the initiative which is to give participants acute support while on bail and navigating the judicial system.
We are excited to see the initiative begin in Rockhampton, noting our office has already referred one participant on the second day of its operation.
Thanks to the Court Link team for providing great insight, a lovely lunch, and congratulations on a successful launch.
Our CEO along with our Close the Gap Policy and Sector Engagement and Communications teams spent valuable time with Elders for Change while in Townsville this week.
The team provided insights into our Close the Gap Policy approach and discussed the complex justice issues facing the local community. The passion and vision shared by the Elders concerning their intervention and prevention approach were inspiring. The grass-roots justice reinvestment approach they deliver to the community is critical to addressing the drivers of offending and unacceptable incarceration rates.
ATSILS has long advocated for community-led justice reinvestment initiatives and it is great to see the Federal Government invest in this approach in Townsville. Elders for Change are helping to prevent deaths in custody by providing cultural support and, with the Elders’ guidance, offenders and prison staff are building better relationships which makes our prisons safer. They’re also building strong relationships with service providers in the justice sector to enhance service delivery to their community and divert people from contact with the justice system. These important connections with grass-roots-led programs certainly assist organisations like ours to fine-tune our service delivery in line with the needs of the local community.
We thank ‘Elders for Change’ for taking the time to share their wisdom and look forward to strengthening our relationship in the future.
ATSILS Legal Practitioner – Brittany White & Court Support Officer – Mary James, recently attended the October 2024 – Cooee Redlands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DFV Forum.
The team found the forum very informative, with the issue of Domestic and Family Violence prosecution /defence and the recent amendments to the legislation regarding coercive control being presented by various stakeholders throughout the day.