We all know kids have a right to learn, but last year Queensland state schools suspended and excluded nearly 3,900 more students than the year before – a total of 81,918 kids missed out on their right to learn. Join and share our A Right To Learn campaign now to keep the pressure on the government to call a full parliamentary inquiry!
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Last week ATSILS’s solicitor Cicilia Halaholo presented our Respect@Work CLE session to a deadly group of students from the Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways Project (IYMP).
IYMP in Cairns provides a training program for youth from the Torres Strait Islands and Cape York.
Our Respect@Work Legal Service focuses on preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment with casework and community legal education offered as part of the program.
Students showed keen interest during the workshop and are now armed with better legal knowledge to support their journeys into the workforce. The students were also given a range of ATSILS merchandise and legal resources to take home and reinforce their learning on the 
topic.
ATSILS looks forward to forging more community partnerships with IYMP to nurture a solid future for our youth.
Please contact ATSILS for more information on the Respect@Work legal service. https://atsils.org.au/contact/
ATSILS’ Community Legal Education Team recently delivered a talk to a group of young people participating in Youth Justice’s Transition 2 Success Program.
The talk covered topics including: why it is important to understand your rights when dealing with police; understanding the right to silence, the right to have a support person present and the right to ask if you are free to leave; the questions that you are legally obligated to answer in police interactions; understanding police searches; and what to do if you are a victim of crime or want to make a complaint about police conduct.
The young ones were very open and asked great questions. Many spoke of their own experiences and this generated even more yarns about what to do in certain scenarios and the importance of understanding your rights and obligations under the law when interacting with police.
The annual Law Week Walk was held on the 18th of May and the ATSILS Maroochydore team were out in force early at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast to take part.
Out in our Ipswich office, Regional Manager Kevin Rose invites local elders & respected persons to speak to our Ipswich team at the end of every staff meeting.
Making sure the local community has a voice and staying in touch with grassroots people is vital to informing our cultural proficiency and ensuring our legal service delivery is responsive to local community needs.
Well done Kevin and all the team in Ipswich.
During these uncertain times, please be assured ATSILS (QLD) is still currently providing legal assistance both in and out of court for our clients but with changes so as to protect our staff, our clients and our communities from the spread of COVID-19. 
It was great to have students from QUT’s Indigenous Pre Law and Justice Program visit our Brisbane office this week. These bright and deadly ones spent time with our team to learn more about the important role of ATSILS in the function of the justice system and our work in protecting and advancing the legal & human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The students were welcomed by our Director of Sector Engagement and Communications – Graham White, and members of our Legal, Court Support and Prevention, Intervention and Community Legal Education teams enjoyed sharing insight into the key roles they undertake in delivering legal services to the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Increased representation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the legal sector is an important element in addressing the ongoing disadvantage our people experience in the justice system. AT ATSILS we are committed to fostering partnerships with progressive academic institutions like QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and welcome the opportunity to play our part in inspiring the next generation of legal practitioners along their career paths.
Photo Credit: (QUT Indigenous Pre Law and Justice Program)
ATSILS took part in National Reconciliation Week celebrations this week on Thursday Island, attending the ’67 Referendum Day Community Gathering and Morning Tea with Elders at the Anglican Church Community Hall.
ATSILS participated in providing an information stall for the community along with other Thursday Island Social Justice Interagency Services.
Big esso to the coordinators of the event for inviting us to participate, the “Black Paradise” band for providing the tunes and most importantly the Elders who shared with us their fascinating stories of the events leading to the 1967 Referendum.
