🎥 Strengthening Pathways to Justice in the Far North 🎥
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🎥 Strengthening Pathways to Justice in the Far North 🎥

Our Cairns team is proud to be part of a critical partnership with the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC), aimed at empowering First Nations people to fully participate in the criminal justice system.

The impact of this collaboration is captured in the new film, ‘My Justice Journey’. It follows the vital work of FRC Local Commissioners—respected Elders in the Aurukun community—as they provide essential, culturally grounded support to vulnerable community members navigating the justice system.

This project is a powerful testament to the necessity of community-led solutions in achieving meaningful justice outcomes.

 

Yarning with Elders about important legal issues on beautiful Quandamooka Country!
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Yarning with Elders about important legal issues on beautiful Quandamooka Country!

ATSILS Community Legal Educations - Wills and ePOAATSILS’ lawyers Pree Sharma and Natasha Goddard recently attended the Deadly Choices Indigenous Senior Games on beautiful Quandamooka Country at Capalaba Warriors Rugby League Football Club.
The team delivered another important community legal education session to a large group of Elders, focusing on the importance of getting your affairs in order. We had a great yarn about:
📜 Wills
✍️ Enduring Powers of Attorney
💼 Binding Nominations for Superannuation
The interest was huge and many Elders provided their details to make follow-up appointments with the ATSILS Team to get their affairs sorted right away.
Remember, ATSILS can provide you with legal assistance in relation to Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney and Binding Nominations for Superannuation. It is a free and confidential service!
🙌 Big thanks to Deadly Choices for having us and organising such a wonderful event.

#ATSILS #DeadlyChoices #QuandamookaCountry #CommunityLegalEducation #Elders #WillsAndEstates

Empowering women at the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre through collaborative community legal education! 🤝✨
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Empowering women at the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre through collaborative community legal education! 🤝✨

ATSILS CLE TownsvilleThis week, Paige Ryan and Thomas Proctor from our Townsville office visited the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre (TWCC) to deliver a dedicated legal information session to support women in understanding their rights and responsibilities regarding vital domestic and family violence issues.

This CLE session was part of a larger, 3-week collaborative project whereby TWCC, ATSILS, Transform Lives Program, North Queensland Women’s Legal Service and the First Nations Women’s Legal Services Qld Inc joined forces to offer the women at TWCC these DFV community legal information sessions in alignment and solidarity with the 16 Days of Activism 2025.

What we covered:

🗣️ Coercive Control: Breaking down the new offences that came into effect in QLD in 2025, how to identify these behaviours, and where to get support.
View our quick guide on understanding Coercive Control

📜 Domestic Violence Orders (DVOs): Understanding DVOS , what constitutes a breach, and practical tips on how to navigate them.

View our quick guide on understanding Domestic Violence Orders

The smaller group setting provided a safe and open space for questions and genuine conversation. There was really positive feedback from the women about what they had learned from the session, and what they would like to see more of in future.

 

Community Legal Education on Quandamooka Country!
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Community Legal Education on Quandamooka Country!

Community Legal Education Quandamooka CountryATSILS legal practitioners, Pree Sharma and Enoler Robinson, had a fantastic day attending the Deadly Choices Indigenous Senior Games on beautiful Quandamooka Country at Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island last Friday. 🌴

It was great to attend the event and deliver an important community legal education session to Elders attending the games, focusing on Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney.

The Elders shared many excellent questions, leading to plenty of great yarns about the importance of getting your affairs in order. The best time to do it is right now!

Thank you to the fantastic team at Deadly Choices for organising such a wonderful event. We look forward to attending the next one! 🙏

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Homeless Connect Event

ATSILS was proud to take part in Brisbane City Council’s Homeless Connect event last week.

Homeless Connect is a fantastic initiative that brings together a wide range of community services to support people who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. From health care, housing assistance and clothing to food, haircuts and legal advice — the event offers a safe space where people can access practical support and feel connected to their community.

Pree Sharma represented the ATSILS team and provided legal advice and referrals throughout the day. Many community members doing it tough stopped by our stall to ask for help, and we were glad to assist with their legal needs and connect them with other services where appropriate.

A big thank you to Brisbane City Council for coordinating this important event and to all the organisations who came together to make a real difference.

Southern Cross University Law Students Association Careers Fair on the Gold Coast
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Southern Cross University Law Students Association Careers Fair on the Gold Coast

Yesterday, members of our Southport team had a fantastic day at the Southern Cross University Law Students Association Careers Fair on the Gold Coast! 🎓

The team enjoyed connecting with the next generation of legal professionals and providing insight into the diverse career paths available at ATSILS. It was a great opportunity to highlight our family, civil, and criminal law roles, as well as the critical support roles that work alongside our legal practitioners. ⚖️

We’re proud to offer a supportive and collaborative environment where you can truly make a meaningful difference. Join us and you’ll find great benefits like:
✅ Salary packaging
✅ Encouraged career growth with supported learning and professional development opportunities
✅ A strong statewide peer and mentor network of experienced lawyers and barristers to guide you on your justice journey.

Thanks to Arelene and all the team who attended, and to SCU Law Student Society for hosting this great event. 👏

If you’re interested in what careers are available at ATSILS view:
Our Townsville Office is Moving- (18th and 19th September)
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Our Townsville Office is Moving- (18th and 19th September)

ATSILS Townsville Move🚛📢 Our Townsville Office is Moving! 📢 🚛

We’re excited to announce our ATSILS Townsville office is relocating to a new and improved space just up the road!

The new address is: 12-20 Wills Street, Townsville QLD 4810.

This location brings us closer to the Courts and will help us better serve our community.

Key Dates to Remember:
– Thursday, 18 September & Friday, 19 September 2025: Our Townsville office will be closed as we move.

– We will operate from our new location starting Monday, September 22, 2025.

Urgent client needs: Our dedicated statewide team will be taking urgent calls to our Townville office during the move to ensure you get the help you need. For urgent criminal law matters, you can always call 1800 012 255 (24/7).

We’re so excited for this next chapter and can’t wait to welcome you to our new office!

Mt Isa Yarn Up event!
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Mt Isa Yarn Up event!

Last month, members of our Community Legal Education (CLE) Team (Kate Greenwood and Paige Ryan) participated in the highly successful Mt Isa Yarn Up (Licensing Muster) from July 22-24. Hosted by the First Nations Justice Office (FNJO), the event was the largest to date, attracting a record 418 community members who sought assistance from a wide range of essential services over the three days.
A major highlight was a visit from Queensland Attorney-General, Deb Frecklington MP. The AG attended the Yarn Up Event and also took the time to stop by our Mt Isa office to discuss key local justice issues with the team.
On a celebratory note, the team also had the pleasure of marking our own Kate Greenwood’s birthday with a well-deserved cake during the event.
The Yarn Up event was a powerful demonstration of inter-agency collaboration, allowing us to strengthen partnerships while engaging and enhancing access to services for the Mt Isa community. Other services in attendance, in addition to ATSILS included:
54 reasons
AIDRWA
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
Blue Card Services
BUSY At Work – The Apprenticeship Community
Commonwealth Bank
Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ)
Indigenous Driver Licencing Unit (TMR)
Indigenous Support & Care
Mithangkaya Nguli – Young People Ahead Youth and Community Services Indigenous Corporation
Office of Fair Trading
Qld Screening
Qld Youth Services
QSuper
Red Door Community Services
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Selectability
Services Australia
State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER)
Mt Isa Yarn Up Muster
Director of Civil Law Visits Wide Bay-Burnett Region
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Director of Civil Law Visits Wide Bay-Burnett Region

ATSILS Civil Law Team As part of our Workforce Development Plan and emerging leaders’ program, Simon Burgess, Director of Civil Law, recently visited our regional offices in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.

In Hervey Bay, Simon engaged with the local team, including Civil and Family Lawyer Murray Nielsen, to discuss the unique challenges and complexities surrounding Wills, Estates, and EPOAs within the Wide Bay-Burnett communities.

The tour continued in Bundaberg, which marked a welcome return for Simon, who served as the office’s Regional Manager around 2004. He was delighted to reconnect with long-serving colleagues, including Court Support Officer Natasha Thomson, lawyers Ian Kendrick and Jennie Waldron, and Administrative Officer Cheryl Nuggin. The visit also provided an opportunity to meet with local Magistrate Mr. John McInnes, fostering crucial dialogue on community-based civil law issues.

These regional visits are vital for strengthening collaboration, connection and ensuring our services are responsive to the needs of every community we serve.

Community Event – Mt Isa – Legal Rights
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Community Event – Mt Isa – Legal Rights

Hey, Mount Isa! Come and enjoy a free Kup Murri at the Mount Is Recovery Services Centre (MIRS) and learn more about your legal rights.

Lawyers from ATSILS, Legal Aid Qld and the Central Queensland Community Legal Centre will be present to provide information to the community. This event is warmly supported by MIRS, Jimaylya Topsy Harry Centre and Centacare Mount Isa.