Masterclass event on the changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991
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Masterclass event on the changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991

The UQ Pro Bono Centre and Community Legal Centres Queensland recently held a Masterclass event on the changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 for legal practitioners in the community legal assistance sector.

At this event, there were short presentations from ATSILS, the @Institute of Urban Indigenous Health, Legal Aid Queensland, the Queensland Human Rights Commission, The University of Queensland and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion.

ATSILS’ Kate Greenwood and Pree Sharma presented to the group on key changes to vilification laws in Queensland. It is hoped that this event will help equip civil lawyers to understand key changes to the legislative framework so that they can best assist their clients with discrimination and vilification matters once the changes come into effect next year.

International Men’s Day – Cairns
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International Men’s Day – Cairns

Today our Cairns CLE team attended the first International Men’s Day event in Cairns. There was a big turnout in the Cairns heat and it was great to join the locals to celebrate “Positive Male Role Models” and recognise their contributions to our community.

We thank the hosts for organising the games, free BBQ lunch & drinks. It was an honour to connect with the locals and various organisations sharing our legal education resources, creating awareness of our services, and providing referrals to assist.
ATSILS Community Legal Education Outreach – Mt Isa and Cloncurry
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ATSILS Community Legal Education Outreach – Mt Isa and Cloncurry

ATSILS Community Legal Education outreach is just one of the ways we assist clients in overcoming the tyranny of distance in remote locations to enhance access to justice. These sessions help ensure the community is more aware of its legal rights and the range of legal services available from ATSILS.

Paige (Solicitor – Coronial, Community Legal Education & Public Sector Monitoring) from our Townsville office recently partnered with NQWLS to deliver DFV Community Legal Education and stakeholder engagement sessions in Mt Isa.

The team met with AIDRWA and discussed DFV and Child Protection matters, to increase staff understanding of these legal topics to better support their clients and discussed local ‘hot’ issues the service is seeing. They spent valuable time with the community justice group (NWQICSS), 54 Reasons, Gidgee Healing (Family wellbeing team) and the social worker team at the Mt Isa Hospital (NWHHS) to discuss future CLE opportunities, ATSILS & NQWLS services, referral pathways and NQWLS’ monthly legal clinic in Mt Isa.

The team also journeyed to Cloncurry where Paige partnered with Sharn Fogarty from Mitakoodi Aboriginal Corporation (Cloncurry), Joshua Gibson (criminal solicitor at our Mt Isa office), Natasha Chong (Throughcare, Mt Isa based) to deliver in-person CLE in Cloncurry. All in all the feedback received from the community and stakeholders was very positive.

 

CLE delivered to Vinnies Homeless Hostel and Support Service in Cairns.
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CLE delivered to Vinnies Homeless Hostel and Support Service in Cairns.

Our Cairns team fosters strong partnerships in the community services sector to ensure our legal services can reach those most in need in the community.

 
This week our Respect@Work CLE program was delivered by Solicitor Cicilia Halaholo at the Vinnies Homeless Hostel and Support Service in Cairns.
 
The audience was very receptive to the legal content presented, which was developed through engagement with Vinnies Support Workers to ensure that it catered to the clients’ needs.
 
We are committed to providing further support through this partnership and the participants were grateful to have access to ATSILS legal services in an environment they feel comfortable with.
 
We left the group with a range of legal information resources and merchandise to help them further and we look forward to building on this new partnership with Vinnies in Cairns.
Cooee Redlands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DFV Forum
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Cooee Redlands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DFV Forum

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.

CLE: Helping Deadly Young Mob avoid the pitfalls of Buy Now Pay Later!
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CLE: Helping Deadly Young Mob avoid the pitfalls of Buy Now Pay Later!

CLE ATSILS with IYMP StudentsAt the request of Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways Project (IYMP) – Cairns, ATSILS delivered a timely Community Legal Education (CLE) workshop to a group of work-ready students on the common debt traps associated with popular Buy Now Pay Later credit systems such as AfterPay.
The students were fully engaged in the content and curious about how to make their future earnings work for them. The session gave them a range of tips on avoiding being caught in spiraling debt and key referral agencies that can assist with debt problems if they do arise. In addition, it highlighted the importance of maintaining a positive credit rating for future borrowings.
The students left feeling more empowered to manage their finances and better informed about where to seek assistance to deal with any future financial pitfalls that may arise.
Once again we thank IYMP as we continue to foster this important community-led partnership that assists in nurturing these deadly young leaders of tomorrow.
Mossman High School Careers Day – Inspiring the Next Generation!
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Mossman High School Careers Day – Inspiring the Next Generation!

Mossman Legal CareersOur Cairns team held a stall at the Mossman High School Careers Day yesterday. It was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the community and give young people an insight into a legal career where they can focus on advancing and protecting the rights of people most in need of access to justice. One student said it was important to see ATSILS presence at this event, allowing Indigenous students to consider the possibility of working in the legal profession. There was also a great turnout of local stakeholders wanting to explore how to collaborate with our new Respect@Work Program which offers Community Legal Education to school leavers and students in alternative learning programs.

All in all, it was a great day out and we hope we played a small part in encouraging the next generation of bright young minds to consider a rewarding career in the legal assistance sector. Thank you to Mossman High School for the opportunity to engage with this fine region of future leaders and community organisations.

Helping Deadly Young Mob in Cairns “Get Work Ready”.
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Helping Deadly Young Mob in Cairns “Get Work Ready”.

Once again our team in Cairns delivered the “Get Work Ready” community legal education workshop to IYMP (Cairns) students. The students are completing their final month of study, and this workshop helps prepare them for a successful entry into the workforce by providing timely information on their work rights, how to deal with employment disputes and the array of support organisations available to assist them on their career path.

The students were highly engaged in the session and left feeling equipped to approach the working world confidently. Congratulations to the students who have completed their certificates and all the best for a bright future in the workforce.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – Innisfail
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National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – Innisfail

Members of our Cairns team attended the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day event hosted by Mamu Health Service in Innisfail. It was a joy celebrating our children and getting an insight into the local community’s concerns and finding out where ATSILS may be able to target key services to be part of the solution. The team also provided information on our Respect@Work program which was of interest to the community.

The children’s favourite pick of ATSILS merchandise were the sun hats and drink bottles as pictured. We thank Mamu Health Service and Innisfail for hosting such a warm and engaging community event.

Respect@Work Program – CLE: Cairns
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Respect@Work Program – CLE: Cairns

 

ATSILS CLE - Respect at WorkATSILS Solicitor Cicilia Halaholo continues to deliver Community Legal Education  (CLE) sessions throughout Far North Queensland under ATSILS Respect@Work Program. The key aim of the program is to prevent workplace sexual harassment and the most recent CLE was delivered through our partnership with Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways (IYMP) to remote students based in Cairns.

The students showed great engagement with the content of the CLE and were very receptive to dealing with this sensitive workplace issue as they prepare to complete their studies and enter the workforce.

ATSILS also provided a range of merchandise and legal resources to complement their learning. Many of the students requested more information on other key legal topics from ATSILS and we plan to  deliver more resources to assist these robust learners leading the way for our communities.

ATSILS thanks the IYMP and their student cohort for their generosity and valued partnership to date and we look forward to continuing to build on this strong relationship into the future.