Our CLE Team in NQ participate in the ‘Everyday Legal Training for Frontline Workers’ event
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Our CLE Team in NQ participate in the ‘Everyday Legal Training for Frontline Workers’ event

ATSILS CLE Our Community Legal Education staff in North Queensland participated in the ‘Everyday Legal Training for Frontline Workers’ CLE event in May, coordinated by LawRight and hosted by James Cook University in Cairns.

This full-day event saw presentations from LawRight, ATSILS, North Queensland Women’s Legal Service, Cairns Community Legal Centre and Basic Rights Qld. Kimberly Thornley and Paige Ryan of ATSILS presented sessions to the group of 70 frontline support workers on the topics of ‘Rights and Respect in the Workplace’ and ‘Supporting families with child protection matters’. Other sessions included legal options for victim-survivors of violence, debt solutions for people in financial hardship, effectively interacting with Centrelink and legal protections for people who buy a lemon car.

The purpose of this CLE event was to provide a series of in-person presentations and smaller workshops designed to provide specialist, practical training to help frontline workers navigate the complex legal systems impacting the people they support. Attendees on the day included staff from local and nearby regional services such as various neighbourhood centres, Anglicare, Relationships Australia, DFV support workers and counsellors, social workers, homelessness support workers and JCU students seeking to broaden their knowledge. This event provided a great opportunity for services to collaborate through CLE delivery and facilitated active audience participation and discussion. The team had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed taking part and sharing knowledge with all in attendance.

ATSILS and QATSICPP partner to deliver Community Legal Education (CLE) Webinar Series
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ATSILS and QATSICPP partner to deliver Community Legal Education (CLE) Webinar Series

ATSILS CLEATSILS and QATSICPP are collaborating to deliver a Community Legal Education (CLE) webinar series to empower community-based staff supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families facing the Queensland youth justice system.
ATSILS’ Pree Sharma, Legal Practitioner, Law Reform and Community Legal Education and Rod Morgan, Legal Practitioner, Criminal Law (Youth Crime Specialist) recently delivered a webinar in partnership with the Youth Justice Peak body, QATSICPP, for staff of community-based organisations that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, and families, particularly those involved with or at risk of becoming involved with the youth justice system with a focus on the rights of children and young people when interacting with police.
ATSILS has a longstanding partnership with QATSICPP in delivering community legal education to its members. This particular webinar is the first in a three-part webinar series that is part of QATSICPP’s Knowledge Bites offering. It is designed to support the professional development of staff within community-controlled and community-based organisations and strengthen advocacy and service delivery in child protection and youth justice. Through these sessions, QATSICPP aims to equip frontline workers with practical, up-to-date knowledge that informs and empowers their critical work.
The first webinar explored several key topics including:
• Knowing Your Rights: Understanding children’s rights when stopped, questioned, or searched by police.
• Children as Victims of Crime: Knowing the steps to take when a child is a victim of a crime.
• Concerns about Police Conduct: Guidance on how to raise concerns or lodge complaints about police conduct.
If you are interested in ATSILS delivering community legal education sessions such as this, in person or online, please reach out to us on info@atsils.org.au.
Mabo Day 2025

Mabo Day 2025

Today, June 3, 2025, marks the 33rd anniversary of the landmark Mabo v Queensland (No 2) decision by the High Court of Australia. On this day in 1992, the High Court, in favour of Meriam man Eddie Mabo and his co-plaintiffs, overturned the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ – the idea that Australia was land belonging to no one before European settlement.
This profound decision recognised the pre-existing native title rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, acknowledging their ongoing connection to and ownership of their traditional lands and waters according to their own laws and customs.
Eddie Mabo’s relentless pursuit of justice, often against immense personal hardship, was instrumental in bringing about this historic change. His legacy continues to be honoured for the profound impact it has had on advancing the legal and human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, laying the groundwork for native title recognition and ongoing reconciliation efforts in Australia.
To learn more about Mabo Day visit:
National Sorry Day – Still Bringing them Home
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National Sorry Day – Still Bringing them Home

Today is #SorryDay a day to reflect and honour the extraordinary resilience and determination of the Stolen Generations. In our daily work, we see the enduring legacy of discriminatory policies and the profound challenges posed by inter-generational trauma and its ongoing negative effects on our communities.
We stand with the Stolen Generations, dedicated to upholding and defending their legal and human rights. Our advocacy is unwavering; we will continue to push for critical reforms to laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate discrimination and harm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Learn More:
Recommendations: Bringing them home: The ‘Stolen Children’ report (1997) – http://bit.ly/1XUM8Wv
Congratulations, Tim Hishon on your SCLA Life Membership Award 2025!
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Congratulations, Tim Hishon on your SCLA Life Membership Award 2025!

We’re thrilled to announce that our very own Mr. Tim Hishon has been awarded the prestigious Life Membership Award from the Sunshine Coast Law Association (SCLA)! This incredible honour was presented at the 10th Annual Justin Crosby Memorial Gala Dinner 2025 on the weekend.

The SCLA Life Member Award is a testament to significant contributions made by a member, not just to the SCLA, but to the broader local legal and non-legal communities. This highly exclusive award is presented to only one individual each year.

What makes Tim’s achievement even more remarkable is that he is only the 10th person in the SCLA’s history to receive this esteemed recognition. Furthermore, he is the first recipient not from private practice, breaking new ground for the award. His nomination garnered widespread support, with endorsements from ATSILS staff, LAQ staff, and colleagues across the private sector – a true reflection of his impact.

The entire ATSILS team is incredibly proud of Tim and extends our warmest congratulations on this truly well-deserved honour!

Need help to make a Will?
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Need help to make a Will?

ATSILS has a statewide civil law team that can assist clients in making a valid Will.

Check out the video below to understand why having a Will in place is important.

To contact an ATSILS office close to you please visit: www.atsils.org.au/contact/

#ATSILS
#legalhelp

Tablelands Community Justice Group Meeting
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Tablelands Community Justice Group Meeting

Great to catch up with the Tablelands Community Justice Group again in Atherton, to further discussions around community-led intervention initiatives, partnerships and Closing The Gap justice policy.

Thank you to Julie Go Sam (TCJG) Justice Coordinator and all local Elders in attendance for hosting our CEO – Shane Duffy, Graham White (Director of Sector Engagement & Communication), Kate Greenwood (Closing the Gap Policy Officer) and Paige Ryan (Solicitor – Coronial, Community Legal Education & Public Sector Monitoring).

Addressing justice issues requires respectful, culturally informed local approaches, increased resources for rehabilitation and diversion programs, and systemic changes to reduce reliance on detention for young people.

An example of this has been the great work the Elders have been doing in delivering On Country Camps’ linked below: https://lnkd.in/gyBsxueb

Cycling for much needed crisis counselling services across SW QLD.
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Cycling for much needed crisis counselling services across SW QLD.

ATSILS Toowoomba Regional Manager will join family and friends next month on an epic mission to raise awareness and vital funds for crisis counselling services across the Darling Downs and South West Queensland.

On 26 May 2025, the first-ever Lifeline 3000 Ride will commence. Covering an incredible 1250km journey, Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland CEO, Rachelle Patterson, alongside her husband, family, and close friends, will embark on this challenging mountain bike ride from the Dig Tree (near Innamincka on the South Australian border) to Toowoomba.

The initial goal for the Lifeline 3000 Ride was to raise enough funds to employ a crisis counsellor who could serve communities across South West Queensland. However, the devastating floods that have recently swept through Western Queensland have made this need even more urgent.

The LLDDSWQ mission is to continue offering this much-needed counselling and psychosocial support to affected property owners, business owners, and individuals—long after the floodwaters have receded. To achieve this, LLDDSWQ needs the broader region’s help. By securing sponsorships and donations from partners throughout Toowoomba and beyond, LLDDSWQ can fund the long-term counselling services these communities desperately need.

LLDDSWQ acknowledges that things are pretty tough out there at the moment so if this isn’t a great time for you to consider sponsorship, we would request that you instead share the link to the LLDDSWQ fundraising page with your staff and network Lifeline Darling Downs & South West Queensland – Lifeline 3000 where individuals and businesses can make a tax-deductible donation. Every dollar raised will remain in this region as we are a local company with a footprint within the Darling Downs and South West Queensland.

For more information view:

LDDSWQL. Lifeline 3000 Charity Bike Ride. Sponsorship Proposal (long form)_v1.0 final

 

To donate to this important initiative click on the link below.

https://fundraise.lifeline.org.au/event/lifeline-darling-downs–south-west-queensland—lifeline-3000/home

Mob Strong – visiting Mt Isa in May
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Mob Strong – visiting Mt Isa in May

Mob Strong is a free nationwide legal advice and financial counselling service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mob Strong will be at the following locations:
• Mount Isa Neighbourhood Centre, 72 Marian Street, Pioneer from 9:00am – 3:00pm on the 6th of May

• Ngukuthati Children & Family Centre, 70 Short Stret, Pioneer from 9:00am – 3:00pm on the 7th & 8th of May

For more information on Mob Strong please visit – Mob Strong Debt Help – https://financialrights.org.au/getting-help/mob-strong-debt-help/

ATSILS Stategic Plan 2024-2026
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ATSILS Stategic Plan 2024-2026

Our Mission is to deliver legal assistance services which include prevention and early intervention, and legal advice, with the core aim of focusing on the protection and advancement of the legal and human rights of First Nations Queenslanders.

Our Service Delivery includes:
– Criminal, Civil & Family Law
– Community Legal Education & Law Reform
– Throughcare Services (Rehabilitation)
– Coronial & Public Sector Monitoring

View our Strategic Plan to learn more: https://atsils.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ATSILS_StrategicPlan_2024-2026.pdf