New CLE Resource – Expanded Police Wanding Powers (Jack’s Law) ⚖️
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New CLE Resource – Expanded Police Wanding Powers (Jack’s Law) ⚖️

Helping Mob Navigate Expanded Police Wanding Powers (Jack’s Law) ⚖️

Community safety is important, but so are your rights. ✊🏾
With the introduction of Jack’s Law, police powers in Queensland have expanded. Police can now use handheld metal detection wands to search for weapons in certain public areas without a warrant or “reasonable suspicion.”

These expanded powers can have a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. To support community, ATSILS has developed a new legal education resource to help Mob stay informed.

This video is designed to provide clear, practical guidance to community on:
📍 Where these searches happen (like transport hubs & night precincts).
✋ Your rights when being stopped for a scan.
✅ Your responsibilities during the process to keep things calm.

📺Watch the video to learn how to navigate these interactions safely.

Need Legal Support?
If you or someone you know has been charged, or if you believe you have experienced unfair treatment or discrimination during a police wanding process, we encourage you to reach out for professional legal advice.

📞 ATSILS 24/7 Free Call: 1800 012 255

Animation produced by Punchy Studio

Submission 2026 Commonwealth Consultation – First Nations Education Policy
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Submission 2026 Commonwealth Consultation – First Nations Education Policy

View our latest submission re: First Nations Education Policy Discussion Paper Consultation

Linked here: Submission-2026-Commonwealth-Consultation-First-Nations-Education-Policy-Upload-Version.pdf

For a list of all our latest legal submissions, please visit: Submissions – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd

🎥 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.

 

Recent Office Moves – We’re Growing to Better Serve Our Communities!
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Recent Office Moves – We’re Growing to Better Serve Our Communities!

ATSILS QLD Office LocationATSILS is proud to maintain a statewide network of regional and satellite offices, providing vital criminal, civil, and family law services across Queensland.
Beyond legal representation, we are committed to holistic support through our key programs: ✅ Throughcare Services (Rehabilitation & Reintegration) ✅ Community Legal Education ✅ Coronial & Public Sector Monitoring
To keep up with our growing team and services, several of our teams moved into new spaces in late 2025! If you are looking for us in Cairns, Townsville, Maroochydore, Hervey Bay, or Normanton, please note our locations have changed.
🔗 Check our updated contact details here: www.atsils.org.au/contact/
📞 We are available 24/7 for urgent criminal law matters on 1800 012 255.
View our latest Submissions
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View our latest Submissions

Our Latest Submissions

2026

PDF Submission 2026 Youth Justice (Electronic Monitoring) Amendment Bill 2025

 

2025

PDF Submission 2025 Senate Inquiry No. 2 into Australia’s YJ and Incarceration System

PDF Submission 2025 Review of the Disability Discrimination Act (Cth)

PDF Submission 2025 Review of the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Activities

 

To view all of ATSILS Submissions, please visit: Submissions – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd

Murri Christmas from the ATSILS Team! 🎄 | Holiday Hours & Office Updates

Murri Christmas from the ATSILS Team! 🎄 | Holiday Hours & Office Updates

We wish you a very Murri Christmas and all the very best for the summer holidays and the New Year.

To our funding bodies and the many community, partner, and stakeholder organisations we’ve had the pleasure of working with this year: thank you. Your continued support throughout 2025 has been vital to our work, and we look forward to walking alongside you again in 2026.

🎄 Christmas Holiday Reduced Office Hours: Our offices will operate with reduced hours over the break; however, we will still have a rostered on-call team available.
• Reduced Hours: Monday, 22nd Dec 2025 – Monday, 5th Jan 2026.
• For urgent matters, call us on our Freecall 24/7 number: 1800 012 255.

📍 Office Moves! It’s been a busy year of growth! We’d like to remind our community that several of our offices have relocated in the second half of 2025. Please check our contacts page https://atsils.org.au/contact/ for updated addresses for our Cairns, Townsville, Maroochydore, and Normanton offices.

Once again, Merry Christmas, stay safe, and stay deadly!

Our Cairns Office is Currently Moving! 📦
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Our Cairns Office is Currently Moving! 📦

Our new address is: 59 McLeod St, Cairns

We look forward to welcoming clients at our new location early in the New Year, from Monday, 5th January 2026!

Current Status: The team is currently in the process of relocating to our new home. This is being undertaken between: 16th-19th December 2025, and our office will be closed to the public during this time and up until the 5th January 2026.

Urgent Needs: Calls to our Cairns office (Ph: 4046 6400) will be handled by our statewide teams who are standing by to take your calls and put you in touch with legal support.

As always, for any urgent Criminal Law matters, you can call our 24/7 hotline – 1800 012 255.

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

🚛📢 Our Maroochydore Office is Moving! 📢 🚛
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🚛📢 Our Maroochydore Office is Moving! 📢 🚛

ATSILS Maroochydore office is relocating to a new location just around the corner!

The new address is Suite 3/115-117 Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore, QLD 4558.

Situated on the corner of Aerodrome Road & Maud Street, the new location will bring us closer to the Courts, provide more space for our growing workforce and will help us better serve our community across the Sunshine Coast.

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Key Dates to Remember:
Thursday, 27th of November & Friday, 28th of November 2025: Our Maroochydore office will be closed on these days as we move.

Urgent client needs: Our dedicated statewide team will be taking urgent calls to our Maroochydore office (Ph: 5452 7633) during the move to ensure you get the help you need. Remember, for urgent criminal law matters, you can always call 1800 012 255 24/7.

Our Maroochydore team are excited to welcome you to our new office from Monday, 1st of December 2025!