Assisting our most remote clients in Far NW QLD
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Assisting our most remote clients in Far NW QLD

Last week, ATSILS mobile legal practitioner Kevin Amantea undertook the remote court circuit in the Gulf country to assist clients and to help ensure our most remote communities have access to justice. Kevin said, ‘I enjoyed traveling to the Northwest QLD region of the Gulf of Carpentaria for work…. It was one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my legal career.

ATSILS currently employs two mobile legal practitioners as part of our innovative and agile workforce. Our highly experienced mobile legal practitioners travel far and wide across Queensland to assist with service delivery continuity and demand. They can be deployed to targeted regions to enable ATSILS to be more responsive to the legal needs of a community.

30th Annual Musgrave Park Family Fun Day
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30th Annual Musgrave Park Family Fun Day

ATSILS had an amazing day out at the 30th Annual Musgrave Park Family Fun Day! Over 400 people visited our NAIDOC stall, and we shared countless yarns and stories.

Members of our Brisbane Team were out in force, offering advice to individuals and sharing resources to assist the community with a broad range of legal needs. The day was also a great opportunity to connect with other service providers and partners from Southeast Queensland.

A big thank you to all the staff who contributed to making the day successful. Events like these not only celebrate culture but also strengthen community connections and vital support networks.

 

Out in Community for NAIDOC at Ferny Grove State High School
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Out in Community for NAIDOC at Ferny Grove State High School

ATSILS held a stall at the NAIDOC celebration at Ferny Grove State High School on Wednesday 10th July which saw approximately 2000 students and teachers come down to the oval to participate.

The day was a great success with many students and teachers stopping by the stall to ask about what ATSILS does. Some students had great questions about the law and current legal issues. The wristbands and information brochures were very popular and were quickly all snapped up by eager students.

Happy NAIDOC Week 2024
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Happy NAIDOC Week 2024

Happy #NAIDOC2024

❤️💛🖤💙🤍💚
‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ celebrates the unyielding spirit of First Nations communities.
This year’s deadly NAIDOC Week poster ‘Urapun Muy’ (One Fire) is by Torres Strait Islander artist Deb Belyea.

ATSILS senior lawyer affectionately known as ‘The Bail King’ retires.
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ATSILS senior lawyer affectionately known as ‘The Bail King’ retires.

Lyle Parker - ATSILSAfter four decades of passionate advocacy for Queensland’s most vulnerable people and significant contributions to justice, including his work with ATSILS and the Fitzgerald Inquiry, esteemed lawyer Lyle Parker has retired.
Lyle is affectionately known amongst his ATSILS’ colleagues as “The Bail King” – to quote Lewis Shillito, our Director of Criminal Law: “mostly because he would get bail for clients in circumstances where no one else could feasibly do so. He would literally talk Magistrates into submission, simply not relenting until they did as he asked. He is unwaveringly temperate and professional in his dealings with all clients, prosecutors and certainly the bench.”
“Without question, Lyle’s well-deserved retirement sees the departure of a true legend – a lionhearted and consummate professional who was all about ‘service to others’ – especially the most vulnerable. Lyle will always remain an integral part of the ATSILS’ family – indeed, it is people such as he, who make us all proud to be part of that same family. All the very best to you Lyle – it has been my very great privilege to work alongside you as a colleague over so many years.” – Mr Greg Shadbolt (ATSILS) Principal Legal Officer.
Read More:
https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/redlands/atsils-senior-criminal-lawyer-lyle-parker-retires-after-40-year-career/news-story/3d7dd60cbdfe7e1e215d7154a944fc45
Please join us in supporting the #ARightToLearn Campaign
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Please join us in supporting the #ARightToLearn Campaign

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!

Join the campaign here https://www.arighttolearn.com.au/pledge

Respect@Work – Community Legal Education – Cairns
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Respect@Work – Community Legal Education – Cairns

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’s Managers’ Conference 2024
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ATSILS’s Managers’ Conference 2024

Last week the ATSILS’s Managers’ Conference was held in Brisbane. It was fantastic to have all ATSILS leaders in one place to discuss the key workforce challenges and opportunities impacting service delivery.

Congratulations to our HR Team on the success of the event. The team delivered a highly engaging program designed to equip our managers with more tools to manage change, address conflict, and overcome the common challenges impacting team dynamics which was well received by all.

Assisting Elders through our Community Legal Education outreach!
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Assisting Elders through our Community Legal Education outreach!

ATSILS’ Community Legal Education Team recently delivered a talk on Wills and Powers of Attorney for Elders at the Metro North Community and Oral Health Yarning Circle in Brighton.
 
The talk covered topics including: what is a Will?; what is a Beneficiary; what is an Executor; what can I put in my Will; what happens if I die without a Will; what is a Power of Attorney and Enduring Power of Attorney?; How to I set one up; Who should I choose to be my Attorney; How to revoke a Power of Attorney; and what to do if an Attorney acts improperly.
 
Many Elders attended and asked a lot of great questions which generated lots of great yarns about the importance of setting up these key legal documents.
Community Legal Education – Youth Justice’s Transition 2 Success Program
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Community Legal Education – Youth Justice’s Transition 2 Success Program

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.