Hear from some of our dedicated team working to change Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives for the better.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service provides innovative, professional and culturally competent legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Queensland.
In his role as Co – Chair – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services & Change The Record Coalition, our CEO Shane Duffy speaks to Australasian Lawyer about the call for a new approach to Indigenous incarceration.
“The policing methodology in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this country has been more about ‘lock them up and throw away the key’. We continuously see governments winning elections based off law and order agendas and incarcerations. What we need to do is look at a new, smarter approach to ensuring we have safer communities across the country.” – Shane Duffy, Co – Chair – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services & Change The Record Coalition
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.australasianlawyer.com.au/news/experts-call-for-new-approach-to-indigenous-incarceration-207789.aspx#.VjgTOnE73mI.twitter
See Lateline’s full interview with ATSILS CEO Shane Duffy at the link below.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2015/s4344050.htm
These are the smarter solutions we are campaigning for:
https://changetherecord.org.au/solutions
Pledge your support to #ChangeTheRecord on violence and imprisonment rates today –> http://www.changetherecord.org.au/pledge
Sharing our Experience of Service Delivery
Yesterday members of our Executive management team in Brisbane hosted a delegation from the Legal Aid Foundation Taiwan – including their Secretary-General.
The delegation was on a fact-finding mission to get insight on how we deliver our specialised legal services. Of particular interest were things such as the cultural competency of our staff, our quality controls and Murri Court – (given the Indigenous population in Taiwan).
With the help of an interpreter the meeting proved to be great cross cultural exchange. The delegation was clearly grateful for our time and feedback, which included the provision of casework standards.
As a mark of appreciation the ATSILS team was presented with a special gift, a “Limpidwing Flying Fish” (“sosowowon”) crafted by a father and son team of Indigenous Taiwanese artists.
The amazing piece of artwork heralds from the Tao Indigenous peoples on Orchid Island (Pongso no Tao) – the only marine ethnic group of Taiwan. The flying fish is an important symbol of the Tao indigenous peoples. “The first catch in the open season will only be shared by family members of the fishermen. All of the family members shall eat the first catch”.
Their delegation consisted of:
1. Attorney Mr. Wei-Shyang Chen, Secretary-General, Legal Aid Foundation, Taiwan
2. Mr. Chih-Wei, Tsai, Board Member, Legal Aid Foundation, Taiwan
3. Attorney Ms. Tsai-Yi Chen, Executive Secretary, Taitung Branch, Legal Aid Foundation, Taiwan
4. Mr. Te-Yen Chou, Deputy- Director, Department of Legal Affairs, Legal Aid Foundation, Taiwan
5. Ms. Si-Wei Huang, Deputy- Director, Department of Business & Management, Legal Aid Foundation, Taiwan
6.Ms. Yu-Shan Chang, PHD Candidate, University College, London (translator)
The Change the Record Coalition today welcomed Prime Minister Turnbull’s announcement of $100 million of funding targeted at addressing family and domestic violence, but expressed disappointment that the package fails to prioritise essential legal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s safety.
Queensland is one step closer to a charter of human rights, with the Palaszczuk Government committing to holding a parliamentary inquiry into how the state could adopt its own bill of rights.
On Monday night 14/09/2015 our CEO Shane Duffy spoke the launch of the #HumanRights4QLD campaign at Parliament House. Mr Duffy highlighted some of the shocking human rights violations experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the benefits of using a human rights framework to shape future legislation to better protect the rights of all Queenslanders.
“We need to invest in the proactive rather than the reactive and to put resources on the ground.” Mr Duffy said.
At the launch on Monday Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad confirmed the great news that the government would move a motion to kick off the inquiry.
The move was welcomed by the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, which said Queenslanders basic rights remained unprotected under existing legislation.
Queensland is the only state in Australia with a one-house parliament which means there is a higher risk of rights breaches by the government and therefore more work to do in terms of rights protections.
Support the #humanrights4qld campaign: http://www.humanrights4qld.com.au
Join the conversation on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanrights4qld
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hr4qld
No alcohol during pregnancy #FASDAwarenessDay
Today is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day. The day puts a spotlight on the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and the plight of families and individuals living with FASD. FASD is a disorder caused by maternal consumption of alcohol prior to a child’s birth. This spectrum of disorders can leave affected individuals with wide ranging and varied behavioural and cognitive problems that often see them end up in the justice system rather than the health system.
FASD is a significant issue effecting many families in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. A recent House of Representatives Standing committee report says Indigenous children fall through cracks of education system and later land in prison as FASD is misdiagnosed or not treated.
The report recommended all governments work to adopt a justice reinvestment strategy in predominantly Indigenous communities as a more effective way to keep people out of prison and reduce inter-generational alcohol abuse.
View more:
http://www.theguardian.com/…/foetal-alcohol-syndrome-should…
Online FASD Resources:
For more information on FASD check out this web resource by the Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre
http://www.aodknowledgecentre.net.au/aodkc/alcohol/fasd
For more information on FASD or FASD Awareness Day, please visit:
http://www.nofasd.org.au/get-involved/international-fasd-awareness-day
Change the Record:
Join the #ChangeTheRecord campaign to call on Governments to adopt justice reinvestment strategies that tackle the root causes of imprisonment –www.changetherecord.org.au/pledge
As of the 13/08/2015 our Strathpine office will be relocating to:
Shop 6a, 424 Gympie Road, Strathpine 4500 (PO Box 2064)
During the transition our phones, fax and email system may be down until Friday 14/08 an possible Monday 17/08.
If you are having trouble getting through during this time please contact the Brisbane Head office on: (07) 3025 3888
Full contact details for the new Strathpine location are listed below.
STRATHPINE
Services Provided: Criminal and Family Law (Civil Law referred to our Brisbane office)
Address: Shop 6a, 424 Gympie Road, Strathpine 4500 (PO Box 2064)
Phone: (07) 3205 1253
Fax: (07) 3205 1250
*If you require mobility or pram access at this location please call ahead to make arrangements.
Where we have no 
we may be able to meet you in a better place, if you give us enough time.
Please note
*Our Strathpine office can be discreetly accessed via the rear carpark and Railway Avenue (not the Gympie road shopfronts.) It is 220m from the Pine Rivers Court House.
**Closest Railway Station: Bray Park
It is great to see the State Government honour its election commitment to reinstate courts such as the Murri Court and Special circumstances Court diversion programs.
The reinstatement of these successful diversionary programs is a feature of the Government’s boost to spending on the justice system in the 2015-16 State Budget.
Diversionary courts like the Murri, Special Circumstances and the Drug courts are key examples of smarter approaches to justice that focus on rehabilitating offenders, reducing the rate of crime and creating considerable long-term cost savings for the community.
In a climate where the state’s justice system is grappling with a record prison population, the decision to reinstate effective alternatives to incarceration is a win for common sense and the most vulnerable members in the community.
Read the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath’s media statement here:
http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2015/7/14/court-programs-to-address-crime-reinstated
This week the brilliant Renee Taylor from our Beenleigh office shared the fantastic news that she has been accepted into a LLB degree program.
After completing an Associate Degree in Law (Paralegal) last year, Renee is now shooting for the stars and will pursue a Bachelor of Laws.
We wish Renee all the very best with her future studies and the exciting career path ahead, wherever it may take her – from Legal Secretary, to Solicitor, to Barrister & beyond!
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) is calling on the Palaszczuk Government to show leadership and champion change by adopting a justice reinvestment approach to address the state’s incarceration crisis. The call comes in the wake of Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) figures that reveal more people in Queensland are living behind bars than ever before.
Shane Duffy, Chief Executive Officer of ATSILS, said “we would welcome an opportunity to engage with the government to discuss long term solutions to the crisis based on intervention, prevention and diversion strategies which form the basis of a Justice Reinvestment approach.”
The QCS figures show a 20% surge in the state’s prison numbers in just two years, and confirms the state’s prison population is the highest on record at more than 7200. All 12 of the state’s high security facilities are currently operating at beyond capacity and serious overcrowding has seen a doubling in the rate of reported assaults.
A considerable factor in the crisis is the gross over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland prisons. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people currently make up less than 4% of the state’s population, however account for nearly a third of the state’s inmates. Various governments tough on crime policies have disproportionately affected the most disadvantaged in the community and have put a strain on our prison system at great public expense.
With such high Indigenous representation in the crisis, ATSILS urges the government to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, services and their representatives, to develop and implement justice reinvestment solutions.
Mr Duffy said “coming from a deficit position the government can no longer invest in costly, unsustainable prison infrastructure at the expense of affordable housing, education, mental health and social services that are vital to the fabric of thriving safe communities.”
Justice reinvestment is an approach that has had success in the USA and fundamental to the approach is investment in community services that tackle the underlying root causes of crime. Justice reinvestment makes a very strong economic argument to better utilise tax payer funds. Currently there is a pilot scheme happening in Bourke, NSW and ATSILS hope to see the Justice Reinvestment approach adopted in communities across Queensland.
The current crisis presents a great opportunity for the new government to charter a course of innovative change and localise justice reinvestment approaches specific to the challenges we face in Queensland.
Media Contact: Joshua Herd – 0439 561 775 or joshua.herd@atsils.org.au