ATSILS Funding Emergency – CEO Shane Duffy speaks with ABC
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ATSILS Funding Emergency – CEO Shane Duffy speaks with ABC

Our CEO Shane Duffy speaks with ABC Far North QLD about the current funding issues crippling ATSILS around the nation & why urgent government intervention is needed. #ATSILSFundingEmergency

 

Listen here:

ABC Far North Queensland – 17 May 2023 07:47:42 (meltwater.com)

Temporary Service Suspension – Sunshine Coast

Temporary Service Suspension – Sunshine Coast

Maroochydore – Regional Office

A temporary suspension of service that includes, appearing for fresh arrests in a duty lawyer capacity, will commence in the Sunshine Coast region as of Monday, May 15th, 2023 – this service suspension will be for those persons held at the Maroochydore and Caboolture watchhouses and who are to appear before the said Courts between Monday to Friday inclusive.

Such suspension would also entail our not then taking carriage of the said matter(s) the defendants appearing before those Courts have ongoing.

Our current criminal team in the region is having real problems maintaining current workloads and meeting the demand for services.

For more information on our statewide service suspension please see:

ATSILS Temporary Service Suspensions – Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and Strathpine

Recognition of Service – C’Zarke Maza
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Recognition of Service – C’Zarke Maza

ATSILS Staff - C'zarke MazaATSILS CEO Shane Duffy, & our Director of Sector Engagement and Communications, Graham White were in Cairns last week and enjoyed a catch-up with previous ATSILS employee C’Zarke Maza, who is now the inaugural Commissioner – Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (Torres Strait Islander Traditional Child Rearing Practice).

C’Zarke was a much-valued member of the ATSILS family and spent over 10 years with us as a legal practitioner and as the Regional Manager of our Thursday Island Office. During his time with ATSILS, C’Zarke worked tirelessly to enhance access to justice for the most remote communities throughout the Torres Strait Islands and Northern Peninsula Area regions. He successfully established collaborative partnerships with communities, key government and non-government stakeholders to influence positive change and enhance the delivery of high-quality legal services to these regions.

In recognition of his important contribution to ATSILS history of service, the executive took the opportunity to present C’Zarke with a 50-year commemorative polo shirt while in Cairns.

Client Services Trainee Graduate – Brisbane
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Client Services Trainee Graduate – Brisbane

Congratulations to Akotapu Paongu who has graduated as one of our Client Services Trainees in Brisbane,

While undertaking her traineeship with ATSILS, Akotapu Paongu also took the initiative to become a Justice of the Peace as was sworn in at the Brisbane Courts just over a year ago. Since then she has been delivering JP services to support the team from our reception in Brisbane.

We congratulate Akotapu on all her achievements and great work and we wish her all the best on her journey ahead with ATSILS.

Job Opportunities – Legal Practitioner Roles (Brisbane, Cairns & Townsville)
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Job Opportunities – Legal Practitioner Roles (Brisbane, Cairns & Townsville)

ATSILS - Legal Job Vacancies

ATSILS (QLD) has a range of legal practitioner job vacancies available across the state.

Join us and be a part of a leading social justice & human rights service dedicated to advancing the legal and human rights of our clients.

  • Supportive team environment
  • Flexible working arrangements with salary sacrifice options
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Rural and regional lifestyle benefits
  • Rewarding career journey

Applications close soon mid-April. Check our vacancies page for more information on the specific roles.

https://atsils.org.au/job-vacancies

Welcoming new members of the team in MT Isa
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Welcoming new members of the team in MT Isa

Our Chief Executive Officer, Shane Duffy and our Principal Legal Officer, Greg Shadbolt spent several days out on Kalkadoon country this week catching up with our Mt Isa staff and stakeholders.
It was a good opportunity to meet and yarn-up with newer staff for the first time as well as provide support to our new Regional Manager at Mount Isa, Dominique (Dom) Leong. It was also great to catch up with His Honour District Court Judge Nathan Jarro – who was on court circuit this week in Mount Isa.
L to R
Greg Shadbolt, Leith Seymour (CSO); Shane; Katie Rose (lawyer – crime); Mariah Wilde (seated – CSO); Dominique Leong (RM); Alenza Mariana (lawyer – crime); Shay-Lee Laing (lawyer – crime); Amrit Prihar (lawyer – crime); Scott Sier (seated – lawyer – crime – Normanton office); Tjabadungah Yanner (admin – his last day today); and Natasha Burns (Through Care – Youth
MEDIA RELEASE – Another Tragic Loss of Life – Mareeba
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MEDIA RELEASE – Another Tragic Loss of Life – Mareeba

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) extends our deepest sympathies to the family and community of the young man who tragically lost his life during a police response in Mareeba.
ATSILS CEO Shane Duffy said, “Our legal team are working with the family of the deceased and are providing legal assistance and advice in relation to the investigation.”
“This is yet another tragic loss of life, and a fate all too often experienced by Aboriginal people when coming into contact with police or reaching out to police for help. “You would have to ask what de-escalating responses were attempted by the police prior to the fatal action taken? These tragic outcomes due to lethal force undermine confidence in the police and community safety.”
“The Crime and Corruption Commission will be providing independent oversight of the Police Ethical Standards Command investigation. Once again we reiterate, police should not be investigating police,” Mr. Duffy said.
It has been over 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) handed down its 339 recommendations. Tragically there is a broken record of over five hundred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody recorded since this time.

Media Release [PDF]

 

 

Cairns Regional Office Upgrade!
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Cairns Regional Office Upgrade!

Our Cairns office has had an upgrade, and our CEO – Shane Duffy and Director of Communications and Sector Engagement – Graham White, had a chance to view the completed works while in town meeting with the team. The upgrades were undertaken to meet the needs of our growing workforce and the interior design incorporates our new branding and landscape images to give the space a strong sense of connection to the region we service.

The executive spent valuable time with staff from the Civil, Criminal and Family law teams, the Throughcare team and the client services team discussing local service delivery opportunities and issues. They also met with the Atherton Community Justice Group, Family Responsibilities Commission, The First Nations Justice Officer, working to develop collaborative partnerships to improve service outcomes for community and clients.

Our Cairns office offers Criminal, Civil & Family law services as well as Throughcare services to communities in FNQ.  atsils.org.au/contact/

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag raising – QEII Courts of Law Complex in Brisbane
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag raising – QEII Courts of Law Complex in Brisbane

This week our Principal Legal Officer, Greg Shadbolt attended a ceremony to mark the raising of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags outside the QEII Courts of Law Complex in Brisbane.

The event was held on 09/02/2023 and presided over by Her Honour, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill. The raising of the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag acknowledges the original owners and custodians of the land and waters in and around the whole of the State of Queensland.

From 09/02/2023 forward, the flags will permanently fly alongside the Australian and Queensland flags as a symbol of recognition and respect and to recognise our shared history.

 

Farewell to long serving CSO – Trevor Draper
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Farewell to long serving CSO – Trevor Draper

Farewell Trevor
The ATSILS Family farewelled Court Support Officer Trevor Draper on 3/2/2023. Trevor is moving on to his next adventure after almost 24 years with the organisation.
Trevor worked in both our Toowoomba and Maroochydore offices and truly epitomised ATSILS values in his approach to working with colleagues and clients. As a Court Support Officer, Trevor was a vital part of our service delivery and a highly valued member of our legal team. Trevor established strong connections with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community across the Sunshine Coast region and worked tirelessly to assist clients to navigate the justice system and overcome the barriers to accessing justice.
Trevor will be dearly missed by colleagues and the community, but we are very grateful for the considerable time he dedicated to ATSILS in helping the team advance the legal rights of our clients.
All the best Trevor!