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
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!

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

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
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!
Community Legal Education – QATSICPP Forum Cairns

CLE Staff Cairns - 2023On 1 February, Julie Kefford and Pree Sharma attended the Youth Justice Family Led Decision Making Community of Practice hosted by QATSICPP which is a monthly forum where 4 community-controlled organisations from across Queensland come together to reflect on program implementation and practice, identify shared issues, share successes and help QATSICPP identify what needs to be advocated on the sector’s behalf.

Julie delivered a detailed community legal education presentation on youth justice issues including police interactions with our young people, understanding rights and diversion options as well as an overview of legal processes and jargon. The CLE was well received. We look forward to further opportunities to expand on this CLE into more specific aspects of the law. We thank QATSICPP for this opportunity and their commitment to breaking down barriers for our families and young people engaging with the criminal justice system.

ATSILS Adopts New Branding
Today, 1st February 2023, ATSILS officially adopts its new branding. 
Our staff have been working tirelessly over the past month to transition all of our communication resources to the new branding and from this date forward we will operate under a new logo and visual identity.
 
Our 50th anniversary of service was seen as a great opportunity to embrace a new corporate identity in a way that honours our proud history and helps usher in a new era of advancing the legal and human rights of our clients.
 
Our new logo represents a journey through the legal system supported by ATSILS. The concept forms a subtle ‘Q’ that gives a sense of location and also forms a magnifying glass to reference our role in monitoring the legal system to ensure the rights of our clients are upheld. The colour palette selected reflects the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Queensland.
 
We’d like to thank strategic design agency Relative Creative for their work in developing the branding and Goreng Goreng contemporary artist Rachael Sarra for creating the specialty artwork that helps connect the brand more deeply with the communities we serve.
ATSILS History Timeline

In December 1972 we opened the doors of our first office in George St, Brisbane. This week to mark our 50th anniversary, CEO Shane Duffy launched – ‘ATSILS History Timeline’ to staff and key stakeholders.

‘ATSILS History Timeline’ is an interactive web resource and can be viewed at: https://history.atsils.org.au

The timeline maps our justice journey beginning with the organisation’s founding by grassroots community and legal volunteers responding to injustice in 1972. From there it winds through the last five decades of Queensland’s socio-political landscape, along the way highlighting key milestones important to our growth and communicating our future vision.

From modest beginnings in early 1972, ATSILS has grown into a state-wide service with over 250 staff and twenty-five offices across the state.

ATSILS growth and development would not have been possible without the support of our diverse communities, as well as the dedicated services of countless board and staff members throughout the decades and there are more stories to tell. So please note that the initial publication of our timeline is only the start. Over the next 12 months, the site will continually evolve and give voice to more of our communities and sister organisations so important to our story.

 

We’d like to thank everyone who joined us at the launch in person and online, it was great to share the occasion with you.

Queensland Path to Treaty – Yarning Sessions
Queensland Path to Treaty
Yarning Sessions – Ipswich and Logan
 
IPS have been engaged by the Queensland Government to conduct a series of community yarning sessions across the state. You’re invited to participate and share your views.
 
Links to RSVP for a session and more information, including other areas they are running sessions can be found here: www.ipsau.com.au/rpe-pathtotreaty
 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants will be provided with a $50 voucher as reimbursement for their time.
ATSILS adopts a new brand to mark 50 years of service.

December is the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in Brisbane.

To mark this milestone we wish to advise our clients, communities, and stakeholders that we are adopting a new logo and visual brand.

ATSILS Board of Directors endorsed the undertaking of the corporate rebrand project in mid-2022 under the theme ‘ATSILS – 50 Years Strong’.

First Nations creative agency – Relative Creative was engaged to undertake the strategic design phase & we thank them for their creativity and vision throughout the project. We’d also like to thank Goreng Goreng artist Rachael Sarra who was commissioned to create a specialty artwork that has been integrated into our visual identity to communicate our strong commitment to community and culture.

Their innovative creative practice combined with the leadership of the ATSILS team has established a brand that we are proud to present to our communities and stakeholders. It is a brand that we believe honours our proud history, will connect more deeply with our communities, and aligns well with our ongoing mission of advancing the legal and human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout.

Please note our transition to the new visual branding will begin throughout December to coincide with our 50-year celebrations. Implementing the branding across all our communication resources is expected to continue into early 2023.

To read more about the story behind the new ATSILS branding click here.