Victoria Legal Aid is launching its Reconciliation Action Plan as part of National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June). The plan outlines actions to help address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the justice system and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal and community agencies to advocate for systemic change.
Victorian Legal Aid Managing Director Bevan Warner said the plan includes bolstering relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups to help narrow this gap.
‘Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria today are still affected by family dislocation, removal from country, and disruption of cultural practices and connections. These have had serious impacts and led to a range of unmet legal needs’, Bevan said.
‘Victoria Legal Aid can and must do more to achieve justice for Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities and this is the motivation behind the many practical commitments outlined in the plan. We must start small but aim high,’ he said.
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Principal Legal Officer Meena Singh believes the plan represents a new step forward to strengthen the relationship between Victoria Legal Aid, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities.
'Most significantly, the plan provides for a greater sense of inclusion and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their interaction with the legal system in Victoria,' Meena said.
Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Chief Executive Officer Antoinette Braybrook said she was delighted to see Victoria Legal Aid’s commitment to support and work in partnership with specialist Aboriginal community controlled legal services to improve access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, especially victims and survivors of family violence.
The focus of the plan
The plan includes clear timeframes, accountabilities and performance measures for future action in four areas:
- improving access to our legal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- building cultural awareness among our staff
- advocacy for systemic change
- improving employment opportunities at Victoria Legal Aid for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
More information
See the Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–2018.
Reviewed 14 April 2022