In 2012, the National Judicial College of Australia (through its National Indigenous Justice Committee) funded a project whereby a resource was developed to inform courts and lawyers about many of the distinct Indigenous communities in Queensland.
A committee of judges and magistrates in Queensland worked together on the project which has been produced by and for each of the courts.
The Committee
The Committee consisted of:
- Justice Roslyn Atkinson from the Supreme Court of Queensland
- Justice Berna Collier from the Federal Court of Australia
- Justice Colin Forrest from the Family Court of Australia
- Judge Michael Shanahan from the District Court of Queensland
- Judge Stephen Coates from the Federal Circuit Court
- Magistrate Jacqui Payne from the Magistrates Court of Queensland
- Wendy Cull from the Magistrates Court of Queensland.
Project contributors
The project was done in collaboration with the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP) in particular Wayne Briscoe and Marjorie Weber. The funding was used to employ a skilled Indigenous lawyer, Trudie Broderick BA, LLB, LLM who prepared the documents.
What the documents contain
The documents profile the history and contemporary circumstances of many different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland as diverse as from Coen to Palm Island to Cunnamulla. They can be read together or used individually.
All the documents on the website have been approved by the representatives of the community to whom they relate. The judges and magistrates respectfully acknowledge the contribution made by each community.
The documents were launched by the Chief Justice of the High Court, the Honourable Robert French AC, in the Banco Court of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 2 August 2013.
