We are NATSILS, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services. We represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) around the country. We strive towards true justice for our communities built on community, culture and empowerment.
We advocate at the national and international level to reimagine the justice system, for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the justice system, and work to ensure that our people have equitable access to justice.
Our members have over 50 years’ experience in providing culturally safe legal help, community legal education, law reform and advocacy to our communities. Self-determination and cultural safety underpins everything we do.

NATSILS also works to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services are adequately funded and equipped to provide high quality and culturally safe legal assistance services.

What We Do

NATSILS advocates at the national and international level for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the justice system, for an end to injustices and for our people to have equitable access to justice.

We collaborate and coordinate with the legal assistance sector, national coalitions like Change the Record and the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Bodies

NATSILS calls for law reform and policy change like the implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommendations and the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Pathways to Justice Inquiry so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People are treated safely, with humanity and with dignity.

We coordinate and support ATSILS to provide community controlled, representative, high quality and accountable legal services that are culturally safe. This includes by sharing best practice and facilitating coordinated approaches.

NATSILS is the national peak body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services who operate across Australia.

NATSILS members include:

Latest

NATSILS MEDIA RELEASE: Nearly a year and a half on and little has been done to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from COVID-19

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (NATSILS) strongly opposes the over-policing, criminalisation and lack of care shown toward Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

NATSILS MEDIA RELEASE: NATSILS Appoints New Executive Officer, Jamie McConnachie

NATSILS is pleased to announce the appointment of new Executive Officer, Jamie McConnachie. Born and raised in Mount Isa Queensland, Jamie is a proud Waanyi woman and has held various roles as a lawyer representing mob all over Victoria.

NATSILS Media Release – NATSILS welcomes dedicated funding for Justice Policy Partnership in opportunity to see real change for our people

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) welcomes the announcement of new funding under the Closing the Gap Agreement announced today. While long overdue, the announcement of dedicated resources to commence the historic Justice Policy Partnership, that aims to address the ongoing overincarceratin of our people and deaths in custody, is an opportunity for government to commit ... Read More

NATSILS Media Release – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services condemn new Federal charity laws that threaten our self-determination and endanger the delivery of much needed legal services for our people

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services from around the country have banded together to condemn the Federal Government’s proposed new charity laws that pose a very serious threat to self-determination and risk the functioning of their already severely under-funded and under-resourced services.

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE: Children continue to be jailed in year since Attorneys-General failed to raise the age

Today marks one year since Australia’s top legal officers failed to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, despite being handed an expert report overwhelmingly recommending that all states and territories and the federal government change laws to keep children out of prison.

NATSILS Media Release – Punitive new N.T bail laws have already lead to spike in youth custody numbers

NATSILS is devastated but not surprised to learn that the N.T Government’s youth bail reforms are already having harmful and life-altering effects on our kids, with a week-on-week increase in youth in detention reported since the reforms were introduced in May.