Media Releases
04/07/2017
NATSILS calls for national action following reports from the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre
Following an article in the Canberra Times highlighting a litany of systemic human rights abuses against children over six years inside the Bimberi kid’s prison, NATSILS calls on the Prime Minister to act immediately to stop our kids being mistreated.
09/05/2017
Budget 2017-18 recognises the need to restore funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, but there is still a long way to go
NATSILS welcomes the Federal Government’s decision to overturn $16.7 million in cuts over the forward estimates to ATSILS; however, warns against Government action stopping there.
28/04/2017
End of Mission Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
End of Mission Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Ms Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, on her visit to Australia, 3 April 2017.
24/04/2017
NATSILS welcome the Government’s decision to overturn planned cuts to the ATSILS
NATSILS congratulate the Government on their decision to overturn $16.7 million in cuts over the forward estimates to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) and $39 million in cuts to Community Legal Centres. The announcement was made by the Attorney-General Senator the Hon George Brandis QC and Senator Michaelia Cash earlier today.
07/02/2017
A Government Sanctioned Shake-Up to Youth Justice
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service expresses deep concern regarding Monday’s announcement by the Victorian Government to change the management of the Youth Justice System from the responsibility of the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Justice and Regulation.
16/11/2016
Australian Productivity Commission’s Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Key Indicators 2016 Report is a call for action
The Australian Productivity Commission’s Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Key Indicators 2016 Report adds crucial data to the building momentum for change in Australia’s dealings with its First Nations.Cheryl Axleby, Co-Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) said that it was deeply concerning that in the quarter of a century since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths ... Read More
04/11/2016
NATSILS welcomes the announcement of a Commonwealth Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) welcomes the announcement by the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC and Community Services Minister, the Hon Christian Porter to establish a Commonwealth Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, led by the Australian government with an opt-in for state and territory governments and non-government institutions.
27/10/2016
NATSILS welcomes the announcement that the Turnbull Government will ask the ALRC to examine factors leading to over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the prison systems but calls for more immediate steps
As the peak body for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services, NATSILS welcomes the announcement as Federal leadership is vitally important to drive a national, holistic and whole-of-government strategy to address imprisonment, violence, and the rates of children removed from their families.
14/10/2016
Senate Inquiry Report calls on the Commonwealth Government to adequately support Legal Assistance Services
Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee (Senate Committee) handed down its long anticipated Report into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience of law enforcement and justice services, and found that the current breadth and depth of unmet legal needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is completely unsatisfactory.
28/09/2016
A number of leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisations met with Minister Scullion to forge a pathway for engagement and to demand that our solutions be co-designed
National Congress in collaboration with leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative organisations as signatories to the Redfern Statement 2016 met with the Indigenous Affairs Minister calling for the Government to urgently continue engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations and peoples to ensure the First Peoples of this country have a say about their future and ... Read More