MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday 5 April 2022

After many years under the auspices of the Aboriginal Legal Service, Just Reinvest NSW and Maranguka have begun a new chapter as independent organisations.

Just Reinvest NSW began in 2011 as a strategic initiative of the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS), seeking to keep Aboriginal young people out of custody by investing in community-led solutions.

Just Reinvest NSW partnered with the community of Bourke, and local organisation Maranguka, from 2012. Maranguka has since become nationally renowned as a blueprint for justice reinvestment in action, under the leadership of Alistair Ferguson and the Bourke Tribal Council.

“We are proud to have provided support for these justice reinvestment initiatives to grow into independent, not-for-profit organisations,” said Mark Davies, Chair of the Aboriginal Legal Service.

“Justice reinvestment is the idea of shifting money and resources away from the prison system, and into local community initiatives that support young people and address the root causes of offending. Put simply, it’s about building communities, not prisons,” Mr Davies explained.

Just Reinvest NSW has partnered with communities in Bourke, Moree and Mount Druitt on local justice reinvestment projects. In time, the newly independent Just Reinvest team hopes to roll out justice reinvestment projects in other communities across New South Wales.

Meanwhile, Maranguka will continue driving community-led change in Bourke, hand-in-hand with the community and under the leadership of the Bourke Tribal Council.

“This isn’t the end of the road for the Aboriginal Legal Service with Just Reinvest and Maranguka. We look forward to continuing to work as close partners into the future,” Mr Davies said.

ENDS

Media contacts:

• Aboriginal Legal Service: Alyssa Robinson (Communications and Marketing Manager) – [email protected] / 0427 346 017
• Just Reinvest NSW: Geoffrey Winters (CEO) - [email protected] / 0412 300 802
• Maranguka: Matt Davidson (CEO) - [email protected] / 0419 655 656