MEDIA RELEASE Friday 9 December 2022   The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) has congratulated Sarah Hopkins on her appointment as a NSW District Court Judge following yesterday’s announcement by the NSW Attorney General. Ms Hopkins has worked at the ALS since 1997 in various positions, most recently as Principal Solicitor of Justice Projects, Policy and Practice. She is the first...

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE  Issued in partnership with AbSec Thursday 1 December 2022, 1:30 p.m.   More than 40 community organisations, legal centres and human rights defenders have penned an open letter urging the next NSW Parliament to reform the child protection system, saying it is actively harming Aboriginal children. The letter comes a day after the latest Closing the Gap report revealed...

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday 29 November 2022, 5:00 p.m.   Today’s cancellation of 33,000 COVID fines is a huge victory for the people of New South Wales. The Aboriginal Legal Service commended Revenue NSW for its quick decision to withdraw the fines after the NSW Government conceded in the Supreme Court that two fines were invalid – putting the legality of thousands more...

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE  Issued in partnership with AbSec Thursday 10 November 2022   The state’s peak organisations for Aboriginal children, families and legal services have cautiously welcomed the passage of a bill to reform the NSW child protection system but much more is needed. The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Amendment (Family is Culture) Bill 2022 seeks to implement 13...

MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 2 November 2022   The Aboriginal Legal Service has expressed disappointment in the NSW Government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry into the Coroner’s Court. The Select Committee on the coronial jurisdiction in NSW issued 35 recommendations in May. On Tuesday, the Government gave its response, supporting only 15 of those recommendations and noting the rest. “The parliamentary inquiry put...

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday 25 October 2022, 8:00 am   The Aboriginal Legal Service has re-issued its call for COVID fines to be cancelled following the release of a damning independent review into Australia’s response to the pandemic. The review is highly critical of the unequal impact of COVID policies on disadvantaged people, accusing governments and law enforcement of overreach by enforcing rules...

STATEMENT OF CONCERN Issued in partnership with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), Community Legal Centres NSW, Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), Amnesty International Australia, First People's Disability Network Australia (FPDNA) and Change the Record Wednesday 19 October, 2022   We are concerned about reports that the NSW Government is refusing to allow the visiting United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or...

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE  Issued in partnership with the Law Society of NSW and the NSW Bar Association Thursday 1 September 2022   The NSW Government’s enduring neglect in failing to respond to the multi-million dollar Ice Inquiry is condemning drug users to ongoing legal and health impacts while the damage to communities continues. President of the Law Society of NSW Joanne van...

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE  Issued in partnership with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) Thursday 11 August, 2022   A petition calling for the age of legal responsibility to be raised to at least 14 will be delivered today to NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman, Labor representative Michael Daley MP, and Greens representative Sue Higginson MLC. The petition demands an end to the...