MEDIA RELEASE Joint release with PIAC and Just Reinvest NSW Monday 11 November 2021   An alliance of community, legal, and First Nations justice organisations has welcomed the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Amendment (Age of Criminal Responsibility) Bill 2021, introduced to NSW Parliament this morning by David Shoebridge MLC. This Bill would raise the age of criminal responsibility in NSW to 14, creating...

MEDIA RELEASE Monday 8 November 2021

MEDIA RELEASE Monday 1 November 2021   The Aboriginal Legal Service is warning that excessive fines and charges issued by NSW Police will have an unsustainable impact on courts and slow the state’s recovery from COVID-19. The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) recently reported that NSW Police issued an extraordinary 36,597 COVID-19 public health order breaches in July and August...

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday 12 October 2021   The Aboriginal Legal Service is preparing to represent the family of Gomeroi man Gordon Copeland in a coronial inquest after his body was identified yesterday. Gordon, 22, was last seen alive in the Gwydir River near Moree after a police incident in the early hours of 10 July. His family say he was a passenger...

MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 16 September 2021   Over 100 prominent members of the legal, academic and political profession have endorsed an open letter sent to the NSW Premier, calling on the NSW Government to revoke wrongly issued COVID-19 fines. The letter is a response to concerns among the legal fraternity that COVID-19 fines have been incorrectly issued by police to people undertaking lawful...

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday 24 August 2021, 3:45 pm   The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT (ALS) has issued an urgent demand for NSW Police to use discretion in applying public health orders, warning that excessive fines and charges will only cause further harm to communities. The ALS has received multiple calls from Aboriginal people fined and charged for breaching the public health orders...

MEDIA RELEASE Friday 20 August 2021, 1:30 pm   The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT (ALS) is deeply concerned by the NSW Police Commissioner’s pledge to not hold officers to account for wrongly applying public health orders. The ALS has previously cautioned against NSW Police using COVID-19 restrictions as an excuse to target Aboriginal people. “When the message from the top is that...

MEDIA RELEASE Monday 16 August 2021, 1:00 pm   As NSW Police commence ‘Operation Stay Home’, the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT has raised concerns about over-policing of Aboriginal communities and urged Aboriginal people to seek assistance in dealing with infringement notices. During last year’s COVID lockdown, police handed out the most fines in suburbs with a high Aboriginal population. People living in...

MEDIA RELEASE Friday 30 July 2021, 10:00 am   The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT says Emeritus Professor Hal Wootten AC QC will be fondly remembered for his insight, compassion, and his great legacy in helping to establish the country’s first Aboriginal legal service. Prof Wootten passed away on Tuesday 27 July at the age of 98. He was a co-founder of the...