Message from the CEO
This year saw the ALS continue to grow the ways in which we support our communities, moving towards a more holistic service model and continuing to put cultural safety at the forefront.
Remaining true to our vision of social justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities, we introduced new services for people experiencing domestic and family violence in the ACT, NSW South Coast, and Hunter region; and for people at risk of having their children removed from home.
As one of Australia’s first Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and with over 50 years of experience in fighting for justice, no one is better placed than the ALS to deliver these services for our people in NSW and the ACT.
To enable greater focus on community partnerships and sector strengthening, this year the ALS created a new practice area— Justice Projects, Policy and Practice—which sits alongside our pre-existing Criminal Law Practice and Care and Protection/Family Law Practice. The introduction of this team has seen us launch a justice reinvestment program with engagement officers supporting the Mt Druitt, Bourke and Moree communities to develop tailored local justice plans.
There remains an acute need for adequate, equitable and long-term funding to meet the holistic justice needs of communities not only here in NSW and the ACT, but across Australia.
In 2023, ongoing workload pressures faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) around the country reached a crisis point. Here in NSW, we were forced into a devastating decision to freeze criminal law services at 13 NSW Local Courts to protect the physical and mental health of our teams and their ability to do their best work for our clients.
We are dedicated to maintaining the high-quality legal services that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people expect and deserve.
We fought for our communities’ right to these services, calling for a $250 million emergency support package to get us to the end of the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) in June 2025 and to mitigate the workload crisis faced by ATSILS across Australia.
We thank Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus for responding to our requests, providing a small additional one-off funding package. However, it’s no secret that we need more to address a long-term underinvestment in legal assistance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
We are currently participating in an independent review of the NLAP and advocating for a significant increase in long-term funding to meet the needs of our communities.
Amid these challenges, our supporters continue to stand by us in solidarity. This year set a new record for community donations to the ALS.
We are galvanised by the strong and principled support we receive from everyday people who pitch into the fight for justice.
Enormous thanks to our dedicated ALS staff and volunteers who so frequently go beyond expectations to deliver the best service for our clients. It is the work of our many justice warriors—our admin teams, field officers, solicitors, tenant advocates to name but a few— that fires the ALS movement.
The impressive acumen of our teams was evidenced this year by the appointment of not one, but two senior ALS staff to the judiciary. While it was bittersweet to farewell Her Honour Judge Sarah Hopkins and Her Honour Magistrate Keisha Hopgood, we are so proud and grateful that we have benefited from their skills and knowledge.
Their success, and the success of so many of our justice leaders at the ALS, proves that joining the ALS movement and fighting for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is rewarding in many different ways.
We thank all of our past and current justice warriors for their service. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of justice leaders next year.
Karly Warner
Chief Executive Officer
