User:Jellobandage/sandbox

Answers to module 7 questions
↵Describe your media

The picture was taken at a desalination plant rally in May 2009, it shows the Cultural Officer of the Bunurong Land Council (Steve Compton) speaking to those attending the rally.

Is it your own work?

It is not my own original work, it was taken by John Englart and the image was under the license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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JPG file

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CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 must be used as a condition of the license of the media I chose

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Indigenous Australians

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Bunurong tribe desalination plant rally, May 2009

Practicing citations
Linda Lovett is an Australian Lawyer and was the first Indigenous woman to become a member of the Bar in Victoria (11 May 2006). She is a part of the Bunurong tribe of Victoria and the Pyemmairrener tribe of Tasmania. Linda played a crucial role in the establishment of the Indigenous Law Students and Lawyers Association which is now called Tarwirri.

For much of Lovett's childhood, her family lived in the family car, travelling from place to place around Victoria to avoid government authorities. As her parents were a part of the stolen generations, they feared their children might be taken from them. They continued to move around Victoria until the practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families ended in 1972 even though government policy allowing the removal of Aboriginal children from their families was abolished in 1969.

On the 11th of May 2006 Linda Lovett was the first Indigenous woman to sign the Bar. Twenty-five years before Linda signed the Bar roll, Mick Dodson was the first Indigenous person to join the Bar.

In 2013 there were 1900 practising barristers in Victoria but only five claimed indigenous heritage. The Victorian bar hopes to improve this statistic with the launch of a Reconciliation Action Plan. This is important as Indigenous Australians have unique experiences, cultures and insights that can be of great significance in the legal profession.

Linda Lovett is an Australian Lawyer and was the first Indigenous woman to become a member of the Bar in Victoria (11 May 2006). She is a part of the Bunurong tribe of Victoria and the Pyemmairrener tribe of Tasmania. Linda played a crucial role in the establishment of the Indigenous Law Students and Lawyers Association which is now called Tarwirri. In 2002, she completed her law degree at Deakin University and also played a key role in the establishment of the Indigenous Law Student and Lawyers Association of Victoria (ILSLAV)

Early life

For much of Lovett's childhood, her family lived in the family car, travelling from place to place around Victoria to avoid government authorities. As her parents were a part of the stolen generations, they feared their children might be taken from them. They continued to move around Victoria until the practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families ended in 1972 even though government policy allowing the removal of Aboriginal children from their families was abolished in 1969.

Career

Linda completed her study as a single mother of three at Deakin university in Victoria where she graduated in 2002. In her final year of study, she received a Koori tertiary scholarship with the Aboriginal Justice Agreement (Lawyers weekly). She also worked for the Department of Justice in her final years of study (LW). She became a member of the Bar in Victoria 11 May 2006, the first Indigenous woman and the second Indigenous person to do so. Mick Dodson being the first Indigenous person to become a member of the bar 25 years prior. She took a position as a criminal lawyer with Victoria Legal Aid, and worked in the Magistrates’ and Children's courts at Werribee, Sunshine, Bacchus Marsh, Preston and Heidelberg. She also worked with clients of the Mental Health Review Board.

Foundation

Following the introduction of the Victorian Aboriginal Agreement (2000), Linda played a crucial role in the development of the Indigenous Law Student and Lawyers Association of Victoria (ILSLAV). The organisation was later renamed Tarwirri and used as a model for a nationwide organisation with the aim to support Indigenous students and professionals in the legal field to have equal opportunity and any other law graduates.

https://www.liv.asn.au/LIV-Home/Practice-Resources/Law-Institute-Journal/Archived-Issues/LIJ-November-2006/Loss-to-states-indigenous-legal-profession

(Issue with link – unable to reference at this time)

Future for Indigenous lawyers

In 2013 there were 1,900 practising barristers in Victoria but only five claimed indigenous heritage. More recently in 2020 approximately 20 barristers claim Indigenous heritage out of 6,000 nationally. There has been increasing encouragement and support for Indigenous law students to improve this statistic such as the Victorian Bar’s launch of a Reconciliation Action Plan. Similar action has been taken across Australia such as the establishment of the Indigenous Barrister Committee in Queensland (2013). The aim of the Committee is increasing the number of Indigenous Australians who practice at the Bar in Queensland. Following this in 2014, the Bar Association of Queensland also launched a Reconciliation Action Plan which was endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

Increasing the number is believed to be of great important as Indigenous Australians have unique experiences, cultures and insights that can be of great significance in the legal profession. According to the most resent data from the 2020 National profile of solicitors there were 632 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander solicitors in 2020. In total nationally, only 0.8% were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander with the Northern Territory having the highest proportion at 2% followed by NSW with 1%. The percentage of Indigenous solicitors has remained relatively stable since 2014 showing that there is more progress to be made.

The report also shows the percentage of female solicitors is increasing each year and women now account for 53% of solicitors nationally (55% Indigenous females nationally). The percentages of male and female solicitors were equal for the first time in 2016. This occurred due to the higher number of females studying law since 2011 and hence entering the profession at a rate faster than their male counterparts.

Answers to module 7 questions
Describe your media

The picture was taken at a desalination plant rally in May 2009, it shows the Cultural Officer of the Bunurong Land Council (Steve Compton) speaking to those attending the rally.

Is it your own work?

It is not my own original work, it was taken by John Englart and the image was under the license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

What is the file format?

JPG file

What license have you chosen?

CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 must be used as a condition of the license of the media I chose

What category/gallery will you add it to?

Indigenous Australians

How will you describe the file?

Bunurong tribe desalination plant rally, May 2009