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ATSILS Adopts New Branding

Today, 1st February 2023, ATSILS officially adopts its new branding. 
Our staff have been working tirelessly over the past month to transition all of our communication resources to the new branding and from this date forward we will operate under a new logo and visual identity.
 
Our 50th anniversary of service was seen as a great opportunity to embrace a new corporate identity in a way that honours our proud history and helps usher in a new era of advancing the legal and human rights of our clients.
 
Our new logo represents a journey through the legal system supported by ATSILS. The concept forms a subtle ‘Q’ that gives a sense of location and also forms a magnifying glass to reference our role in monitoring the legal system to ensure the rights of our clients are upheld. The colour palette selected reflects the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Queensland.
 
We’d like to thank strategic design agency Relative Creative for their work in developing the branding and Goreng Goreng contemporary artist Rachael Sarra for creating the specialty artwork that helps connect the brand more deeply with the communities we serve.
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ATSILS History Timeline

In December 1972 we opened the doors of our first office in George St, Brisbane. This week to mark our 50th anniversary, CEO Shane Duffy launched – ‘ATSILS History Timeline’ to staff and key stakeholders.

‘ATSILS History Timeline’ is an interactive web resource and can be viewed at: https://history.atsils.org.au

The timeline maps our justice journey beginning with the organisation’s founding by grassroots community and legal volunteers responding to injustice in 1972. From there it winds through the last five decades of Queensland’s socio-political landscape, along the way highlighting key milestones important to our growth and communicating our future vision.

From modest beginnings in early 1972, ATSILS has grown into a state-wide service with over 250 staff and twenty-five offices across the state.

ATSILS growth and development would not have been possible without the support of our diverse communities, as well as the dedicated services of countless board and staff members throughout the decades and there are more stories to tell. So please note that the initial publication of our timeline is only the start. Over the next 12 months, the site will continually evolve and give voice to more of our communities and sister organisations so important to our story.

 

We’d like to thank everyone who joined us at the launch in person and online, it was great to share the occasion with you.

ATSILS News
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ATSILS adopts a new brand to mark 50 years of service.

December is the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in Brisbane.

To mark this milestone we wish to advise our clients, communities, and stakeholders that we are adopting a new logo and visual brand.

ATSILS Board of Directors endorsed the undertaking of the corporate rebrand project in mid-2022 under the theme ‘ATSILS – 50 Years Strong’.

First Nations creative agency – Relative Creative was engaged to undertake the strategic design phase & we thank them for their creativity and vision throughout the project. We’d also like to thank Goreng Goreng artist Rachael Sarra who was commissioned to create a specialty artwork that has been integrated into our visual identity to communicate our strong commitment to community and culture.

Their innovative creative practice combined with the leadership of the ATSILS team has established a brand that we are proud to present to our communities and stakeholders. It is a brand that we believe honours our proud history, will connect more deeply with our communities, and aligns well with our ongoing mission of advancing the legal and human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout.

Please note our transition to the new visual branding will begin throughout December to coincide with our 50-year celebrations. Implementing the branding across all our communication resources is expected to continue into early 2023.

To read more about the story behind the new ATSILS branding click here.

ATSILS News
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ATSILS welcomes a new ThroughCare Manager and Learning & Development Coordinator

ATSILS warmly welcomes our new ThroughCare Manager and Learning & Development Coordinator to the team. Helen and Aiden are pictured (seated) below embarking on their ATSILS induction journey.

Helen is our incoming ThroughCare Manager – and will lead a state-wide team focused on diverting clients (at high risk of re-offending) from the justice system. Helen is a descendant of the Ugurapul/Yuggera people of the Ipswich area. Helen is currently studying her Masters in Aboriginal Studies and brings a wealth of experience in working with young people.

Aiden joins us as the Learning & Development Co-ordinator. Aiden has recently completed his Masters of Organisational Psychology and has formerly worked at UQ and in local government.

A big thank you to the HR Team and legal staff in attendance for facilitating a great welcome!

ATSILS News
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Murri Christmas!

From all the team and directors at ATSILS, we wish you a very Murri Christmas and all the very best for the summer and the New Year.
To all the communities, families and partners we’ve had the pleasure of working with this year, we thank you for your continued support during another challenging year and look forward to working with you again in 2022 as we continue to advance and protect the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Queensland.
Please note our offices will be closed for a short time over the Christmas period (from 20 Dec 2021 – 3rd Jan 2022) however, we will still have a team of legal practitioners and client services staff rostered on call during this time to provide legal help.
If you need legal assistance during this time call our free-call number: 1800 012 255.
Also, a member of our team in each region will be available on-call 24/7 for any urgent criminal matters.
Once again Merry Christmas, stay safe, and stay deadly!
ATSILS News
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What is the Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (Torres Strait Islander Traditional Child Rearing Practice) Act 2020?

A first of its kind, the Act recognises Torres Strait Islander lore in Western Law and establishes a process for the legal recognition of Torres Strait Islander traditional child rearing practice.

‘Meriba Omasker’ and ‘Kaziw Kazipa’ is made up of language terms from Eastern island language and Top Western island languages of the Torres Strait and collectively is translated as ‘for our children’s children’.

Find out more by visiting the Office of the Commissioner (Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa) website:

https://www.ocmokk.qld.gov.au/

 

View the legal information fact sheet developed by Legal Aid QLD, ATSILS QLD and QIFVLS:

Ailan Kastom child rearing practice in Torres Strait Islander families
How do I get Ailan Kastom recognised under the law? 

https://www.legalaid.qld.gov.au/files/assets/public/publications/relationships-and-children/ailan-kastom-child-rearing-practice-final.pdf 

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ATSILS (QLD) a joint winner at the 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd was a joint winner last night in the “Partnership” category of the 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards for our work with key partners in delivering the Northern Peninsula Area Licensing Muster Initiative.

 
We would like to extend our congratulations also to key partners involved in the initiative – Northern Peninsula Area Justice Services Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (NPA Community Justice Group) and Queensland Police Service (Bamaga Station).
 
The award is a great credit to our team up in the Torres Strait and NPA regions and in particular Annabelle Craft (our Prevention, Intervention and CLE Officer)– whose professionalism and hard work was a key driver of the partnership initiative.
 
We’d also like to acknowledge C’Zarke Maza our Regional Manager in the NPA and Torres Strait regions, who first raised the challenge surrounding unlicensed driving charges in the regions with the executive – which was then taken up at the departmental level by Shane Duffy our CEO. Whilst with departmental support the wheels were put in motion, it would have been easy for the initiative to grind to a halt – but with Annabelle at the steering wheel, such was never going to happen.
 
The Northern Peninsula Area Licensing Muster Initiative is a justice reinvestment strategy that has been providing cross-agency, holistic, evidence-based, proactive, and culturally safe support to the five communities of the NPA around licensing, registration, and identity documents since 2019.
 
The initiative aims to reduce unnecessary contact that Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience with the criminal justice system related to driving and vehicle related offending. Such contact often leads to offenders being sent to correctional facilities located thousands of kilometres away from their community.
 
The initiative arose through prolonged observation of the high numbers of community members facing court action and punishment for non-violent driving-related offences, as well as social and economic exclusion. It appeared that many community members lacked sufficient or consistent primary identity documentation, immediately precluding them from accessing the services and opportunities many Australians take for granted.
 
Congratulations to Annabelle, the team and all partners involved. This initiative is a great example of the targeted impact justice reinvestment strategies can have on addressing the over-representation and unnecessary contact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience in the justice system.
 
To read more on the success of this program visit:
ATSILS News
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Team Maroochydore take part in the annual Law Week Walk

ATSILS MaroochydoreThe annual Law Week Walk was held on the 18th of May and the ATSILS Maroochydore team were out in force early at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast to take part.
The team enjoyed hitting the pavement to support a good cause alongside colleagues from the legal fraternity including His Honour Judge Long of the District Court and Nambour Magistrates Court Registrar (and sometimes Acting Magistrate) Andrew Walker.
Below is a picture of the team Steph, Luke, Rod, Tim, Donna, Phoebe and Jordy, and Jordy’s daughter Elsie who was clearly the youngest participant by at least a couple of decades!
A great effort by Team Maroochydore.
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Our Ipswich office making sure their local community has a voice!

Out in our Ipswich office, Regional Manager Kevin Rose invites local elders & respected persons to speak to our Ipswich team at the end of every staff meeting.

Making sure the local community has a voice and staying in touch with grassroots people is vital to informing our cultural proficiency and ensuring our legal service delivery is responsive to local community needs.

Well done Kevin and all the team in Ipswich.