Attachment 1: The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
There are two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (“ATSILS”) in the Northern Territory. The Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (“CAALAS”) services the Central Zone and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (“NAAJA”) services the Northern Zone.
NAAJA Legal Services
NAAJA has a civil and a criminal legal section with lawyers, client services officers and administrative staff in each section. The civil and criminal sections are separated by an information barrier.29
NAAJA Criminal Section
NAAJA’s criminal section represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander defendants in criminal prosecutions in the Magistrates and Supreme Courts. NAAJA staff attend every “bush court” on circuit from each of our 3 offices.
- NAAJA staff based in Darwin travel to bush courts at Daly River, Jabiru, Maningrida, Milikapiti, Pirlangimpi, Oenpelli, Nguiu, Wadeye.
- NAAJA staff based in Katherine travel to bush courts at Barunga, Borroloola, Lajamanu, Ngukurr, Timber Creek.
- NAAJA staff based in Nhulunbuy travel to bush courts at Alyangula, Galiwinku, Numbulwar.
NAAJA Civil Section
NAAJA’s civil section does a range of work on behalf of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, including:
- Complaints about government services (police, health, prison);
- Seizure or forfeiture of property because it was used to take liquor into a restricted area or was used in the commission of a crime;
- Family law matters;
- Applications that a child be declared in need of care (Family and Community Services matters);
- Assisting people to obtain compensation for injuries received in motor vehicle accidents (MACA) or as a result of an offence by some other person;
- Applications for orders in relation to adult guardianship and volatile substance abuse;
- Prison transfer requests;
- Discrimination;
- Representing people before the Mental Health Review Tribunal;
- Representing the families of deceased in a coronial inquest into the death;
- Centrelink matters.
NAAJA civil section staff travel regularly to communities in our region to conduct civil clinics.
Advocacy
NAAJA’s advocacy section prepares submissions, policy documents, advocates on particular policy issues with a range of different government and non government stakeholders and conducts community legal education. Since the “intervention”, NAAJA has been conducting particular community legal education and advocacy activities on intervention related matters, in conjunction with other legal agencies.
29. Information about clients in the civil section is not available to the criminal section, without the client’s express permission and information about clients in the criminal section is not available to the civil section, without the client’s express permission.