Community Legal Education Training and Projects (CLE)

Community Legal Education

The circumstances for our people in the Northern Territory are specific and unique. We have a rich tapestry of languages, culture and history across the Top End and Centre. Our people live in urban areas and regional and remote communities where English is often a second, third or fourth language. Our people talk of walking between, and within, ‘Two Worlds’.

Our present day law and justice system is informed by a colonial history where the legacy of high contact with Aboriginal Territorians continues to be front and centre. This system has changed in many ways to reflect the circumstances and needs of our people, but there is still a significant way to go. And because of language barriers and other factors, one such legacy is the notion that many Aboriginal Territorians lack the information, agency and knowledge of law as directed and governed by the State.

Our Community Legal Education (CLE) practice actively seeks to address this, and serves to increase Aboriginal Territorians’ understanding of law and the individuals legal rights. Our CLE practice helps build the capacity of Aboriginal Territorians’ to engage with, and influence, the legal system.

In the delivery of legal services it is common for lawyers to deliver CLE to the community. As NAAJA grew as an organisation, our board comprising Aboriginal-led authority put in place a structure where our CLE practice was led by a team of Lawyers and Educators who focused on this work on a full time employment basis. This was done in recognition of the complex nature of CLE in the Northern Territory. It enabled the development of a practice of continual reflection and improvement and a focus on genuine community engagement. Principles of community development and two way learning form the basis of this foundation.

Today, NAAJA’s specialised CLE practice is built on many years of experience and established expertise. We are renowned nationally for leading this work in the Aboriginal context. We are Aboriginal led and we draw on the strengths and expertise of a diverse set of skills, backgrounds and experience. Many in our team are from the Northern Territory and our networks including in community are extensive. We say with confidence that the energy and drive we bring as a team and to our work and engagement is without parallel.

Our CLE practice aligns with NAAJA’s vision of True Justice, Dignity and Respect for Aboriginal people.

Key aspects for this work includes:

  • Our CLE resources draw on best practice CLE approaches and with the input of lawyers specialising in the relevant subject areas. These resources, and the delivery we bring, focus on principles of cultural competency and trauma-informed practice. Many of the topics we cover are sensitive yet they are also important and our delivery is done in a respectful way.
  • We target our delivery to the audience group and work innovatively across platforms. Our work includes co-facilitating workshops and training sessions, development of CLE videos, factsheets and other resources, participation in community events and festivals.
  • We deliver community legal education in urban and remote contexts across the NT for youth, adult community members and workers. Topics Include: Housing/tenancy law; Centrelink; Discrimination laws; Welfare (Child Protection); Money trouble (consumer issues, debt, scams); Rights and Responsibilities with Police; Court process; How to support young people if they are in trouble with the law; Domestic Violence Orders.

NAAJA welcome requests for CLE. If you are interested in NAAJA running CLE activities for your community, service or school please get in touch by calling us on (08) 8982 5100 (Top End) or (08) 8950 9300 (Central Australia) or by sending an email to cle@naaja.org.au.

Our CLE Services

We deliver CLE services across the Northern Territory and have a team in the Top End (Darwin) and Central Australia (Alice Springs).

Our teams travel regularly and often with allied services or NAAJA’s civil or criminal legal teams.

Our team has long-standing networks, connections and relationships with communities and draw on decades of experience and trust to deliver services. Our engagement is supported by video and audio material talking about CLE topics and policy and law reform.

 

The CLE team travels to the following communities to deliver CLE and engage in law and justice projects at the community level: Batchelor, Belyuen, Galiwin’ku, Gunbalanya, Kalkarindji, Lajamanu, Maningrida, Ngukurr, Nhulunbuy/Yirrkala, Ramingining, Tennant Creek, Kintore, Papunya, Haasts Bluff, Docker River, Mutitjulu, Ampilawatja, Utopia, Hermannsburg.

We also have the capability to deliver CLE via Webinar or a video format suited to the audience (for enquiries please contact us). Whilst face to face engagement is the preferred method, we understand in some circumstances the online format is more suitable and we will do what we can to accommodate the needs of services and communities.

Empowering community to influence the law and justice system

Our work in Galiwin’ku involves being in community the week prior to court and the week during court to deliver CLE, Night Patrol training, and engage with the Makarr Dhuni as the Law and Justice Group (or Elders or Cultural Authority group). An objective of our practice is to empower communities to influence the law and justice system. One way we do this is to speak to community and particularly Elder groups about current laws and what Parliament is doing in talking about changing laws. Our two-way exchange with community helps to inform policy and law reform submissions and enables a direct voice between the people in community and the work of Parliament where laws are made. Our backgrounds in law and as a community organisation serving an Aboriginal-led board positions us to work well in this space.

An example of the outcome of this work is the communities’ efforts contributing to the consultation process for the Burials and Cremations Bill. This Bill was referred by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to the Social Policy Scrutiny Committee for inquiry and report by 15th October 2019. Through talking with the communities we engage with, we were able to draw on the insights and knowledge of community and add this to Aboriginal-led lawyer perspectives of NAAJA’s submission (see submission #7 by clicking here). People of Galiwin’ku also made their own submission (see submission #6). When the Bill was put to the Legislative Assembly it was withdrawn based on the concerns raised by a range of parties including NAAJA. The NT Government indicated it will continue to develop a new system for the management of burials and cremations and NAAJA will contribute to this process. As NAAJA’s submission outlines, our focus is to ensure adequate legal protections in the context of the wording of any changes to legislation and also the need for Aboriginal-led processes to lead the decisions that relate to burials and cremations.

Our videos to inform community

Our Community Legal Education (CLE) team in the Top End put together these series of videos to inform our mob about different areas of law. It’s important we support our mob and share key messages.


To see the videos by clicking here.

Thank you to the support of the Arnhem Land Progress Association for making these video series possible. Thank you also to our Deadly Actors!

To see the videos page on our website by clicking here.

Funding

NAAJA is appreciative of the following programs and funds to deliver CLE, legal training and justice projects across the Top End and Central Australia:

  • The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) for funding the Top End team to deliver Community Night Patrol Legal Training and Support Activities in 10 communities.
  • The Galiwin’ku community (community funds) administered by the Northern Land Council for the ‘Galiwin’ku Law and Justice Project’.
  • The Commonwealth Attorney-General for funding NAAJA to deliver Community Legal Education.