NAAJA - Aboriginal legal aid for the Top End

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ABOUT US - Message from CEO

Welcome to the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency website

From the Chief Executive Officer

NAAJA has established a highly credible reputation for being a dynamic and courageous organisation - we're not afraid to take on the big issues while conducting our core business.

While our work is both challenging and demanding, especially as many legal problems are often linked with broader social, health and economic issues, our staff strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.

NAAJA, like other legal services in the Northern Territory, has received additional funding as a result of the Australian Government's Northern Territory Emergency Response, also known as the Intervention.

With a history of chronic underfunding of Aboriginal Legal Services, these increased resources have been welcomed. NAAJA's work has increased substantially over the past few years in Criminal, Family and Civil Law cases, as has our work in law reform, legislative inquiries, policy issues and community legal education.

We are privileged to have a very experienced group of lawyers and staff working for NAAJA. These are professional and highly committed people, dedicated to ensuring our clients are provided with the best possible service.

Priscilla Collins

From the Chairman

As an organisation, we face many challenges delivering legal aid services to a unique and diverse range of Aboriginal people living in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Our client population consists exclusively of Aboriginal people who are one of the most disadvantaged groups in Australia. Many of our clients live in remote Aboriginal communities where english is not their first language.

One of the biggest issues facing us has been the Northern Territory Emergency Response (the intervention). It’s hard to convey the confusion and difficulties which have been experienced by Aboriginal people arising out of the intervention legislation.

Many fundamental aspects of Aboriginal people’s lives changed in an extremely short period of time, including their employment arrangements, welfare payments, the status of the Aboriginal land on which they live, how they are policed and what is prohibited.

Furthermore, Aboriginal people in the prescribed areas have had to comprehend that they now live under different legislation and have different rules than Aboriginal people living outside these areas.

In some cases, this geographic difference can be measured in metres.

With the intervention, we have experienced sharp increases in the demand for our services resulting in increased budgetary and staffing pressures on our organisation. We anticipate these complex and difficulties issues will continue, but we are also determined to continue to deliver the best service we can to our people.

We appreciate and look forward to the ongoing support of the Aboriginal and the Non-Aboriginal communities in this endeavour.