Community legal education

The circumstances for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory are specific and unique. The Northern Territory is home to living Aboriginal languages, culture, and history. Aboriginal people live in urban areas and regional and remote communities – where English is often a second, third, or fourth language – and often talk of walking between two worlds.

Australia’s law and justice system is informed by a colonial history. While the system has changed in many ways to reflect the circumstances and needs of Aboriginal people, there is still a significant way to go. Due to language barriers and other factors, many Aboriginal Territorians lack information, agency, and knowledge of present-day law. NAAJA’s community legal education (CLE) practice actively seeks to address this by enhancing understanding of law and people’s legal rights. Our CLE staff works to build the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to engage with, and influence, the legal system.

We have deep networks across the Territory and our practice aligns with NAAJA’s vision of pursuing dignity, respect, and justice for Aboriginal people.

Key aspects of our work include:

• best-practice approaches drawing on the input of specialist lawyers 
• targeted delivery to audience groups in urban and remote contexts and across multiple platforms 
• workshops and training sessions, development of videos, factsheets and other resources, and community events and festivals 
• diverse range of topics covered, including housing/tenancy law, Centrelink, discrimination laws; welfare (child protection), money trouble (consumer issues, debt, scams), rights and responsibilities with police; court processes, supporting young people, and domestic violence orders.