Law students Mollie Jackson and Ebony Adams recently attended the National Indigenous Legal Conference.  They were supported by the NSW Bar Association who provides sponsorship for two Aboriginal students from NSW law schools to attend each year.  Mollie Jackson recently sent us the following summation of her experience:

Mollie Jackson

‘The National Indigenous Legal Conference was an amazing experience that I hope to take part in again. Being able to listen and speak with such influential and inspiring people taught me so much more about the heinous history Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people endured and what is expected for the future of Indigenous people. While all keynote addresses were intriguing there were two in particular that I found quite powerful.  Professor Helen Milroy a leader in Indigenous mental health and trauma spoke of her vast work comprehending the level of trauma experienced by Aboriginal Children. This involved a five year inquiry from private sessions with Aboriginal people affected by child sexual abuse, to public hearings and policy and research. From the inquiry Professor Milroy and her team made 189 recommendations to the Royal Commission about Child Abuse in Aboriginal Children.

I also found Professor Megan Davis’s address to be quite insightful. Professor Davis works in the area of constitutional law and explained that constitutional law is all about imagination- imagining the world was different and how the world could be.

Professor Davis worked with former PM Tony Abbott on introducing law reform to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Australian Constitution. From Professor Davis’ meeting with Mr Abbott and other parliamentary leaders, the parliament believed a minimalist approach/ reform was what Aboriginal people wanted. However after further investigation and the findings of a steering committee who explored Aboriginal opinions on this matter, it was found a minimalistic approach was not appropriate. Since then nothing has happened in terms of including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.

Overall, I was able to learn and gain so much from this conference. I look forward to being able to attend more in the coming years.  I would advise other law students to attend these annual conferences as they provide so much information on research, policies and experiences that the keynote speakers have been involved in and worked on first hand.’

Mollie Jackson