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Sydney university hires first Indigenous practitioner-in-residence
Over the next year, a senior solicitor specialising in land rights and native title will step into the role of Indigenous practitioner-in-residence, where she will “educate and inspire” students and staff to consider laws on First Nations people.
Naomi Neilson
The University of Sydney has appointed its first Indigenous practitioner-in-residence, Teela Reid, who will challenge the law school through experiential learning projects, activism and a new podcast to consider the ongoing impacts of colonial laws on First Nations communities and the importance of dismantling system racism.
Commenting on the role, Ms Reid said: “One of my objectives is to emphasise the duality of legal systems in place on this continent; the co-existence of Western law and First Law is very real. We will be a much richer society if we are able to understand and value the continuation of our ancient laws first, because they have endured the test of time within our own cultural authorities.”
Ms Reid, a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, will highlight how, despite colonialism, First Nations laws have survived through oral stories, arts and ceremonies. This will be explored in a new podcast, “Blak Letter Law”, where she will interview Indigenous elders and others about their oral stories and histories of advocacy for their people.
The podcast will be delivered to students as an educational, but not formal, resource. Of this, Ms Reid said there “needs to be more creativity in law”, and she hopes to test the boundaries of legal education in Australia through each new episode.
Students will also be able to access firsthand, on-country experiences to learn about the history of First Nations activism and advocacy. Ms Reid said it is important that lawyers understand how laws have been weaponised against First Nations “and the significance of political and legal advocacy that many First Nations pursued”.
A final project around the concept of “Rebellious Lawyering” will explore how the next generation can get involved in advocacy and activism. Ms Reid has this experience through her work with Australia’s first Rebellious Lawyers conference this year, where matters such as Black Lives Matter and prison abolition were discussed.
“Rebellious Lawyering is practising law through the lens of three things: lawyering, storytelling and activism,” Ms Reid said. “When lawyers combine these skills, powerful things can happen. I think the idea that lawyers must be impartial and apolitical is outdated – everything is political, especially when you’re a Blackfella. My ultimate obligation will always be to my community and my ancestors before me.”
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
