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‘Wirraway’ is a Wurundjeri word meaning ‘challenge’.

The Wirraway Practice at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service assists clients in police and prison accountability matters.

We seek to champion the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to challenge abuses of power by police and prisons. Through this work, we hope to ensure greater accountability of police and prisons for the harm they cause Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

We provide free legal advice to clients in all police and prison accountability matters, including police complaints, prison complaints and civil litigation.

We provide legal representation to clients in police and prison accountability matters where their matter is serious and the person meets our relevant income and Confirmation of Aboriginality tests.

We run strategic litigation matters challenging systemic abuses of power by police and prisons.

We also represent the families of community members who have died in custody or died following police contact.

The types of matters we can assist with include:

  • Police misconduct, such as unlawful arrest, unlawful stops and searches and excessive use of force.
  • Discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by police or prison authorities
  • Prisoners’ rights, including failure to provide appropriate healthcare in prison, unlawful strip searches and being held in solitary confinement.
  • Deaths in custody, including coronial inquests.

If you have any questions or concerns, we are here to answer them.

Contact the Wirraway team directly by emailing wirraway@vals.org.au

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service

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