1800 064 865

Wirraway – Police and Prison Accountability

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

The Wirraway Practice at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service provide free legal advice to clients who experience harms due to the actions of police or prison authorities.

Our Wirraway Practice assists Aboriginal people who experience police and prison harms.

We provide legal advice, assist with complaints, and bring court proceedings against the State for wrongdoing, including negligence, excessive use of force and unlawful detention.

Wirraway also acts for families in coronial inquests arising from deaths in custody and police contact deaths.  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. 

What we offer

Our Wirraway Practice assists Aboriginal people who experience police and prison harms.

The types of matters we can assist with include: 

  • Police misconduct – including unlawful arrest, unlawful stops and searches, and excessive use of force 
  • Discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by police or prison authorities 
  • Strategic litigation – to challenge systemic harms 
  • Prisoners’ rights – including failures to provide healthcare in prison and assaults 
  • Coronial Inquests – including in circumstances where a person has passed away in custody or following
    police contact 
     

Contact us

Please feel free to contact us using the form provided and if your matter is urgent call 1800 064 865.

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If you need urgent advice please call 1800 064 865.
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Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service

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