Webinar – Criminal Law Practice – 6 August 2021
Download the invite by clicking here. VALS will be hosting a legal information webinar on Friday 6 August 2021, from 1pm to 3pm. We encourage all mob in Victoria to register if you have questions about pre-interview and arrest, breaches of Family Violence Intervention Orders and Personal Safety Intervention Orders, DNA at police stations, or young […]
Webinar – Aboriginal Families Practice – 3 August 2021
Download the invite by clicking here. VALS will be hosting a legal information webinar on Tuesday 3 August 2021, from 1pm to 3pm. We encourage all mob in Victoria to register if you have questions about Family Violence Intervention Orders, Child Abduction, or Parenting Orders. You can register at http://tinyurl.com/h5cx6he8.
The Harms of Solitary Confinement – Webinar
Registration Link: tinyurl.com/UVJHoSCDate: Wednesday 11 August 2021Time: 5pm to 6pm ESTLocation: Zoom Download the PDF invite here for biographies on panellists. What is solitary confinement, and how, when and why is it usually used? Is there a right to healthcare in prisons, and what sort of care is provided in practice? What do we know […]
Leadership from the Andrews Government required after the Commonwealth Government turns its back on crucial recommendations by UN nations
9 July 2021 Yesterday, the Commonwealth Government rejected a raft of recommendations made by UN nations, including recommendations to raise the age of criminal responsibility. With the Commonwealth Government’s leadership failure in regard to raising the age, it is time for Victoria to stop dragging its heels. The ACT has already committed to raising the […]
Coronial Inquest into the death of Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas draws to a close
2 July 2021 Today, the last day of the two-week Coronial Inquest into the death of Raymond Noel, started with a smoking ceremony in the morning, before closing submissions. In the middle of the Coronial Inquest, last Friday, Raymond Noel’s family marked the four-year anniversary of his death. That is a long time to wait, […]
Lack of oversight and transparency in prison disciplinary processes: Ombudsman finds
Joint Media Release7 July 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, legal, human rights and civil liberties organisations have called on the Andrews government to take urgent steps to increase transparency and prevent mistreatment behind bars after a new report has highlighted serious deficiencies in disciplinary processes in Victorian prisons. The Victorian Ombudsman’s Investigation into good practice […]
This International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Andrews Government must do better on OPCAT
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE 1 July 2021 This International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Andrews Government must do better on OPCAT Last week, on the same day that IBAC released its damning report into Victorian prisons, we marked the 15 year anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and […]
Uniformed Victoria Police attend Coronial Inquest for ‘security’, compounding the grief and trauma of the Thomas Family
MEDIA RELEASE 1st July 2021 Uniformed Victoria Police attend Coronial Inquest for ‘security’, compounding the grief and trauma of the Thomas Family Quotes Attributable to Uncle Ray, Raymond Noel’s father “It is disgusting and offensive behaviour from the police once again towards us as an Aboriginal family at such a critical time like this, when […]
IBAC report finds that prison expansion and privatisation are contributing factors to corruption and abuse within Victoria’s Corrections system
MEDIA RELEASE 24 June 2021Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) IBAC’s Special report on corrections: IBAC Operations Rous, Caparra, Nisidia and Molara makes a clear link between the expansion in prison capacity and an increase in corruption within the corrections system. The Andrews Government’s tough on crime agenda, including the implementation of draconian bail laws, and […]
Coronial Inquest into the Death in Custody of Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas Begins Today
Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas (referred to as “Raymond Noel” for cultural reasons) was a proud Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man. Raymond Noel died in a police pursuit on 25 June 2017. Raymond Noel’s family have waited a long time for a chance to learn the truth about the circumstances that led to his death, and […]
Bail Reform is Urgently Needed in Victoria
Today VALS and more than three dozen human rights and law groups called on the Andrews Government to reform their draconian bail laws. Read the letter here. Find a petition of experts here. You can listen to ABC’s radio coverage here. You can read the ABC Online article here.
Andrews Government funding failure forces freeze on intake of new clients at VALS
Due to the funding decisions of the Andrews Government in the Victorian Budget 2021/22, VALS does not have the funding we need to recruit new lawyers and manage the increase in demand for our services. Our lawyers currently manage an average of 130 casefiles each, far more than the sector recommendation of 50. Without funding […]
Daniel Andrews and Jaclyn Symes have put the Governments legacy on Aboriginal justice at risk
MEDIA RELEASE 20 May 2021 Daniel Andrews and Jaclyn Symes gave VALS $1 million dollars per year for two years to pilot our Place-Based Delivery Model in the Victorian Budget 2021/22, but our model requires $26.5 million over four years. The Place-Based Delivery Model was to include 10 offices across Victoria, but this “pilot” funding […]
STATEMENT: Victoria must abandon proposal to put police in classrooms
Fifteen years after the last police-in-schools scheme in Victoria was scrapped, Victoria Police are pushing to put officers in classrooms to rebuild their relationship with the community. VALS is calling on the Victorian Government to block any plans for an expensive PR exercise that will be bad for children’s welfare and come at the cost […]
Statement from Patricia Lamont
Quotes Attributable to Patricia Lamont. “This process has already taken so long and I am continually forced to fight for the justice my daughter and I deserve.” “I only found out about my daughter’s death after Police messaged me on Facebook and then came around to my house.” “I didn’t know she had been in […]