Initiative to support Indigenous barristers

Victoria’s legal sector has welcomed two developments this week which will support greater recognition for and inclusion of Indigenous Victorians in the profession. The Victorian Bar Association became the first bar association in Australia to launch its Reconciliation Action Plan. The Plan, endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, sets out tangible steps to promote full access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and attract indigenous lawyers to the Bar, including scholarships and mentoring programs.

On the same day Rose Fella, acting deputy directorate manager of complex crime at the Office of Public Prosecutions and founding force behind Victoria’s successful Koori Court, was appointed to the Magistrate’s Court of Victoria.  Ms Fella is Victoria’s first indigenous Magistrate.