Josie, Tasmania Aboriginal Legal Services lawyer

I am a Northern Territorian and grew up in rural Darwin. I joined Your Story Disability Legal Support when I moved to Hobart in February 2020 and am based at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (TALS). I have a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a Graduate Diploma of Psychology.

I previously worked as a lawyer in civil litigation acting for people who were often severely injured and suffering great hardship. Prior to becoming a lawyer, I worked in the Northern Territory Supreme Court as a Judge's Associate and as a law clerk for a Senior Counsel, who was also a prominent Aboriginal and human rights advocate. Through this work I was involved in assisting people in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the early stages of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.

My passion for social justice is the reason I became a lawyer. The Your Story team and role are so important in ensuring that the Disability Royal Commission process is inclusive and that anyone who wishes to engage has the opportunity to do so in a safe way. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to help empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living with disability to share their stories with the Royal Commission, and to learn from their experiences.