Happy NAIDOC from the TU's Aboriginal Legal Team

Orient Point is a small town on NSW’s south coast. It is home to some great fishing spots, beaches and places to picnic with a view.

It is also home to the Jerrinja Aboriginal community and has been for many generations since being moved from their traditional lands during invasion. The TU’s Aboriginal Legal Team (ALT) visited the community recently to provide Aboriginal tenants in the area with legal advice and education on the rights of tenants.

Visiting communities such as those at Jerrinja is a small but important part of the role of the ALT. Working in community with the community is the best way to provide legal services to Aboriginal people. Travel to rural and remote communities not only builds client confidence in the service but also assists in the provision of legal services to communities that would otherwise not be noticed by city-based services. Our visit to Orient Point stemmed from a recent trip to Bateman’s Bay to visit the good people at Murra Mia Aboriginal TAAS. Service visits to the 4 Aboriginal TAASs throughout the state keep the ALT abreast of local issues for Aboriginal tenants throughout the state and work to further strengthen the links of the Koori TAAP network.

Alas, not all of our work is carried out in communities. The ALT plays a strong role in the TU’s policy, training and publications teams spreading the word and representing the interests and voice of Aboriginal tenancy services and Aboriginal tenants throughout NSW. We also work to maintaining a celebration of Aboriginal culture and an acknowledgement of Aboriginal people as Australia’s first peoples in our own workplace and beyond.

This week is NAIDOC week and the TU have celebrated in several ways (and we’re not even half way there!) The TU held a NAIDOC barbeque on Monday afternoon and celebrated with our neighbouring TAAP services (Inner Sydney TAAS and the Greater Sydney Aboriginal Tenants Service) and advice line volunteers.

We also attended the GSATS NAIDOC morning tea on Tuesday and enjoyed a morning tea and dance performance by the Wandabaa Gabinya dancers at the TAAS Network Meeting today.

We hope that reading this gets you in the mood to attend NAIDOC celebrations in your local community. Happy NAIDOC everyone.