ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE

The origins of the Aboriginal Legal Service Ltd. lay in the response of Aboriginal people to the police activities in and around Redfern at the close of the 1960s. In 1970, the police were enforcing an official curfew. This curfew was in existence from 9.30pm onwards and was against Aboriginal people ‑ walking the streets in the inner city suburbs of Redfern, Newtown, Alexandria, and Chippendale. Anyone breaking this curfew was subject to arbitrary detention and arrest. On Thursday and Saturday nights when Aboriginal people congregated at the Clifton and the Empress Hotels, police would on numerous occasions block off the streets of Redfern and indiscriminately arrest individuals, later charged with offences such as drunkenness, offensive behaviour and unseemly words.

These arrests were based upon a piece of repressive, legislation that the Askin State Government had enacted ‑ the Summary Offences Act ‑ which was designed to stop large student groups gathering for demonstrations and remove culturally and racially undesirable people off the streets of Sydney at night.

A group of young Aboriginal people - Gary Williams, Gary Foley, Isabel Coe, Tony Coorey, Bronwyn Penrith, Les Collins, James Wedge, William Craigie and Paul Coe attempted to organise a vigilance group. They spoke at University campuses .and trade. union grous in an endeavour to raise and highlight the problems. As a result of these talks, a number of young white student. lawyers offered to give their time and knowledge on a voluntary basis.

In mid 1970, a Professor of Law, now Supreme Court Judge Hal Wootten, was approached by a law student, Mr PeterTobin; to attend meetings with this group of Aboriginal people to see what help and advice he could give. Justice Wootten enlisted the aid of a number of prominent lawyers to assist in dealing with, in particular, the police activities around the inner city area.

Justice Wootten, at the end of 1970, drafted a submission on behalf of this body to the then Office of Aboriginal Affairs for funds to set up a full‑time storefront legal office.  In early 1971 the Office of Aboriginal Affairs provided the newly created Aboriginal Legal Service with a grant to pay for the salary of a full‑time solicitor, field officer and secretary. This has grown from one small store‑front office in Redfern [originally in 142 Regent Street] to cover the whole of the state with regional offices throughout New South Wales.

The Aboriginal Legal Service initiative was repeated in other states of the Commonwealth. Thus, the Aboriginal Legal Service is more than a legal office, it was and still is the embodiment of a generation of Aboriginal people's desire to control their own destiny.

TEXT COURTESY OF ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE

The booklet from this exhibition is available in some second-hand book stores.