Our team

Co-Chair

Professor Beetson is a Ngemba man with extensive experience in adult education, community development and Indigenous and human rights education. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of New England and in 2017 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. He is one of only 12 people worldwide to have received a United Nations Unsung Hero Award. Beetson is Chair of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council Economic Development Advisory Committee, Board member of Social Enterprise Finance Australia, Executive Director of Beetson & Associates and Executive Director of Literacy for Life Foundation. Professor Beetson was most recently honoured by being the first Indigenous Australian to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame of Adult and Continuing Education.

Co-Chair

Sarah Hopkins is Co-Chair of Just Reinvest NSW and the Managing Solicitor of Justice Projects at the Aboriginal Legal Service ACT/NSW. She is an accredited specialist in criminal law and has lectured in criminal law at the University of NSW. Sarah has been working alongside the Bourke community since 2012 in support of the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project in Bourke, which was the recipient of the 2015 National Rural Law and Justice Award. In 2019 Just Reinvest NSW was the recipient of both the HESTA Community Organisation Award and the Australian Human Rights Commission Community Organisation Award.

Sarah is a member of the NSW Bar Association’s Joint Working Party on the Over-representation of Indigenous People in the NSW Criminal Justice System. Throughout her career Sarah has served on numerous committees including the Criminal Law Committee of the Law Society of NSW, the Steering Committee for the Red Cross Vulnerability Report 2015, and as Vice President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. In 2017 Sarah was named the Community Lawyer of the Year by the Women Lawyers’ Association of NSW.

Treasurer

Gino Vumbaca is a member of the Executive Committee, Just Reinvest NSW. He has extensive experience in the HIV/ AIDS and drug and alcohol fields both in Australia and internationally. He is a Churchill Fellow, has completed a Social Work degree and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Sydney and is a qualified Company Director. Gino has worked as the Manager of HIV/AIDS and related services with the NSW Department of Corrective Services, in a variety of drug and alcohol centres as a counsellor and was responsible for coordinating the establishment of the NSW network of needle and syringe exchange programs for the NSW Health Department. Gino also continues to provide advice on prisons, HIV and drug issues for international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. Gino Vumbaca is the Principal of 3V Consulting Services and President and Co-Founder of Harm Reduction Australia.

Secretary

Mark Riboldi has been volunteering with Just Reinvest NSW since 2017 and an Executive Committee member since 2018. He supports the team around facilitation, advocacy and strategic communications. Mark has worked as the Advocacy & Communications Manager at Community Legal Centres NSW, as a political media and policy adviser in NSW Parliament to David Shoebridge and Jenny Leong, and as an English language teacher in Australia and abroad. He is currently working at the Sydney Policy Lab at the University of Sydney on collaborative research and policy projects. Mark’s various writings can be found here, and he lurks on twitter here.

Executive Committee Member

Daniel is a proud Gamilaraay (NSW) man who has family ties to the Gubi Gubi nation (QLD). Daniel has a passion for helping Aboriginal children and youth caught in the criminal justice system and has spent his working life in the justice sector. He worked on the development of the Youth Koori Court (YKC) including consultation with community and development of the program with other stakeholders.

He believes if the appropriate support mechanisms are placed around our young Aboriginal people in the Justice system and we can empower them, then they can and will be among our leaders in the future. He is currently the Managing Director of Infinite Hope Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation that has been set up to work with Aboriginal young people involved in both the criminal justice and the out of home care systems. Daniel is also a Director of the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service board and lifelong member of the organisation. He is honoured to be on the Just Reinvest NSW Executive Committee.

Executive Committee Member

Kristy Masella is a Murri from Rockhampton, Dharumbal country in Central Queensland who has dedicated her life to empowering Aboriginal communities. She has worked in Aboriginal Affairs for more than 25 years across many portfolios in both NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Kristy is the CEO and Executive Director of the national Indigenous recruitment and training company, AES, who empowers Aboriginal people through employment and community development. Prior to this role she was the head of Social Justice for Aboriginal Affairs NSW and led a major review of the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act.

Kristy has been named one of Australia’s Top 100 Most Influencial Woman by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac. She also went on to be awarded one of the Top 10 Category winners as Diversity Winner. Kristy studied Journalism at the University of Queensland and has been presented with a number of prestigious awards in her career such as the National Trust Print Media Commendation Award and the Australian Society of Archivists Mander Jones Award for her work as co-author of Connecting Kin. Kristy holds a Masters in Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of NSW specialising in Indigenous rights.

Kristy is the Chairperson of Tranby Aboriginal College. She has been an active member of the Tranby Board of Directors since in 2009. Kristy is also the Deputy Chairperson of Wunanbiri Incorporated, one of the most successful independent Aboriginal community preschools in NSW whichshe has been committed to supporting for 15 years. She was a member of the inaugural Committee of Sydney University’s National Centre of Cultural Competencies to establish the Community Council, is a former co-chair of the NSW Reconciliation Council, and was nominated for the NSW Justice Award in 2014. Kristy is a mother of two daughters.

Executive Committee Member

Paul Wright is the National Director of ANTaR. He has nearly two decades of experience working in both Government and non-government sectors – covering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, health, immigration and social services.Most recently, Paul was the Executive Officer for the Close the Gap Campaign Secretariat and the National Health Leadership Forum at the Australian Human Rights Commission. He continues to sit on the Steering Committees for the Close the Gap and Change the Record campaigns and is also proud to be a member of the Just Reinvest NSW Executive Committee. Paul studied politics and international relations at the University of Canberra and has a Masters of Strategic Studies from the Australian National University.

Executive Committee Member

A proud Ngiyampaa, Wiradjuri and Ngemba woman from far west New South Wales, Ashlee was born and spent most of her life on Dharug country in Auburn, NSW. She studied a Bachelor of Educational Studies and an Associate Degree in Indigenous Education at the Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, NSW. Ashlee has also completed postgraduate studies in Public Policy at the Australian National University, Acton, ACT.

Her professional background spans across the education, social and community work sectors and in the political and policy fields. Ashlee is the Disability Royal Commission Project Manager at the First Peoples Disability Network. She is committed to making a difference for all Australians, especially the First Nations peoples and women through education. Ashlee is extremely passionate in policy and politics and was until recently a Policy advisor for both Senator Patrick Dodson and the Honourable Linda Burney MP. Ashlee aims to demonstrate her skills and lived experiences to improve the lives and well-being, especially to empower and support women, children and First Nations communities.

Executive Committee Member

Karlie Stewart is a Wandi Wandian Woman from Yuin Country on the South Coast of New South Wales. She lived in Nowra throughout her childhood and spent time around the Nowra, Wreck Bay and Jerrinja Aboriginal communities with her family. Since 10 years old, Karlie has lived on Bidjigal land and has strong connections to the La Perouse Aboriginal community. In early 2019, Karlie graduated with an Honours in Social Work from the University of New South Wales and has since worked as a Child, Youth and Family caseworker at Weave Youth and Community Services. She is passionate about healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, particularly from intergenerational trauma as a result of historic and current government interventions.

Executive Committee Member

Trent is a proud First Nations man who grew up on Darkinjung Country. Trent is the First Nations Advisor and Lawyer at Ashurst, which is the first and only role of its kind within a global law firm. Prior to joining Ashurst, Trent has held roles with Australian Government Solicitor and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability where Trent was the first Aboriginal lawyer on staff. After noticing a gap in legal knowledge for young lawyers, Trent developed course content for the University Of New South Wales Practical Legal Training Program, which looks at ways to work most effectively with First Nations clients. Trent is involved with New South Wales Young Lawyers, is on the Indigenous Issues Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales  and is Co-Chair of the Legal Profession Reconciliation Network. Trent looks forward to promoting and advancing the voices of First Nations Peoples through JR NSW, noting that First Nations Peoples must be the first voices listened to.

Geoffrey Winters

Chief Executive Officer

Geoffrey is a Gamillaroi man whose family are from Walgett that currently lives and works on Gadigal country. Geoffrey is a lawyer who has spent most of his career in the Aboriginal land council space fighting for land rights and Native Title. Geoffrey joins us after completing a Master in Public Policy at the University of Oxford, where he was the Charlie Perkins Scholar. At this exciting time of growth for JRNSW, Geoffrey brings the energy and vision needed to lead JRNSW as it continues to support the communities in Mt Druitt, Moree and Bourke on their journeys.

Operations Manager

Alanna is a proud Anaiwan inyenda (woman). As an Indigenous woman she is passionate about achieving justice for her fellow mob and has a particular interest in elevating the voices of young peoples. She is focused on systems change and strategic thinking and and believes collaborative working and interdisciplinary partnership is the corner stone to creating genuine change.

Alanna’s role at Just Reinvest NSW focuses on supporting Indigenous Data Sovereignty, managing the operations process, improving efficiency, developing and delivering on strategic objectives and designing the monitoring evaluation and learning framework of the organisation.

Community Engagement & Partnerships Manager

Youth Lead

Nicole’s role at Just Reinvest NSW focuses on supporting young Aboriginal people to be involved and at the centre of community-led change and state-wide policy and legislative reform. Nicole has been working with young Aboriginal people and communities in a variety of roles for more than a decade and has built and maintained strong relationships and connections that have shaped her life. Nicole works alongside Bourke, Moree and Mt Druitt communities supporting First Nations communities leading change, youth participation, service sector and criminal justice reform, and adequate and holistic access to mental health support.

Policy & Advocacy Lead

Jo has worked in research and project management positions including at the Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse, the NSW Reconciliation Council and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Jo has also served as a board member for ANTaR NSW.

Jo’s role at Just Reinvest NSW is to lead the development and implementation of  strategies aimed at influencing policy and systems change to support community-led agendas and reduce interactions with the criminal justice system. This includes facilitating collaboration with community members, partner organisations, academics, and government on key projects and initiatives. 

Community Project Officer

Lucy is proud Anaiwan woman, who takes pride in the strength and resilience of our people. Lucy is passionate about helping our mob overcome the injustices facing First Nations people within the criminal justice system, particularly their overrepresentation within the system. She knows that Aboriginal people hold the solutions and is honoured to be working alongside Aboriginal communities leading the change.

Lucy’s role at Just Reinvest NSW focuses on supporting the communications, projects and administration needs of the team. In this role Lucy also works on a variety of diverse projects with communities as they arise, to support collaboration between stakeholders and provide administrative support to project work.

Community Data Consultant

Fiona is an academic, has worked alongside numerous communities interested in implementing justice reinvestment, including Katherine, Cairns and Cherbourg and is Convenor of the Justice Reinvestment National Network. Fiona believes at the heart of justice reinvestment sits compassion and understanding of why people offend, and greater accountability of those that hold most power to influence peoples’ lives positively and negatively. She enjoys the focus on self-determination, collaborative approaches and systems-based change and believes justice reinvestment provides a positive and constructive way forward to so many things we get wrong as a society. 

Fiona’s role at Just Reinvestment NSW focuses on supporting Indigenous Data Sovereignty and delivering a data driven approach to justice reinvestment. Her work assists in pulling all of the threads together, with community sitting at the centre, to help build happy, healthy, strong communities and to bring about necessary systems-based change.

Founder and Executive Director

Alistair was the Chairperson of the Bourke Aboriginal Community Working Party for more than 10 years. Justice reinvestment is a core component of the Maranguka initiative. Key to Alistair’s community development is the belief in seeing communities truly empowered and taking responsibility for their own issues and plight.

In 2018, Alistair was nominated for the Australia’s Local Hero Award which aims to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions individuals make in their local community. In 2015, in recognition of 20 years of work for his community in Bourke, and in particular for his leadership on the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project, Alistair received the Aboriginal Justice Award at the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW Justice Awards. Alistair Ferguson is a Director at Orana Haven Rehabilitation Centre and NSW Aboriginal Housing Office Member of the Regional Aboriginal Housing Committee, as well as on the Corrective Services Aboriginal Advisory Council.

Backbone Coordinator

Vivianne’s role at Maranguka is to facilitate and support the cross-sector collaboration and learning needed to achieve the community’s goals in the Growing our Kids Up Safe, Smart Strong strategy. 

Executive Assistant & Project Officer

Samara’s role at Maranguka is to provide assistance to the Executive Director and to provide office management and information co-ordination.

Communications and Data Officer

Tyra’s role at Maranguka is to work part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide communications and community engagement support to Maranguka, including data support to the working groups.

Moree Community Engagement Officer

Jude is a Gomeroi woman with almost four decades of experience working with education, disabilities, child protection, age care and juvenile justice.

“What I want to see is less young people before the criminal justice system in Moree. I want the young people to help build our community and utilise their strength and knowledge to empower themselves to make this place a better place, for themselves and everyone else in this community for many years to come so their children and grandchildren can benefit from having a safer, stronger community. JR in Moree is putting young peoples’ voices at the centre. It’s about giving mine, yours, our children and young people a say, listening to them, making them feel heard and valued, someone is listening.”

“My mob are very resilient Mob, country tough and staunch, fighters, never give up, so it’s hoped through this approach with Justice Reinvestment having whole of community involved in leading decision and assistance involving especially the young people help build bigger and better pathways for everyone.”

“It’s is important the children and young people in our community are given every opportunity to grow, be independent and strong leaders as they are the future.”

Moree Youth Lead

Mekayla Cochrane is a proud Gomeroi woman, born and raised in Moree. With many of Mekayla’s family going through the system, she has experienced firsthand the impact it can have on families. She is passionate about breaking the cycle and the “normality” young people experience in their homes, with education as a main focus key. Through these experiences Mekayla is able to easily compare and identify where the system has failed the Aboriginal people in the community.

Mekayla’s role at Just Reinvest NSW focuses on engaging with community to work together in making their own decisions on what their people need to be able to succeed and grow.

“I can’t wait to see how the community rise up and take back control of their lives, create a safe and stable homes, educate themselves and lead a promising future”

Elisha Ralph

Elisha is a proud Gamilaroi woman living in Moree. She comes from a big family being the 7th born out of 10. Growing up Elisha has moved all over NSW and lived in many placed, but Moree has always been where she calls home.

“I plan to utilise my personal and professional experience, by improving people’s understanding of our youth, and the unfair circumstances they are forced to deal with. I’m excited for the opportunity to work alongside the community and make a difference within Moree. Applying the knowledge gained from our elders and youth, I hope to be a part of the positive change for our future.”

Mt Druitt Community Engagement Officer

Julie is a single mother to 5 children, and grandmother to 11 grandchildren. She is a proud Gamilaroi women born and raised in Mt Druitt. She was raised strong in identity, community and culture, through both her mother and father’s family. Both herself and her family have experiences with the criminal justice system which allows Julie to better understand the forces that pull our young people in. She strongly believes in the need for early intervention and better community-based support for families.

“Just Reinvestment allows me to be involved in change and better support parents and their families to lead their own change. The criminal justice system is letting us down, they traumatize young people. We need to recongise that every community is different, and every family has their own story. We need to be looking at our data and deciding what do we do with it, listening to local Elders and young people and taking lead from them to begin the solution. If they haven’t lived our experience, how do they know what our struggle is? They need to listen to us and our stories. We, as members of the Mt Druitt community, have lived experiences of these issues and hold the solutions.”

Mt Druitt Youth Engagement Consultant

Isaiah Sines is a proud Dhungatti man from Kempsey and also has ties to the Wiradjuri people. After moving around a lot early in his life he is now settled in Mt Druitt.

“I have experienced a lot in my life and that is why I wanted to become a youth ambassador with Just Reinvest. I hope to be able to use this position to advocate for other Koori kids who are going through what I went through and hopefully prevent the future generations from being affected by the same systems I grew up in. I like the concept behind Just Reinvest and how the organisation understands that Aboriginal people have the solutions to the issues that affect us and that we just need to support communities to heal themselves.”

Some Isaiah’s work includes:

• Leading with Terleaha a youth-led project called Mounty Yarns- the lived experiences of Aboriginal young people in Mt Druitt;
• Instigating and leading a community OzTag team – Native Sons;
• Producing an op-ed with Terleaha;
• Sharing his story with young men in youth justice centres; and
• Advocacy around community-led solutions, changing policing practices and raising the age of criminal responsibility.

Mt Druitt Youth Engagement Consultant

Terleaha is a proud Kamilaroi and Yuin woman. She is a Just Reinvest Youth Ambassador and a project lead on Mounty Yarns – The lived experiences of Aboriginal young people in Mt Druitt. Terleaha is also assisting and coordinating a community-led OzTag team.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.” – Barack Obama.

“Young people now in Mt Druitt are making change. We are putting as many things in place to help, support and guide change. And we will not stop.”

Isaiah Sines is a proud Dhungatti man from Kempsey and also has ties to the Wiradjuri people. After moving around a lot early in his life he is now settled in Mt Druitt.

“I have experienced a lot in my life and that is why I wanted to become a youth ambassador with Just Reinvest. I hope to be able to use this position to advocate for other Koori kids who are going through what I went through and hopefully prevent the future generations from being affected by the same systems I grew up in. I like the concept behind Just Reinvest and how the organisation understands that Aboriginal people have the solutions to the issues that affect us and that we just need to support communities to heal themselves.”

Some Isaiah’s work includes:

• Leading with Terleaha a youth-led project called Mounty Yarns- the lived experiences of Aboriginal young people in Mt Druitt;
• Instigating and leading a community OzTag team – Native Sons;
• Producing an op-ed with Terleaha;
• Sharing his story with young men in youth justice centres; and
• Advocacy around community-led solutions, changing policing practices and raising the age of criminal responsibility.

Terleaha is a proud Kamilaroi and Yuin woman. She is a Just Reinvest Youth Ambassador and a project lead on Mounty Yarns – The lived experiences of Aboriginal young people in Mt Druitt. Terleaha is also assisting and coordinating a community-led OzTag team.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.” – Barack Obama.

“Young people now in Mt Druitt are making change. We are putting as many things in place to help, support and guide change. And we will not stop.”

Kobie is 23 years old and was born and raised in Maroubra, Sydney. Kobie’s mob is the Yuin Nation from the South coast and Gamilaroi people from Moree. He has been involved with Weave Youth and Community Services through the Kool Kids Club Program since he was in primary school. Kobie believes that justice reinvestment is important to provide both services that guide young people and opportunities for them to reach their goals. As a talented musician, Kobie has written and performed original rap songs, including songs about justice reinvestment and the impact of incarceration on families and communities. In addition to rap, Kobie is a committed and successful boxer and held the NSW Featherweight title. He has presented at conferences and told his story at Change the Record forums, through media and in schools. He is a mentor for children and young people in his community. Kobie has recently signed with Bad Apples Record label.

Trei is 21 years old and grew up in Nowra and the La Perouse community. He is from the Yuin nation that surrounds Wreck bay on the NSW South coast. Trei had a difficult childhood being removed from his family and separated from his siblings at a young age. He first got involved with Weave Youth and Community Service’s Kool Kids Club program in 2005 when he was 7 years old. Kool Kids Club is a prevention and early intervention initiative providing free after school and holiday activity programs in La Perouse and the surrounding areas. The program supports the development of well being, resilience and life skills for children and young people, fostering protective factors by building on young people’s strengths and enhancing their connections with community and family. The programs are designed to challenge and enhance children’s abilities and life skills. Trei understands first hand the importance of justice reinvestment and knows that without access to programs and support through Weave he may have ended up in the criminal justice system himself. It’s that passion that moved Trei to continue his time at Weave and become a Weave Youth Advocate and mentor.

Trei has been an ambassador for Just Reinvest NSW since the launch at Government House in 2012. He has presented at national and state conferences, spoken with the media, supported young people in school and traveled to Uluru to participate in a leadership course. He believes that justice reinvestment is important to give young Aboriginal people support and positive mentors so they do not go down the wrong path.

Beau Foster is 22 years old originally from the South coast in New South Wales. He was raised in Sydney and his mob is the Yuin nation from the South coast and the Dharawal people from the La Perouse community. He has been involved with Weave Youth and Community Service’s Kool Kids Club program since primary school. He knows first hand the difference it makes to have the support you need growing up in tough circumstances and is passionate about making sure other Aboriginal children and young people have the opportunities he had so they can have the best chance in life. Beau is a great mentor for younger kids in his community and has stepped up on many occasions to speak and perform at conferences, in the media and events to raise awareness of the importance of reducing the rates of incarceration for Aboriginal people.

Beau believes that justice reinvestment is important because it offers young people an alternative to detention and focuses on the positive skills and strengths that they already have. Beau now works at the Kool Kids Club as an Activity worker supporting young people and their families. He remains committed to making positive, sustainable changes to strengthen community capacity and reduce incarceration rates.

Dharumbal Murri, Mi-kaisha, has fought for social justice her entire life. The 17 year old’s passion for sharing people’s experiences and stories has driven her to share her own story through music and take a stand. Mi-kaisha believes it is important that young people, and all people, find their voice anduse it to work on issues that affect them and are important to them. Mi-kaisha is President of the United Nation’s empowerment program, Girl Up, at her school. This is a group of young women who advocate for girl’s rights, educate others about the issues affecting girls in developing countries and in local communities in the hope of making positive change.

Mi-kaisha is also Head Girl at International Grammar School, House Captain and actively volunteers for Aboriginal community organisations and children’s charities. She is an inaugural member of the Youth Advisory Group of the Western Sydney Centre for Indigenous Excellence and works after school for AIME. Mi-kaisha uses music to challenge stereotypes, provoke debate and tell stories of strength. “I feel that because I have been equipped with the life tools I need to succeed, a great education and have always had an amazing support system of people backing me, I need to show the world what a young Indigenous person can achieve when given a chance, and a level playing field.”

“The power that lies in our community, hasn’t been recognised by those outside of our world experience. Our people have endured so much and have so much resilience and I think it’s important to show the world that power.”

Temeka is 18 years old and was born in Blacktown. She is the second youngest of 5 children but has an enormous extended family that she grew up with. She has spent her whole life in the Mt Druitt area of Sydney but has family connections to both the Wongkumara and Kamilaroi nations.

Through her first 18 years of life she has seen first hand the effects that both the out-of-home-care and criminal justice system have had on her mob. Temeka and her siblings were removed from their parents and placed into multiple foster care homes. They were eventually placed back into the care of their loving mother and father but during her time in care, Temeka went through a lot of tough times and circumstances. She has also spent time in police custody and juvenile detention. Despite all of this, Temeka has come out the other side a real leader.

She is extremely passionate about helping her community and is currently enrolled to study Community Services at TAFE while looking for work in the hospitality industry. She is also looking to be a mentor for some of the younger girls in the Mt Druitt area.

She is excited to be a Youth Ambassador for Just Reinvest as she sees it as a much better way to deal with the problem of overrepresentation of our people. She wonders how different both her life and the lives of many of her family and friends would have been if the money spent on locking her mob up was spent on helping them to break the cycle. She is also very passionate about the expansion of other diversionary programs such as the Youth Koori Court.

Killara Ebsworth was born in Broken Hill and is one of ten, having three sisters and six brothers. Her family is descended from the Wongkamara people of North Western NSW on her fathers side and the Dhungatti people of the Kempsey region on her mothers side. She lived in multiple locations growing up but Western Sydney has been the area she has spent most of her time.

She has had to face a lot of issues in her short life but has come out of it extraordinarily resilient and loving. She is always up for a yarn and a laugh and has the potential to be a leader for young people in the community. She is extremely passionate about the concept of justice reinvestment and wants to see more done to engage the young people in our communities.

Kaleesha Morris is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Kulkalgal woman who was born and raised on her mother’s country in the Clarence Valley by the Northern Rivers of NSW. Kalessha is a Youth Ambassador for Just Reinvest NSW. “I often try to raise special awareness of the tragic Aboriginal suicide rates in Australia,” says Kaleesha, “as well as the increasing incarceration rates of our people, both realities of which are unacceptable in Australia. I am a youth ambassador for Just Reinvest NSW, an organisation which lobbies for various reforms in the criminal justice system and most importantly, stands for reducing Aboriginal incarceration rates and building Aboriginal community empowerment and self-determination.”

I grew up in Dalby for my younger years, a beautiful country town located in QLD then moved back to Tweed Heads during my teenage years. I’ve grown up in a system that hasn’t been very favourable towards me, simply because of the colour of my skin. Institutions operate on a deeply entrenched racist system, ultimately this affects us all as we are one race, the human race and we must come together to support one another rather than allow ourselves to be divided.

My dad taught me, “Black, White or Brindle, doesn’t matter what colour you are, when you walk in the street you say Hello to them.” Because of what he taught me, it bothers me so much that hatred of differences, that are actually beautiful, exist. It’s important to me to change the system because of what my family and ancestors have been through, what they have survived. I know what they’ve gone through, I know I’ve carried the Trauma from that. I’m reaching out to places that I can heal myself. I don’t want my daughter to be effected by that, the next generation.

Just Reinvest is a powerful mechanism for change as it is a community of people and organisations who believe that holistic approaches are the only way to make significant generational change through justice reinvestment.

I want other young people to know that there is always hope and there is always people that care. There are solutions, and you can make change, people can work together to make these big problems, not too big to be solved. I want young people to not stop believing in themselves and not compromise on what they inherently know to be right. We all have an inner voice that guides us. Listen to it and trust in it.

Mick Gooda is a descendent of the Gangulu people, and former Commissioner of the Northern Territory Royal Commission into Child Protection and Youth Detention. He is also the former Social Justice Commissioner and a long term Champion of Just Reinvest NSW. “Putting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in detention centres and prisons should be the option of last resort,” says Mr Gooda. “We’d do far better if we put our resources and political will into trying proven alternatives like justice reinvestment. If we’re serious about closing the gap in life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people we have to get serious about tried and tested alternatives like justice reinvestment.” Mick Gooda is the Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission.

• NSW Premiers Council on Crime Prevention
• Attorney General’s Victims Advisory Board
• NSW Sentencing Council
• NSW Corrective Services Restorative Justice Advisory Committee
• Young Offenders Advisory Council
• NSW State Parole Authority

Ken B Marslew AM was named as a member of the Order of Australia for his work in social justice.

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC is the 39th Governor of New South Wales, commencing her five year tenure on 2 May 2019. Prior to her appointment as Governor, Her Excellency enjoyed a long and distinguished law career spanning 43 years, during which time she served as a role model for women in law at both the State and national level. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1989, in 1993 she was made a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, the first woman to sit exclusively in that Court. In 1996, she achieved the distinction of being the first woman appointed to the New South Wales Court of Appeal and, subsequently, as the first woman to be appointed as its President. She served, on a number of occasions, as Administrator of the Government of the State of New South Wales. She was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List on 26 January 2020 for “eminent service to the people of New South Wales, particularly through leadership roles in the judiciary, and as a mentor of young women lawyers”. Her Excellency brings her deep commitment to education, youth leadership, human rights and social justice to the role in service of the people of New South Wales.

Mr Dennis Wilson is a barrister, mediator, and accredited international arbitrator, whose work generally includes difficult cases in both fact and law, dealing in matters of high value or involving significant principle. He is a long-standing member of the legal profession in Australia and has advised on legislative review and policy development and implementation in environmental law and in the mining and resources sectors. Mr Wilson has a particular interest in the World Trade Organisation, the Energy Charter Treaty, Mining and Oil and Gas law and dispute resolution. Mr Wilson, is an Adjunct Professor of Law, at Notre Dame University, Sydney.