Indigenous Family Law Courts

On this episode, Ben and Heather are joined by two special guests to discuss the growth of specialist Indigenous family courts, known as Indigenous List.  Retired Federal Circuit Court Judge Robyn Sexton started the very first Indigenous List in Sydney in 2014.  Rick Welsh is proud Murrawarri man and coordinator of The Shed suicide prevention centre focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  These two worked together to design and implement a specialist Indigenous family law court.  Together they discuss the following:What is the Indigenous List?Why is there a need for a separate court process?How was the Indigenous community engaged with the set-up of the court?Are kin carers treated differently on the Indigenous List than in regular family court?Local experiences with the Indigenous List in Coffs Harbour and Lismore.What services are available to First Nations litigants other than those provided by the courts?How is the introduction of the Indigenous List impacting First Nations families?Episode note (important): This episode was recorded before changes to the structure and processes of the Federal Circuit and Family Court in 2021, so some references to court procedures may now be different. Please seek current legal advice and refer to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Attorney-General’s Department resources for the latest information.