In Support of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Legal Services (ATSICLS) (NQ)
- Target:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
- Region:
- Australia
In October 2007 the Attorney-General’s Department called for Tenders for the Provision of Legal Aid Services to North Queensland. The current tender is held by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Legal Services (NQ).
ATSICLS (NQ) was awarded the tender in June 2005, to deliver services from July 2005-June 2008. Although ATSICLS (NQ) tendered for the new contract, the contract was awarded to the Brisbane-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) (SQ).
Queensland is currently divided into two zones: Zone A (North Queensland), and Zone B (South Queensland). The contract for South Queensland (Zone B) did not go out to tender. This meant ATSILS (SQ) was the only service provider which was given the opportunity to contract for both zones.
The decision to award the contract for North Queensland to ATSILS (SQ) means that the whole of Queensland will now be run by one service provider. It will be run by a service provider that has had no experience in the provision of service to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and that has no experience in the provision of legal aid services to North Queensland.
If you agree that services to North Queensland can not be run from Brisbane, and that the service for North Queensland should stay in North Queensland, please sign the attached petition.
Having been advised that the Brisbane-based service provider, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) (SQ), have been awarded the tender for the provision of Legal Aid Services to Indigenous Australians in North Queensland, we, the undersigned, call upon the current Minister for Home Affairs, and the Attorney General, to do the following:
• Review the decision to award the tender for the provision of Legal Aid Services to Indigenous Australians in North Queensland to ATSILS (SQ);
• Take steps to ensure that we maintain separate service providers for North and South Queensland;
• Award the tender for the provision of Legal Aid Services to Indigenous Australians in North Queensland to the current service provider: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Legal Services (ATSICLS) (NQ).
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The In Support of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Legal Services (ATSICLS) (NQ) petition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was written by Kathy Anderson and is in the category Justice at GoPetition.