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WELCOMING | October 2024 issue of our monthly newsletter.
Since our last issue, we’ve been celebrating international recognition for National Justice Project CEO George Newhouse. He was highly commended by the International Bar Association at the IBA 2024 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights. The judging committee commended the impressive candidates received this year for the Human Rights Award and “warmly commend Mr George Newhouse for his leadership, especially in relation to the advancement of the human rights of Australia’s First Nations’ People”.
Early in the month we worked with Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research on a joint submission to the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system, calling for urgent reforms and the need for community-led preventative measures, especially for First Nations people.
We're happy to highlight in our October Justice Brief the launch of HearMeOut.org.au AI-powered complaints platform and a new community program training for the CopWatch police accountability app.
International human rights barrister Jennifer Robinson joins our ranks in the lead up to an international court case and we report on our presentation to the Asia Pacific Coroners Conference on Sorry Business.
We also have a disturbing update on the inquest into the deaths of Mona and Cindy Smith as the NSW Police Commissioner demonstrates a shameful disregard for their families. The National Justice Project is once again standing up to fight for our clients and for real justice.
- Read more below or stay up to date by visiting website
- Like to support our work
LAUNCHING | NSW pilot of AI technology for complaints justice
We are excited to share news of our 'Hear Me Out' website, the first AI-powered complaint platform in Australia. The free tool allows users to enter information about their experience and receive recommendations on where and how to make their complaint.
The initial focus of Hear Me Out is on NSW and federal complaint bodies. It helps simplify the complicated and confusing complaints process, making it easier for community voices to be heard and to help create meaningful change as well as providing a pathway to justice for complaints.
Hear Me Out delivers a range of legal resources, factsheets and guidance about the processes of more than 75 complaint bodies with plans to add more organisations as the platform expands nationwide.
The information gathered will help expose systemic problems in society, allowing us to identify them and in some cases address them head-on to advocate for impactful reforms that can benefit the entire community.
- Visit HearMeOut.org.au and help more people hear about Hear Me Out.
JOINING | Jennifer Robinson supporting family of Donna Nelson
International human rights barrister Jennifer Robinson has joined the National Justice Project to support the family of Ballardong Njaki-Njaki woman Donna Nelson ahead of her trial next month. The West Australian grandmother has been held in Chiba prison, Japan, for 21 months awaiting trial for a crime she is alleged to have committed after falling victim to a romance scam.
REPORTING | Police Commissioner's 'shameful' response to coronial inquest
The National Justice Project has slammed the NSW Police Commissioner for rejecting a key recommendation from the coronial inquest into the deaths of Mona and Cindy Smith. We believe the cavalier and dismissive way it has been rejected is shameful and that the Commissioner's disregard perpetuates what many people see as the racist culture of NSW Police.
REPORTING | Still a sorry tale for Sorry Business in Australia's coronial courts
Our CEO George Newhouse and Board Chair Steven Castan report on the recent Asia Pacific Coroners Society 2024 Conference exploring cultural insensitivity and racism in the Australian coronial system as well as insights on how to improve the experiences of First Nations families and communities.
LAUNCHING | New CopWatch community training program now online
A new community training package has been developed to help inform communities about their rights and responsibilities when filming or interacting with police. The training program is designed to be edited, modified, adapted and delivered by community for community alongside on the CopWatch police accountability app and website.
SPOTLIGHTING | In The Media
- NITV Justice Investigation: Julian was found guilty of participating in a riot while in jail and put in solitary. There was no riot
- National Indigenous Times: Parliamentary inquiry into youth justice and incarceration hears calls for system overhaul
- National Indigenous Times: Exclusive: NSW Police reject Coroner’s recommendation following “inexplicably” deficient police investigation into deaths of two Indigenous children
- ABC News: Families outraged by ‘disgraceful’ NSW police decision to ignore coroner’s
JOINING | Us in the fight for justice?
In our monthly newsletter we regularly share stories of the courage and resistance of our clients as well as the human rights lawyers on our team who fight alongside them against discrimination and injustice. We are delighted that our supporters like Anna Funder have the courage to join us in this fight.
The National Justice Project doesn't accept government funding so we can hold them to account and that's why the support of people like you is vital to ensure our independence. If you are able, please consider supporting this work as a once off, or monthly donation and together we can secure truth, justice and accountability.
- Help us continue this fight by supporting out work today
Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible.
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National Justice Project (NJP)
Address: PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007
We acknowledge that we live and work on the lands of First Nations Peoples, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. Our Sydney office is located on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, whose sovereignty was never ceded. This land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.