LSB July 2022 LR

LAW IN THE COMMUNITY
Urgent investment needed for
important justice reinvestment initiative
THE HON ROBYN LAYTON AO QC
Tiraapendi Wodli is a community-led
justice reinvestment project aimed at
addressing the high incarceration rates of
Aboriginal people from the Port Adelaide/
Enfield area. Justice reinvestment is about
investing in local community initiatives
that focus on early intervention and
prevention, and to address the underlying
issues that lead to involvement in the
criminal justice system.
This important project began in
earnest on 2018 and is a collaboration
between the Tiraapendi Wodli Aboriginal
leadership group, the local Aboriginal
community, Australian Red Cross and
Justice Reinvestment SA (JRSA). It aims to
reduce imprisonment rates by strengthening
the health, safety and lives of Aboriginal
families, children and young people. This
is achieved by focussing on four major
priority areas; the needs of families with
school aged children, young people, men,
mothers, and adults and young people in
contact with police and justice systems.
These needs are delivered using a strength
-based approach in a small building referred
to as “The Hub”, which has an “open
door” policy for Aboriginal people. It is
used by more than 350 people per month
and some 120 are regular service users.
The types of assistance that Aboriginal
people are able to obtain at the Hub
include regular monthly programs
with culturally connected workshops
and information sessions; leadership
opportunities and personal development
pathways; customised mental health and
wellbeing assistance; financial counselling;
navigating connections to other services
to meet needs; practical customised family
stability assistance; housing assistance;
work readiness and employment assistance;
and first aid training. There is also a
regular men’s yarning group that enable
and support men’s personal development;
information and education sessions;
drug and alcohol awareness; individual
counselling; “Handy Murras” workshops
(also available for women) to develop
practical skills such as home repairs; music
programs; fitness programs (also available
for women and include youth boxing);
learner driver accredited workshops (also
available for women and youth). There
are also women’s yarning circles that often
centre around a variety of creative arts
groups as well as a “family tree group” lead
by women Elders to trace and share family
histories to strengthen cultural connection
(also open to men and youth).
Tiraapendi Wodli receives three-way
support: non-financial support and advocacy
from Justice Reinvestment South Australia
(JRSA); funding from the SA Department
of Human Services (DHS); and critical
support in money and kind by the Australian
Red Cross (ARC). There is also additional
funding from some small but important
philanthropic funds. Tiraapendi Wodli
was successful in securing basic funding
from the former Liberal Government
of $850,000 over two years to ensure the
program could continue until 2023. This
combined funding enables some full time
and part time employees to deliver services
at the Hub. Additional person power is
provided by a small volunteer group of
enthusiastic and dedicated Aboriginal
Community Advocates who regularly
assist in the delivery of Hub services and
contribute to the overall program.
This combined funding is however
only enough to cover to cover the
delivery of basic services and does not
allow for any stretch programs to meet
other important needs, which often do
not involve large amounts of money.
By way of illustration, in recent months
after much advocacy work, an additional
$50,000 has been made available from SA
Department of Correctional Services to
enable much needed post prison release
services to be delivered through the Hub
for the next 12 months.
Also urgently being sought is an
amount of $50,000 for a period of 12
months commencing July 2022 to fund
an independent research body with
experience in justice reinvestment projects,
to implement a comprehensive, objective
and culturally informed research process.
The purpose of this research is to build
on project learnings and demonstrate the
effectiveness of the Justice Reinvestment
project, involve the community in the
process, and ensure confidence by
documenting its findings. This in turn can
be used to attracting ongoing financial
support to continue and expand the work
of Tiraapendi Wodli. The Project is always
seeking person time and funding support.
Please visit the website at http://www.
tiraapendiwodli.org.au/. B
July 2022 THE BULLETIN 31