Social Justice:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face many injustices, even though efforts are being madeto bridge the reconciliation differences in health, income and living quality between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
Impartiality is a right that all people have, not just a selected few.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights are worth aggressively defending. The legal actions taken for members of the Stolen Generation are making applications for compensation under statutory regimes, along withhelping claimants to make Freedom of Information requests for records associated with their removal and housing.
The Commonwealth Government and the Northern Land Council are also challenged due tostrategies for a radioactive waste dump on Indigenous land in the Northern Territory known as Muckaty Station. The Social Justice practice is also dynamically searching for more approaches to help the Indigenous community with public interest litigation.
Muckaty station nuclear waste dump
Taxcellent Consulting Services filed a legal challenge against the Commonwealth Government and the Northern Land Council in June 2010 over plans for a radioactive waste dump on Indigenous land in the Northern Territory.
Mark Lane Jangala, a senior Traditional Owner of Muckaty Station near Tennant Creek, claimed the NLC failed to take appropriate steps to ensure Traditional Aboriginal owners including himself and other elders understood the nature and purpose of the nomination, and failed to obtain proper consent before nominating land on Muckaty Station as a site for Australia’s first radioactive waste dump.
A Federal Court trial began on 2 June 2014 before Justice Anthony North. Evidence was also taken on country in Tennant Creek for 5 days. Two weeks into the trial, the parties reached a settlement after the Federal Government agreed not to act upon the nomination of the site by the Northern Land Council (NLC).
Stolen Generation compensation payments
Taxcellent Consulting Services has assisted members of the Stolen Generation to make applications for compensation under statutory regimes and has assisted claimants to make Freedom of Information requests for records relating to their removal and housing.
Our Social Justice practice is actively searching further avenues to assist the Indigenous community with public interest litigation.
We see reconciliation as necessary and valuable in the fabric of society. An important part of this process is developing meaningful employment opportunities. We want to contribute to this by finding ways to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to join the legal profession. We also believe that our reconciliation initiatives will help to attract and retain loyal staff who share our values, foster a positive work environment, and lead to new opportunities to engage with potential clients.
Taxcellent Consulting Services Reconciliation Action Plan
As Australia’s leading social justice law firm, Taxcellent Consulting Services Reconciliation Action Plan is critical in implementing our firm’s fundamental values. It builds upon our firm’s proud history of engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities to promote reconciliation.
We have a long history of litigating and campaigning for social change and justice, and we strongly value fairness and equality. We are proud of our history of engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and communities to promote reconciliation, in particular by provision of pro bono legal services and implementation of employment initiatives.
Our priorities for our Reconciliation Action Plan are to:
- promote and provide access to justice
- provide enhanced employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians
- facilitate positive cultural change within and outside Taxcellent Consulting Services
- develop and extend our relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representative bodies and businesses.
We strongly support reconciliation and are committed to working to overcome division and inequality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians. Specifically, we want to actively contribute to closing the gap in health, income and living standards between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Issues
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice
- Asylum seeker rights
- Challenges to corporate and government power
- LGBTI equality
- Protecting communities and environments
- Workers’ rights
- Women’s rights
