Respected First Nations barrister Avelina Tarrago and experienced public sector procurement and project manager Mike Anstee have been appointed to the Legal Aid Queensland board.
Ms Tarrago, above, was admitted as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2009 before being called to the Bar in 2017. She has a general practice at North Quarter Lane Chambers with a focus on inquests and commissions of inquiry, regulatory and administrative law.
Ms Tarrago has held senior roles in a range of organisations including senior legal officer for the Office of the Health Ombudsman Queensland and counsel assisting in the Coroners Court of Queensland. She has been a federal prosecutor with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and has also worked for the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
She also sits as a legal member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Ms Tarrago was the President of the Indigenous Lawyers Association of Queensland from 2018-2022, and in 2014, she was selected as an Indigenous Fellow by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to undertake a two-month fellowship in Geneva.
Mr Anstee, above, is an experienced procurement and project manager, with more than 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in the construction industry and Queensland public service. A qualified architect, Mr Anstee has held senior positions in the Department of Public Works, including Director, Health, Law and Order Portfolio, where he oversaw the design and construction of major projects including correctional facilities at Gatton, Townsville, Lotus Glen and Brisbane, and the development of the new Brisbane higher courts complex and Ipswich Courthouse.
Ms Tarrago and Mr Anstee have been appointed to the board for three year terms.
Legal Aid Queensland board Chair the Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC has also been reappointed to the board for another three-year term, while long-serving board member Sandra Deane has been reappointed until August 2024.
Legal Aid Queensland has thanked outgoing board members Joshua Creamer and Allan Welsh for their significant contributions to the board and the organisation.
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