The Honourable Justice Louise Taylor, a Kamilaroi woman and the first Aboriginal woman in Australia to be appointed to a superior court, will deliver the Mullenjaiwakka (Lloyd McDermott) Oration address in Brisbane this month.
Hosted by the Chief Justice of Queensland, the Mullenjaiwakka Oration is an annual address that aims to educate the Queensland legal community.
Justice Taylor first made history in 2018 when she was appointed as the ACT’s first indigenous magistrate, and last year she became the first female indigenous judge appointed to the Supreme Court of ACT.Â
She has had a successful career with a primary focus on criminal law.
When interviewed for a Proctor article in August, Justice Taylor said she saw the law as “a tool to help people – to stick up for people and to hold institutions, organisations and individuals to account”.
“As an Aboriginal person this seemed to me to be a way to improve the lives of our people and I wanted to make a contribution in that regard,” she said.
An Indigenous Lawyers Association of Queensland (ILAQ) initiative, the oration seeks to foster dialogue and raise awareness about the current legal issues affecting First Nations peoples.
The oration honours the memory of Mullenjaiwakka (Lloyd McDermott), Australia’s first Aboriginal barrister.
It pays tribute to his achievements, passion for providing opportunities for others, and resilience and strength of character in the face of adversity.
Tony McAvoy SC, a Wirdi man and Australia’s first Indigenous Senior Counsel, delivered the inaugural address last year.
This year’s hour-long oration will be held on Tuesday, 28 May, at 5.30pm for a 6pm start. It will be followed by drinks and nibbles from 7pm to 8pm in the Gallery, Banco Court, Level 3, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, 415 George Street, Brisbane.
Registrations close noon on Monday, 27 May.
Contact the ILAQ on indigenouslawyersqueensland@gmail.com with any queries.
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