Exchanging Ideas Conferences

The Judicial Commission has organised three “Exchanging Ideas Conferences”: in 2009, a follow up “Exchanging Ideas II Conference” in 2011 and a third symposium in June 2019.

The aim of the conferences was to bring together judicial officers from all levels of the courts and Aboriginal community members from across NSW to discuss a diverse range of matters relating to Aboriginal cultural, social and legal issues. These programs provided an important opportunity for social and professional interaction between judicial officers and Aboriginal community members, and some insights into Aboriginal culture. Both conferences provided a unique opportunity for a discussion of the ways judicial officers may contribute to the just treatment of Aboriginal people in the court system. The conferences highlighted the need for judicial engagement with Aboriginal communities in order to transform judicial values and attitudes, as well as the attitudes of community members.

The Ngara Yura Committee organised the 2009 and 2011 conferences with the generous support of the National Judicial College of Australia.

The 2019 symposium was presented in partnership with the NSW Bar Association, the Law Society of NSW and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The symposium discussed the processes that led to the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart as well as the processes of nation building and treaty making underway in 2019.

Reports on the Exchanging Ideas Conferences published in the Judicial Officers’ Bulletin