The National Indigenous Awareness Committee was established in 2007 and makes decisions on the allocation of funds for the conduct of professional development programs for judicial officers on Indigenous justice issues. The funding is provided by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. Examples of programs that have been funded are below:
- Communicating with indigenous witnesses – Judging in Remote Localities Conference (Alice Springs NT) April 2008
- Queensland Magistrates Court annual Conference (Marcoola QLD) May 2008
- Twilight Seminar – Aboriginal English in the Legal System – Supreme Court WA (Perth WA) November 2008
- Cultural Awareness Conference (Adelaide SA) November 2008
- Wadjuk Nyungar program (‘Aboriginal Perth’) for WA judicial officers (Perth WA) February 2009
- Aboriginal cultural awareness program (Creswick VIC) March 2009
- Workshop For Judges & Magistrates on Indigenous Culture & History (Brisbane QLD) May 2009
- Ngara Yura Conference (Wollongong NSW) May 2009
- Yelakitj Moort Judicial Cross Cultural Training Package (Perth WA) September 2009
- Session on indigenous justice courts – conference of the Association of Australian Magistrates (Darwin) June 2010
- Adnyamathanha Cultural Awareness Program (SA) May/June 2010
- Talking Law and Country Program (WA) November 2010
- Back to Country – a weekend on Gunditjmara Land (VIC) March 2011