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Solicitor - Talk Up Project

Australian Centre for Disability Law

Award/Classification: Contract Role – non-ongoing  Level 5 or 6 (depending on experience) Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (“SCHCADS”) 

Position Status: Part-time, non-ongoing (21 hours per week) to Project end date 24 February 2024 (maximum term contract)

Working Hours/Days: 9.00am to 5.00pm (or as otherwise agreed) and working from home arrangements

Salary Range: Salary range $50,000 - $55,000 (part-time 21 hours per week) depending on experience, plus 10% employer superannuation

Benefits: Leave loading, generous salary packaging options and an additional 2 weeks paid ex gratia leave (inclusive of public holidays) over the Christmas/New Year period

Responsible to: Principal Solicitor and Project Oversight Committee

Location: Surry Hills, NSW and COVID-19 working from home arrangements 

OVERVIEW 

The Australian Centre for Disability Law (the ‘Centre’) is a specialist legal centre based in Sydney. The Centre operates a law practice across NSW with a focus on disability discrimination, and a disability and human rights law practice across Australia. It was established in 1994 to assist people with disability and their associates to learn about and pursue their rights under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth.) 

In December 2019, First Peoples Disability Network (‘FPDN’), Australian Centre for Disability Law and People with Disability Australia (‘PwDA’) (the “Consortium”) were awarded a grant from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to undertake a project to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities to understand their legal rights and advocate for themselves (“Talk Up Project”). 

The Talk Up Project is about building the capability of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders with disability and their families and communities to assert their legal rights, speak up to perceived authority and negotiate effectively from a position of strength with schools, employers and service providers.  The Talk Up project is targeting three locations: Western Sydney, and two regional areas. 

This position reports to the Managing Principal Solicitor and the Project Oversight Committee and will work closely with project staff from First Peoples Disability Network and People with Disability Australia.

ROLE SUMMARY

The role of the Solicitor is to work with the Consortium partners to develop and deliver culturally appropriate legal resources to Aboriginal people with disability and their communities.  

Key Responsibilities and Main Duties

  • Collaborate with First Peoples Disability Network and People with Disability Australia in all aspects of the project.
  • Undertake desktop research with FPDN and PwDA to investigate current and emerging legal issues for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People with Disability specific to  project locations; other similar projects and initiatives (key findings and learnings); issues unique to demographics (gender, age, disability etc.); literature on legal issues that arise and where and how people currently seek support and assistance and current partnerships.
  • Develop legal resources, including community legal education seminars, legal health checks, legal fact sheets and the like to assist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
  • Prepare reports to the funding body, ACDL management, the project oversight committee, and other ad hoc reports as required.
  • Manage other legal and commercial aspects of the project.
  • Attend organisational activities such as ACDL staff meetings, planning meetings and team development initiatives. 

This role requires a solicitor with experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities and the legal issues they experience. 

This role will involve travel to selected regional, remote and rural locations. Travel within the Sydney metropolitan area is also required. We will utilise other forms of communication to conduct workshops and outreach where travel is not appropriate.

The applicant will be experienced in working in projects, including preparing reports, and delivering to deadlines.

Other duties as required.

The successful applicant will be required to undergo both a Working with Children and National Criminal Record check.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

ESSENTIAL SELECTION CRITERIA 

Applicants are required to respond to the following essential selection criteria:

  1. Hold (or eligible to hold) a practising certificate in NSW, and at least three (3) years post-admission experience.
  2. Ability to effectively communicate and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and knowledge of social justice issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  3. Demonstrated understanding and experience, or the capacity to acquire understanding, in disability discrimination legislation and other disability-related legislation, policies and practices, and at least two other areas of law affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disability, such as, but not limited to race discrimination legislation, the NDIS, fines, consumer law, family law or domestic violence.
  4. Demonstrated experience in undertaking legal research to produce fact sheets and other legal resources, develop and deliver community legal education and community outreach programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  5. Excellent presentation skills- adept at conducting presentations to all levels of staff and stakeholders
  6. Demonstrated experience in working in a multi-disciplinary project team.
  7. Ability to travel to rural, regional, and remote locations to conduct workshops and community outreach legal services and community legal education programs.
  8. Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, manage competing priorities, work professionally and collaboratively with the Consortium Partners, team members and stakeholders to provide legal and non-legal support to First Peoples with disability and their associates.

DESIRABLE

  1. Personal or family experience of disability.
  2. Previous experience in the health, community or legal services sector. 

How to apply

This job ad has now expired, and applications are no longer being accepted.
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