THE Swan Hill Koori Children’s Court has been officially opened with a strong showing of support from government officials and the Aboriginal community.
An extension of the Koori Court, established in 2005, the Koori Children’s Court aims to combat the over-representation of Koori people in the criminal justice system.
In the Koori court system, elders, Corrections Victoria, lawyers, family and a judge or Magistrate sit around a table and discuss appropriate sentencing orders.
While sentencing options in a Koori Court are the same as in a regular Magistrate’s Court, the more informal setting is designed to be more culturally sensitive for Koori people.
It was a celebratory mood at Tuesday afternoon’s official opening at the Swan Hill court house, as Australia’s first Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People Andrew Jackomos was pulled into a traditional dance with local Aboriginal youth to kick off the proceedings.
For more of this story see Friday’s Guardian (September 6).
