Teela Reid | Law & Justice

Teela Reid is a proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer, activist and storyteller who says her path is forever guided by the direction of her ancestors. This path has taken Teela on a groundbreaking journey to advocating for Aboriginal land rights, dismantling systemic racism in Australia and elevating the voices of First Nations people, which is vital for all generations.

Teela initially started her career as a teacher, but after being selected as an Australian Youth Delegate to the United Nations (UN), she was inspired to make a career change into law so she could come home and advocate for First Nations peoples could pursue.

Teela says she saw law school as her opportunity to understand and challenge the system that has legitimized her people and weaponized racism. “I am the first generation to have access to formal education. I saw law school as an opportunity to better understand these systems and empower my people.”

Teela graduated with her Juris Doctor (JD) from UNSW Law & Justice in 2015. “The Juris Doctor is a challenging but rewarding program that has the potential to change your career and life trajectory. It is a huge life decision to embark on postgraduate study, but one that will change your life and open up a range of career paths that would otherwise not have been available,” she says.

“I looked for a law school with an ethos and philosophy that aligned with my values. I chose to study at UNSW because it really started from a good place in the leadership of Hal Wootten. They also had Indigenous academic support programs and a visible presence of Indigenous students at the law school.”

Since graduating, Teela has been appointed Special Counsel – First Nations Justice at the Environmental Defenders Office and is the inaugural Lawyer in Residence at the University of Sydney Law School, where she maintains relationships with international law schools. Teela is also co-founder of Rebellious Lawyers Australia, which supports the concept of ‘movement lawing’ – a model that allows Australian lawyers to better support movements that address social injustice and systemic change. She has worked as a senior lawyer in Aboriginal Land Rights disputes at Chalk & Behrendt, as a criminal and civil lawyer at Legal Aid NSW and is also the co-founder of Blackfulla Bookclub, a platform and community space celebrating First Nations stories. Teela was also working group leader on s 51(xxvi), the Race Power, in the constitutional dialogue process that culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was the catalyst for the historic Indigenous Voice Referendum in 2023. She has been widely has been involved in being recognized for her public advocacy to end systemic racism, including being named a 2020 UNSW Young Alumni, 2021 Future Shaper by Time Out Sydney, 2022 Voice of Now by Marie Claire and gaining a spot on Marie Claire’s 2023 Power List.

Now that the referendum is over, Teela is determined to use her knowledge and passion to continue advocating for change in Australia to strengthen and shape First Nations knowledge.

“The question of Australia’s legitimacy remains a consequence of the country’s failure to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the 2023 referendum – we are the only democracy that refuses to recognize its Indigenous peoples. Despite this, we know there is a groundswell of Australians willing to seek truth and justice, so it is important that we maintain the momentum and consolidate the goodwill of many who want to live in a more equal world – this requires us to take into account respect and respect the rights of indigenous peoples, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

My entire upbringing was shaped by the idea of ​​reconciliation. “I don’t think this framework is sustainable any longer in a country that has yet to come to terms with the truth of its history, as evidenced by Australians’ rejection of the referendum,” she says.

“I am now focused on how we as a nation protect the unique rights and inherent wisdom of the First Nations peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial. All Australians have a duty to understand the truth of our history and tread lightly on this land; without land there is no people.”

This article originally appeared in the Koori Mail. Photo credit: Jakayla Reid.