Legal innovator wins prestigious women’s award
A CAIRNS legal trailblazer has been awarded for her work in trying to prevent a national crisis of violence against First Nation women.
Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service principal legal officer Thelma Schwartz won the Zonta Club of Brisbane 2021 Advancement of Women Award on November 8.
Ms Schwartz said it was an honour to receive the prize.
“For me, it was such a deep privilege and honour for the work I have done in my journey to advance and empower girls and really to get that equality,” Ms Schwartz said.
She has been practising as a lawyer for 22 years and has worked across commercial litigation in the Northern Territory and Queensland. She has worked as a criminal defence lawyer, defending men, women and children in courts around Queensland.
So far she is very proud of her contribution.
“It really is showing my own communities and my own family you can make your dreams come true,” she said.
Ms Schwartz said she focused her practice on servicing regional and remote communities across the Far North.
“I have really built a practice and an advocacy platform in advancing the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but especially ending and promoting gender based violence, and promoting communities that can live free
from violence.” she said.
She is also a member of the Queensland government’s Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
“It is currently examining the criminalisation of coercive control, and women and girls’ experience within the system,” she said.
Ms Schwartz has a passion to end gender-based violence.
“I am a strong advocate on moving away from invisibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
victims,” she said.
Zonta Club of Brisbane president Professor Gwendolen Jull said the judging panel was impressed with what Ms Schwartz had achieved providing services to many victims of family violence across the state.
“We believe her work is crucial to supporting safe pathways out of violence for Indigenous women and their children, and there is still much to do,” Professor Jull said.