InBrief

Philanthropy

In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the 2017 silks have donated $52,000 to charity, in this case the Indigenous Barristers' Trust The Mum Shirl Fund. I thank each of the 2017 silks for their generosity and thoughtful initiative.

The Mum Shirl Fund works towards the long term strategy of increasing the number of Indigenous barristers who will commence practice and succeed at the New South Wales Bar. It does this by providing financial and other assistance to Indigenous barristers and through grants to law students who aspire to practice as advocates but who needed to overcome the significant financial disadvantages preventing them from completing their law studies. The current trustees of the fund are Justice Slattery, Chris Ronalds SC, Tony McAvoy SC and the person who occupies the office of president of the New South Wales Bar Association (at this time, myself).

These grants are making a real difference in ensuring these students complete their law courses and in due course may practise at the bar. One example is Jason O'Neil, a final year law student at UNSW, who received the Indigenous Barristers' Trust Award at the recent UNSW Indigenous Awards Night. The trust helped him to attend the World Indigenous Law Conference in California last year, and to find work with Jane Needham SC.

I encourage all members to donate to the Indigenous Barristers’ Trust The Mum Shirl Fund, which has received endorsement from the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient. Contributions of $2 or more are allowable deductions for income tax purposes. Donations can be made using your credit card, via the Bar Association's website.