Ngara Yura Committee members

Supreme Court of NSW, appointed to the Committee in February 2022

Justice Natalie Adams graduated from the University of Sydney with a combined Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) in 1988. She was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 1989 and commenced her legal career as a commercial lawyer at the firm then known as Freehill Hollingdale and Page (now Herbert Smith Freehills) that year. In 1990, she started as a Level 1 lawyer at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where she worked until early 1996. She completed a Master of Laws at the University of New South Wales, studying part-time, during that time.

In early 1996, Justice Adams left the ODPP to work at the Legal Aid Commission for just under two years. She spent half of that time as a duty solicitor at Sutherland Local Court and the other half in the indictable section at Parramatta Legal Aid. In 1997, she joined the Criminal Law Team at the Crown Solicitor’s Office, where she worked until early 2001 at which time she was called to the bar. She was appointed as a Crown Prosecutor in early 2002 after a year at the private bar and practised as a Crown Prosecutor for nearly 10 years, predominantly conducting trials.

In late 2011, she was appointed as the NSW Crown Advocate and in 2012, she was appointed as senior counsel. During her time as the Crown Advocate she appeared in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Court of Criminal Appeal and the Supreme Court in a range of criminal matters.

On 5 April 2016, Justice Adams was sworn in as a Judge in the Common Law Division of the NSW Supreme Court.

Director, Chalk & Behrendt Lawyers & Consultants, appointed to the Committee in July 2016

Jason is a Director at Chalk & Behrendt Lawyers & Consultants. Jason has practised as a solicitor for over 20 years, primarily in the areas of litigation, environment and planning, Aboriginal land rights, native title and administrative law, with a particular focus on assisting Aboriginal people. He represented and advised Aboriginal communities and organisations in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. He has been the Chair of the Indigenous Issues Committee of the Law Society of NSW since 2012 and is a member of the Indigenous Issues Committee of the Law Council of Australia. He has been a Board Member of the Law and Justice Foundation since 2003 and a member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies since 1988.

Chief Executive, Judicial Commission of NSW, appointed to the Committee in December 2015

Ms Una Doyle has worked for over 20 years in legal education. Prior to joining the Judicial Commission, Una was the Head of Professional Development, Membership and Communications, at the Law Society of NSW. The role was responsible for the continuous development, improvement and implementation of continuing professional development programs and services for the legal profession. She has also held the position of Director of Continuing Professional Education at the College of Law, a leading not-for-profit provider of vocational post graduate education to Australian legal practitioners. Una is the immediate Past President of ACLEA, the International Association for Continuing Legal Education and co-chaired ACLEA’s International Committee from 2007-2009. She was President of the Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia from 2005-2007, and is currently a member of its Executive. In a previous life, Una was a lawyer. She maintains a keen interest in the development of legal education worldwide and amongst other qualifications, holds a Masters of International Law. Una believes that participation in the work of the Ngara Yura committee brings a better understanding of Aboriginal culture and social issues, thereby facilitating the development of bespoke educational activities for judicial officers.

Children’s Court of NSW, appointed to the Committee in March 2014

Magistrate Sue Duncombe was appointed to the Local Court of NSW in January 2010. She was appointed to the Children’s Court of NSW in September 2010 and has maintained that appointment since. Magistrate Duncombe was instrumental in the establishment of the first Youth Koori Court in NSW in February 2015 (pilot). She presides over that court on average each Friday at Parramatta Children’s Court. Prior to her judicial appointment, Magistrate Duncombe was a foundation director of the Mawul Rom project, a cross-cultural leadership, mediation and conflict resolution program working closely with, and learning from, Elders and respected people in North East Arnhem Land.

Judge Hopkins is one of three judges of the District Court of NSW presiding in the Walama List, an alternative procedure for sentencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons charged with criminal offences, with aims including the reduction in the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in custody in NSW. She is the co-chair of the Walama Working Group and the Walama Users’ Forum.

Judge Hopkins is the District Court of NSW’s representative on the NSW Aboriginal Justice Partnership Committee, co-chaired by NSW DCJ and the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT. She is also a member of the District Court of NSW’s Implementation Committee for the Child Sex Offences Evidence Program.

Prior to her appointment to the District Court, Judge Hopkins held various positions at the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT over a 25 year period, including the Principal Solicitor of Justice Projects, Policy and Practice, in which role she co-chaired the Closing the Gap Justice Targets Working Group, tasked with the design and implementation of the NSW program of work. An accredited specialist in criminal law, she lectured in the criminal process at the University of NSW.

Judge Hopkins was the founder and co-chair of Just Reinvest NSW. In that role, she worked with the Bourke community on the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project, which was the recipient of the 2015 National Rural Law and Justice Award, with Just Reinvest NSW receiving the 2019 HESTA Community Organisation Award and 2019 Australian Human Rights Commission Community Organisation Award.

Throughout her career she served on numerous committees including the NSW Bar Association’s Joint Working Party on the Over-representation of Indigenous People in the NSW Criminal Justice System, the Criminal Law Committee of the Law Society of NSW, the Steering Committee for the Red Cross Vulnerability Report, and as Vice President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. In 2017 she was named the Community Lawyer of the Year by the Women Lawyers’ Association of NSW.

Director, Education and Research, Judicial Commission of NSW, appointed to the Committee in March 2023

Ms Catherine Kenny has worked for over 30 years in legal education. She re-joined the Judicial Commission in 2023 to take up the newly created role of Director, Education and Research. Through this combined role she hopes to see a comprehensive focus on the Commission’s implementation of recommendation 96 and the Terms of Reference of the Committee. She views the Ngara Yura Committee as the conduit to better understanding how the Commission can respond to the emerging and existing issues facing Aboriginal communities and offenders in the context of the historical and social factors which have impacted their communities. Following practising as a lawyer, Catherine has predominantly worked in professional and postgraduate education and project management at the College of Law, University of Queensland, Queensland Law Society and Judicial Commission of NSW. As Director of CLE, Queensland Law Society, she was instrumental in the publication of Diane Eades’ Aboriginal English and the Law: Communicating with Aboriginal English-Speaking Clients: A Handbook for Legal Practitioners, Brisbane: Queensland Law Society (1992). Recently, she internally project managed the WA College Reconciliation Action Plan with the Executive Director, College of Law (WA). She has been a member and Executive member of the Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia for over 30 years and a member of ACLEA, the International Association for Continuing Legal Education.

Land and Environment Court of NSW, appointed to the Committee in March 2012

Justice Rachel Pepper was appointed as a Judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW in May 2009. From 1997 until her appointment in 2009, she was a barrister at the NSW Bar. Rachel’s principal areas of practice were general commercial law and public law, including Aboriginal land rights. She has long since held an interest in Indigenous legal issues, both civil and criminal. While at the Bar, she was the Co-coordinator of the Aboriginal Legal Service/NSW Bar Association Pro Bono Barrister Scheme. The scheme was established to permit barristers to voluntarily assist the Aboriginal Legal Service in defending accused Indigenous persons in criminal matters. Membership of the Committee will assist in facilitating a greater understanding and appreciation of the complexity of issues, both legal and non-legal, affecting Aboriginal persons today.

Project Officer, Ngara Yura Program, appointed to the Committee in 2013

Ms Joanne Selfe has over 30 years’ experience working in various positions within the public sector, private enterprise, community-based organisations and higher education. The implementation of the recommendations of The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families formed a basis and direction for her work that continues to this day. Her knowledge and focus in her various program and policy roles has been dedicated to enhancing cultural understanding of her people and increasing access to programs and services for mob by breaking down barriers. Joanne is a founding member of Warringa Baiya, the Aboriginal Women’s Legal Service, a member of the Aboriginal Disability Network NSW, and The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (2010–2019). Joanne has previously worked with the judiciary on cross-cultural awareness and understanding. She was involved in organising the first Aboriginal community visits that the Commission undertook in NSW in the 1990s. Joanne has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of NSW; a Diploma in Contract Management; and an Associate Diploma in Communications.

Barrister-at-Law, appointed to the Committee in September 2019

Andrew is a proud Wiradjuri man of the Tubba-Gah people. He graduated from the University of New England with a Bachelor of Arts/Law in 2005.

He was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in August 2005 and in 2009 was called to the NSW Bar. He has been and remains a member of the NSW Bar Association First Nations Committee since its inception in 2017.

Since being called to the Bar, Andrew has appeared in multiple jurisdictions including the Supreme Court, District Court and Local Court of New South Wales, Supreme Court and District Court of Queensland, Supreme Court and County Court of Victoria, Federal Court of Australia, Federal Magistrates Court and various federal and state Tribunals. Andrew primarily practices in the areas of building and construction, corporate insolvency, commercial, equity and mortgage and securities litigation.

Andrew is currently a candidate for a Master of Laws (Research) in which he writing a thesis in respect of insolvent trading laws.

Local Court of NSW, appointed to the Committee in December 2024

Magistrate Stafford was admitted as a solicitor in 1988 and spent two years in private practice. In 1991, she joined the Sydney office of the DPP as a solicitor, where she stayed for 15 years, instructing in high profile murder cases and appearing as a solicitor advocate. In 2005, she accepted a transfer for one year to the DPP’s Lismore Office. Deciding that the Country was the best place to raise a young family, she remained at the Lismore DPP until her appointment as a Magistrate in 2012.

Magistrate Stafford sat in the Local Court in most Sydney Courts until her Honour’s appointment to the Armidale Circuit, where she remained for 3 years. During that time, her Honour conducted Circle Sentencing and became involved with Backtrack, an organisation that assists young people at risk. In 2016, her Honour returned to the City and sat at Parramatta Local Court. In 2018, her Honour went back to the Regions, having been appointed to the Ballina Circuit for 7 years. During that time, her Honour has worked closely with First Nations Court liaison officers at Ballina, Grafton, and Maclean to actively engage with the local communities.

After 10 years as a solo Magistrate in the country regions, her Honour returned to the inner city Downing Centre Local Court. 

Supreme Court of NSW, appointed to the Committee in July 2016, appointed Chair in 2022

Judge Yehia SC was admitted as a solicitor in 1989. Following admission she travelled to Western NSW to take up a position as a solicitor at the Western Aboriginal Legal Service (WALS). Based in Dubbo, she appeared for clients in many towns including Bourke, Brewarrina, Wilcannia and Broken Hill. During her 7 years with the WALS she represented thousands of Aboriginal people in the Local, District and Supreme Court jurisdictions.

She speaks of her time at WALS as the best of her professional life. Her work brought her into contact with many Aboriginal people and she learnt of the resilience, strength and good humour of her clients and their families in often difficult and deprived circumstances.

Judge Yehia continued to appear for Aboriginal people during her time as Solicitor Advocate at the LAC and as a Public Defender. She took silk in 2009 and became Deputy Senior Public Defender in 2013. In 2013 she appeared as lead counsel in the High Court in the case of Bugmy v The Queen.

Her Honour was appointed a District Court Judge in 2014. She served as the Chairperson of the District “Koori” Court Working Group. She was appointed a Supreme Court judge in 2022 and is currently Chair of the Ngara Yura Committee.