{"id":12961,"date":"2024-09-03T10:49:46","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T02:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?page_id=12961"},"modified":"2024-09-03T10:57:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T02:57:53","slug":"first-nations-advocate-and-lawyer-an-inspiration-to-a-generation-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curtin-commons\/blog-page\/first-nations-advocate-and-lawyer-an-inspiration-to-a-generation-1\/","title":{"rendered":"First Nations advocate and lawyer an inspiration to a generation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

24\/01\/2023. By Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emma Garlett.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Geraldton in a low socioeconomic suburb, Curtin Business and Law graduate Emma Garlett<\/a> recalls a community rife with crime, drug use and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living in a neighbourhood populated with government housing, wasn\u2019t a pleasant place to call home, with the 28-year-old Nyungar-Nyiyaparli-Yamatji woman witnessing first-hand the struggles and downfall of her people daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A young Emma growing up in Geraldton.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom Elder abuse to deaths in custody, it became the norm seeing families fight and having children taken away from their homes because their parents weren\u2019t able to care for them,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUp until the age of about 12, that was my life. But I always knew I wanted a better lifestyle, for myself and for other First Nations people.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emma said watching family members lose their sense of importance and belonging as they fronted court for simple offences, became her motivation for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey had no hope, and there was no hope for them. Back then there weren\u2019t adequate services in place to provide the right care or trauma therapy and many would end up back in court. It was a sad cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany of the issues from our community stemmed from historical traumas \u2013 with many being part of the Stolen Generation. It was common for your mum, dad, or grandparents to have a traumatic past and this in turn affected us kids because they had attachment issues and didn\u2019t know how to raise us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emma with her cousins and Grandmother.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma said a decision by her parents to send her to an elite boarding school in Perth changed the trajectory and purpose of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t see the benefit in sending me miles away from home. I was only 12 years old at the time and I found it horrible, I remember crying a lot,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had friends at school whose parents had $10 million homes and I thought to myself \u2018my family are so poor?\u2019 I really struggled with the culture shock.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this change in lifestyle opened my eyes to what was possible if you worked hard and what opportunities there were with a good education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore long I started to think that maybe I too could go to university one day and get a degree so I could help my people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma became the first in her family to graduate with a degree and the first Aboriginal person to graduate from both the Curtin Law School and the Curtin Business School with both a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Emma<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emma at her graduation ceremony.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proud advocate and ambassador for Indigenous culture and rights Emma is passionate about changing the narrative and fighting for social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her capacity as a lawyer, casual lecturer at Curtin where she teaches Administrative Law and columnist<\/a> for The West Australian, Emma is on a mission to crush systemically racist laws and ensure First Nations people are involved in decisions that affect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the only Aboriginal people in the mainstream media, Emma uses her online platform and presence to educate others and bring them on a journey of reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her popular YouTube series Paint it Blak<\/a> is an opportunity for Emma to add an Indigenous lens to current affairs and bridge the gap between First nations people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her online series Paint it Blak provides an Indigenous lens on topical events and issues.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not an easy place to be, but it\u2019s an important place to be,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelping the next generation and educating and influencing others about Indigenous culture and ways of living is so important.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Emma\u2019s latest newspaper column, she invites Western Australians to use the New Year as a time to reflect and reacquaint ourselves with Australian history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the time of year we all start crash dieting, buy a gym membership, tell ourselves we will save money, make some big life changes or study that course that has been on our list. But is this really what we need to be doing?\u2019\u2019 she asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt seems like every year we make the same resolutions, only to never really follow through with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this year it should be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year, I\u2019d like one of your new year\u2019s resolutions to educate yourself about our Indigenous peoples in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt face value, this might seem like a huge task. But the easiest way to start is by reading books by Indigenous authors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, Emma remembers the sheer joy she felt flicking through the pages of picture books in the school library at lunchtime – becoming engrossed in the tales and adventures was her favourite pastime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see more children read Indigenous books from a young age and experience and celebrate Australia\u2019s rich culture and history,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma said inspiring the next generation was an important step towards reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emma is on a mission to educate and influence the next generation about Indigenous culture.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reality is the way we previously operated is no longer acceptable today. We need to change,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know this is easier said than done, but we need to start somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma is also encouraging young lawyers entering the profession to understand Australia\u2019s legal history and educate themselves when dealing with Indigenous issues and clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know we still have a way to go, but it all starts with a little hope,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was that hope and belief that I had in myself that gave me the confidence to pursue a career in law.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I said I wanted to become a lawyer so many people laughed in my face and told me straight, that\u2019s never going to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut that only made me work harder to prove them wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma said while she wasn\u2019t surrounded by the most influential or positive role models growing up, she did have wonderful parents who showed her the importance of compassion and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDad worked in these centres called sobering up clinics, where he would take heavily intoxicated people off the streets at night and find them a safe place to sleep,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen he passed in 2018 it was such a difficult time for me, and if it weren\u2019t for my incredible teachers and lecturers at Curtin, I could easily have lost my way and dropped out of uni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you are struggling with your studies don\u2019t give up, please ask for help. I know without the support I received from Curtin I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised how many people are willing to support you on your education journey and watch you succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n

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