Meet the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Panel
The Advisory Panel comprises up to 8 independent members who provide expert advice to the Council on how to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland's criminal justice system.
The Panel ensures the voices of these communities are heard. It helps us understand the impact of current sentencing practices on these communities. And it provides valuable insights into potential reforms to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Panel was established in November 2018 and meets every two months.
Thelma Schwartz - Panel Chair
Thelma is the Principal Legal Officer of Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisation providing legal and non-legal support services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and survivors of family violence and sexual assault. She was previously a member of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce. Thelma has worked extensively with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, providing legal services and legal representation as a criminal defence solicitor with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service for over nine years. Thelma identifies as of Torres Strait Islander heritage alongside her German/Samoan and Papua New Guinean heritage.
Laurie Bateman
Laurie is a police officer serving in Townsville. He graduated from the Townsville Police Academy through the Indigenous Recruit Police Program. Previously, he was a Police Liaison Officer for the Queensland Police Service in Cunnamulla. His first job was a sheep shearer, and he later worked as a shearing teacher and mentor for disengaged Indigenous youth at Merriman Station in Brewarrina, New South Wales. Laurie's family are Kamilaroi People, from northern New South Wales, but he grew up in the heart of Kooma, in southwest Queensland.
Christopher Emzin
Christopher is an academic at the School of Justice, Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at QUT. He is currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and holds a Master's degree and a Bachelor of Laws. He has been admitted to practice law as a barrister-at-law. Christopher previously worked for the Queensland Police Service for 37 years, with experience as a criminal investigator, prosecutor, and legal adviser, retiring as an Inspector. Christopher is an Aboriginal and South Sea Islander man, born, raised and living on the land of the Yugambeh speaking group and Kombumerri Saltwater people of the Bundjalung Nation.
Stephen Tillett
Stephen is the First Nations Justice Officer within the First Nations Justice Office at the Department of Justice. He previously held numerous senior positions across various government departments, including Queensland Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing. Stephan also had a distinguished career as a police officer in Far North Queensland. He volunteers his time in rugby league and has served on numerous boards and advisory committees over the past 15 years. A proud Torres Strait Islander, his mother is from St Paul's on Moa Island.
Graham White
Graham is currently the Director of Sector Engagement and Communications at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in Brisbane, a Skills-based Director with the Kambu Aboriginal Corporation and Director with PCYC Queensland. He has extensive experience in strategic and operational planning, project management, and across several government departments. He has also served on the boards of the Iman Native Title Company in Rockhampton and the Aboriginal and Torres Islander Legal Service in Brisbane. Graham is a descendent of the Iman people and grew up in the Rockhampton region.
Professor Kevin Williams
Kevin is an Adjunct Professor at the School of law and Society at the University of the Sunshine Coast and a semi-retired law lecturer. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws. He previously lectured at the University of Newcastle and helped establish a pre-law program at the University of New South Wales to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in gaining admission to law school. He has had an extensive career outside of academia, serving as Queensland's Acting Director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, sitting on a taskforce to restructure the Queensland Police Service following the Fitzgerald Inquiry, and chairing the Human Research Ethics Committee for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. He is a proud Wakka Wakka man.
Former members
- Boneta-Marie Mabo (November 2018 - February 2024)
- Raymond Harrison (November 2018 – July 2022)
- Mr B Costello (November 2018 – September 2021)
- Janet Hammill (November 2018 – July 2020)
- Rebecca McKenzie (November 2018 – March 2020)
- Melissa Lucashenko (November 2018 – August 2019)