KEY POINTS
- A Stolen Generations descendant has been officially sworn in as the NT's first Aboriginal judge.
- The appointment has been welcomed by the legal community.
- NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the appointment is important and historic.
Indigenous lawyers and advocates have welcomed the official appointment of David Woodroffe as the Northern Territory's first Aboriginal judge.
At the official swearing in ceremony, he vowed to continue the work of the "greater diversity of the justice system of the Northern Territory".
A descendant of members of the Stolen Generations, Judge Woodroffe said he was inspired to pursue a legal career as a result.
"I am truly humbled and I will cherish this moment," he told the ABC.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said Judge Woodroffe's inclusion on the bench is historic and an important appointment considering the high rates of Indigenous incarceration in the Northern Territory.
"This appointment sets a precedent that paves the way for more Aboriginal people to join the ranks of our home-grown legal fraternity," she said.
Indigenous incarceration rates in the NT are the highest in the country. About 84 per cent of adult prisoners in the NT were Aboriginal, despite Aboriginal adults accounting for 25.9 per cent of the territory's adult population.
A descendant of the Mudburra and Jingili people, Judge Woodroffe studied law at the Northern Territory University and was admitted to the Supreme Court of the NT in 1999. In the years since he worked extensively with Aboriginal legal services as a criminal lawyer and trial advocate in the NT and WA.
Judge Woodroofe had been serving as an acting judge in a local court since July, and his swearing in ceremony to formalise the role was held on Tuesday at the NT's Supreme Court.
"Congratulations on this very special day Judge David Woodroffe!" NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech said in a message on Facebook.
Others in the legal community also welcomed the appointment.
"Mr Woodroffe is an incredible mentor, teacher, leader and inspiration to so many people and is the first Aboriginal person to be appointed to the bench in the NT," the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission said.
The CEO of Larrakia Development Corporation, Nigel Browne, said the appointment was well-deserved.
"Back in the day Woody and I used to duke it out across the bar table," he said in a message on Twitter. "Me for the DPP, he for NAALAS, KRALAS and then NAAJA. If there was one person who deserves this ground breaking appointment it’s Woody."
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