Koori Community Engagement Officer, Dandenong Magistrates' Court, Magistrates' Court of Victoria

About this role

About us

The Magistrates' Court of Victoria (MCV) is a jurisdiction within the Court Services Victoria statutory authority, and has a long history of providing justice for the people of Victoria in metropolitan and regional courts across the state.

The Court determines in excess of 300,000 cases per annum at 51 venues, equating to approximately 90 per cent of all cases that come before Victorian courts each year. The Court aims to be an innovative, accessible and responsive court that provides quality services to the Victorian community.

About the role

The Koori Community Engagement Officer will be responsible for providing cultural advice and support to the Court and assistance to Koori/Aboriginal persons and their families coming before the Magistrates and Childrens Courts and Koori Courts regarding court obligations and outcomes.

The Koori Community Engagement Officer role is essential to assist in reducing the issue of overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the Victorian justice system by working with Aboriginal clients whenthey enter the court system. In addition, the service helps Aboriginal people to maximise their chances of rehabilitation through culturally appropriate and sensitive intervention.

The Koori Community Engagement Officer will:

• Assist and advise the Court of matters relating to cultural issues that exist for Koori people in Victoria
• Provide advice and access to services for Koori offenders and families that come in contact with the Court
• Raise awareness within the court system of crosscultural issues
• Maintain and foster links between the Magistrates' Court, the Children's Court and the Aboriginal community
• Liaise with the Aboriginal community to inform of court processes including Koori Court.
• Supporting the Koori/Aboriginal community in understanding and gaining knowledge of the operations and procedures of the Magistrates Court and Koori Court
• Maintaining a register of service and support programs
• Supporting referral processes to foster and maintain links between the Magistrates' Court and the Aboriginal community to assist clients to meet rehabilitation and court outcomes.

Please refer to the Position Description for the key accountabilities.

About you

The Koori Community Engagement Officer must have client support/relationship management skills which are of a high standard to work and build on when collaborating with diverse groups of key stakeholders such as; Koori/Aboriginal clients, Koori/Aboriginal families, Elders and Respected Persons (ERPs), Magistrates, Youth Justice Workers, Department of Justice and Regulation-Corrections, Victoria Police Prosecution team, Community Organisations, and Legal Representatives, such as Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS), Victorian Legal Aide (VLA) and other.

This is a designated position under section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. Only Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people are eligible to apply for this position.

If you have the necessary skills and looking to work autonomously, well organised, work with diverse groups of key stakeholders, and make a difference for the Koori/Aboriginal community within the justice space, please follow the below application process

How to apply

Click the ‘Apply Now' button, ensuring you include the following in your application:

• resume 
• a short covering letter
• responses to the screening/key selection questions in the online application form

Individual responses to "key selection criteria" listed on the Position Description are not required. Attachments can be uploaded in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.