Leanne Liddle: Being a changemaker in the justice system

Our 2022 NT Australian of the Year, Leanne Liddle, isn’t a stranger to racism or standing up against it. In our 2022 Australian of the Year series, she talks about fighting discrimination, the continuing work to improve our justice systems and how non-Indigenous people can build better relationships with their Indigenous counterparts.

One of Leanne Liddle’s earliest memories of championing equality was inviting a schoolmate with disabilities onto her team on sports day and ignoring her teammates’ protests.

“I told them she was entitled to run and I didn’t care if we lost because we’d all win by including her,” says Leanne, an Arrente woman from Alice Springs. “I reckon I changed people’s perception that day on how to treat those who’re different. And I learnt you can influence others when you stand your ground in doing what's right.”

That insight has guided and shaped the rest of Leanne’s life and career. During a decade of service as the first Aboriginal policewoman in South Australia, she fought racism and discrimination in the force - and won. That victory was the spark that blazed her path in the justice sector. 

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As director of the Aboriginal Justice Unit, Leanne has been a changemaker and the driving force behind the Aboriginal Justice Agreement which aims to reduce imprisonment rates, increase Aboriginal leadership and improve justice outcomes for Indigenous Territorians.

In her 2022 NT Australian of the Year Award acceptance speech, she promised to shine a spotlight on those still suffering under the current justice system. “We don’t live in a system where everything is equal. Behind the statistics of imprisonment and family violence rates are real people. And these people are whom I’m helping through the Aboriginal Justice Agreement.”

Here Leanne talks about fighting racism, the continuing work to improve our justice systems and how non-Indigenous people can build better relationships with their Indigenous counterparts.

You learnt to stand your ground at a young age. Who were your role models?
“I have to credit my grandmother and mother. There were many times when I saw mum hold her ground with people in powerful positions. She’d walk away from the argument shaken and upset but having won it. That’s when I understood that no matter how uncomfortable or frightened you are, some things are worth fighting for. Mum also showed me that arguments can be had with dignity - without fists or angry words.”

Your early experiences with injustice could have negatively influenced you. What set you on the path to making a difference instead?
“Mum was from the Stolen Generation and would say to me, "They thought it was the right thing at the time. They now know it wasn’t. You have to make sure it never happens again." That ability to forgive but not forget is a characteristic I’ve inherited from her and it drives my work today.”

I've really been to dark places and I’ve learnt it's OK to be vulnerable and to let others help you when you’re afraid. But don’t let that fear consume you.

In an interview with the 'National Indigenous Times', you spoke about your consultations with Indigenous communities in the Territory. You said it was clear that such honest and transparent conversations hadn't happened before. What did you do differently to get these conversations going?
“Every single one of our 150 consultations with these communities was inclusive and respectful. We spoke in the first language of each community and took our time to really listen to them. And we showed them data and evidence they’d never seen before.