Employment Office has begun a recruitment campaign for a champion of social justice to join an all-female legal team in Katherine.

The successful solicitor will provide legal services to 22 communities, giving Aboriginal women support, expertise and a voice.

Manager of the Katherine Women’s Information and Legal Service (KWILS), Lesley Niemann, said the candidate will play a vital role in addressing issues that are a result of the Northern Territory Emergency response.

“We invest energy in lobbying for government departments to rethink decisions that adversely affect Aboriginal Communities,” she said.

“For example, one of these is designated drinking areas. Five different communities, all of which harbour tension before they’ve had a drink, are required to share one drinking area that is located 25km away from the community.

“If there’s an altercation, there is no mobile phone signal for them to reach the police or an ambulance. So, we’ve been lobbying to bring it closer to the community.”

Since Ms Neimann and her team became involved in this issue, the government has held a meeting with the community, finally giving the residents a chance to have their say.

However, with only one solicitor currently employed within the organisation, the need for a new recruit is great.

“Considering the expanse of the region, we are having difficulty logistically servicing an area that stretches over 380,000 kms²,” Ms Niemann said.

“We’ve centred on certain communities, but with others we’ve only just scratched the surface because we simply don’t have the man power”.

Armed with new funding, Ms Neimann is confident that the future addition to her team will enable the organisation to assist more women, travelling to remote communities by air and road, offering legal expertise where they can.

“This role is about helping people, instantaneously helping women who need protection. Women come to us because they’re distressed and we can take the burden off their shoulders,” she said.

“The NT is a beautiful place, and the solicitor will travel across country to meet people most will never have the opportunity to meet”.

Katherine Women’s Information and Legal Service has joined forces with marketing specialist Employment Office to source a strong candidate pool.

Managing Director, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, says finding the right candidate is essential for community organisations that are often restricted by funding limitations.

“Making a wrong hire is an expensive business, often costing an organisation at least 50 per cent of the position’s salary, and this is simply not an option for organisations that are dedicated to investing their funds in making a difference to their clients.

“We’re committed to filling a need, not just a role. It’s just a case of strategising the recruitment campaign to target and attract the right candidates”.

The recruitment marketing specialist has high hopes having been successful in filling roles for an array of community organisations throughout Australia, ranging from Aboriginal Health Workers in the Northern Tip to General Practitioners in the Western outback.