Fifth year UWA Law student, Renee Kaczmarczyk, was awarded the Linda Cotton Memorial Law Scholarship to further her knowledge about the inter-relationship between Indigenous Australians and the law. Renee has long had an interest in Indigenous issues, which was further developed and encouraged when she participated in the first semester elective unit Indigenous Peoples and the Law.

Renee was a successful recipient of the scholarship in 2009 and used the funds to travel to Broome where she volunteered at the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS). Renee described her time in Broome as a “huge eye-opener”.  

“Each day I attended Court with the ALS solicitors and travelled on circuit. I witnessed the out-of-court interaction between the prosecution and defence."

"Attending the Magistrate’s Court was very fascinating; particularly to see the types of offences people in the North West are charged with. Interestingly around 98% of matters before the Court involved matters against Indigenous people, even though they do not represent 98% of the population.”  

“I attended a couple of meetings with the Superintendents of the Broome Prison, which is notorious for its overcrowding. However, what I saw wasn’t what I expected. Prisoners have a great degree of flexibility and freedom and there is an exceptionally low death in custody rate. This is partially explained by the fostering of family groups within the prison; for example, allowing prisoners to choose their cells. In practical terms, it means some cells hold say 10 people, while another cell may hold only two.” 

Completing the Indigenous Peoples and the Law unit and the trip to Broome has been instrumental in the development of Renee’s interest in this area. The scholarship has helped open Renee’s eyes to some of the greater issues faced by Indigenous Australians and sparked her desire to work in this field once she graduates.