Although Aboriginal Conferences are conducted in relation to adult defendants, they are a joint initiative between the Conferencing Unit and Aboriginal Programs. Aboriginal Conferencing held at Port Lincoln Magistrates Court involves members of the Aboriginal community and victims in a conference, which enables the defendant to have a greater awareness of the harm resulting from their offending.   With the assistance of Aboriginal Elders and Respected Persons, the conference process encourages contrition and reparation to remedy that harm.  Participating in a conference provides a restorative opportunity to victims and gives the community more confidence in the sentencing process.

  • The offender;
  • The victim of the offence;
  • The police;
  • Aboriginal Elders or Respected Persons; and
  • Service providers

Other people who may attend are:

  • Support people for the victim and/or offender;
  • Family members; and
  • Anyone else that the coordinators may think is helpful to attend the conference

The Aboriginal Conference is facilitated by the Conference Coordinator with the assistance of the Aboriginal Justice Officer (AJO), and provides a forum in which the victim of a crime and the person who committed that crime can:

  • Meet together and speak face-to-face;
  • Speak honestly to each other speak honestly to each other;
  • Talk about what happened;
  • Hear from important people in the Aboriginal Community about the impact of the offence;
  • Make suggestions about what could happen to make things right for both the victim and the person who committed the crime; and
  • Let the Magistrate hearing the case know about the decisions made at the conference.

At the conclusion of the conference, the Conference Coordinator writes a report for the Magistrate, outlining the conference discussion and recommendations for them to consider appropriate and constructive sentencing options.

The Conference Coorindator, AJO and Elders attend court for the sentencing hearing at which the Magistrate may have further questions about the conference prior to sentencing.