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Aboriginal Field Officer Program

What field Aboriginal Field Officers (AFOs) can do, the history of the program, and locations where you can find AFOs.

Aboriginal Field Officers

The primary role of an Aboriginal Field Officer (AFO) is to increase access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW through community engagement, outreach and community legal education. AFOs also provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and Legal Aid NSW practitioners to address the unmet underlying socio-legal and non-legal needs of clients.

Background

In 2011 Legal Aid NSW commenced the AFO Program. The impetus for the program was recommendations from Legal Aid NSW commissioned research by Chris Cunneen into the civil and family law needs of Aboriginal people in NSW. The report found that the employment of AFOs had the potential to contribute greatly to the delivery of services regarding client liaison and community engagement.

What AFOs can do

  • Provide a liaison role between client and lawyer.
  • Attend court and tribunals to support clients.
  • Assist with contacting clients, intake of vulnerable clients, and help clients complete forms.
  • Make internal referrals within Legal Aid NSW, and external referrals to other legal and non-legal support services.
  • Attend outreach clinics and court list days to identify and assist clients with information and referrals.

Community engagement

  • Build awareness of Legal Aid NSW services including awareness of crime, family and civil law issues and where to get help.
  • Build connections with relevant community members, Elders, key Aboriginal stakeholder organisations, clients and service providers.
  • Establish relationships with local services and assist clients to refer to these services and programs.
  • Identify systemic legal issues in the community and facilitate community legal education with other Legal Aid NSW staff to ensure communities are informed of their legal options and assist in addressing their unmet legal needs.

Case studies

Nancy

Nancy attended a Legal Aid NSW family law clinic for advice about seeing her children. With her consent, Nancy was referred to an Aboriginal Field Officer (AFO) for further support. The AFO was able to refer Nancy to a local detoxification and rehabilitation service. The AFO also referred Nancy to a housing support organisation to help Nancy access stable accommodation. The AFO continues to support Nancy by having regular contact with her and supports Nancy during appointments with her family lawyer.

In the end, Nancy was able to have visits with her children at her home.

Drew

Drew attended court for a criminal law matter and approached an AFO for help. The AFO obtained the court papers and assisted Drew to complete a Legal Aid application form while waiting to obtain advice from a lawyer. While Drew was with the AFO he was talking about his fines and how having no birth certificate was stopping him from getting a driver licence. The AFO shared information with Drew about how Legal Aid NSW could help. Drew accepted and consented to a referral to Revenue NSW. The AFO approached a local service and facilitated a direct referral for a Work and Development Order (WDO) and completed a Birth Certificate application for Drew, along with a support letter to Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM). The AFO received a notice from BDM stating Drew’s birth was unregistered. The AFO followed up with Drew and helped him fill in the registration form.

In the end, Drew received his birth certificate and a WDO to pay off his fines and was able to apply for his driver licence.

Aboriginal Field Officer locations

As of July 2025, Legal Aid NSW employs Aboriginal Field Officers in the following offices:

  • Blacktown
  • Broken Hill
  • Campbelltown
  • Dubbo
  • Lismore (FamAC*)
  • Moree
  • Newcastle (Bolton St and Hunter St)
  • Nowra
  • Parramatta (FamAC*)
  • Port Macquarie
  • Tamworth (FamAC*)
  • Wagga Wagga
  • Walgett
  • Your Voice – Children’s OOHC Service (Central Sydney)

*FamAC is the Family Law Service for Aboriginal Communities.

More information

For more information about the Aboriginal Field Officer Program, contact our Aboriginal Services Branch by emailing aboriginalservices@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.

Downloads

You can download this page as a PDF in English.

Updated August 2025

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