teela advocates for social and systemic change 

Teela Reid is a Rebellious Lawyer with advocacy experience in criminal, civil and administrative law. She is currently Special Counsel at the Environmental Defenders Office, specialising in the protection of cultural heritage and advancing the rights of First Nations Australians pursuant to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Australia endorsed the UNDRIP in 2009, but is yet to ratify it into domestic law. 

Previously, Teela practiced as a Senior Solicitor in Aboriginal Land Rights Litigation and Native Title. She has also worked as Tipstaff in the Supreme Court of NSW to the Honourable Justice Lucy McCallum - now the Chief Justice of the ACT.  Teela's advocacy expands various areas from Aboriginal Land Rights, Cultural Heritage, Systemic Racism and Human Rights. 
Teela was a working group leader on section 51(xxvi), the Race Power of the Australian Constitution, at the Sydney Constitutional dialogue. This process culminated in the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart, an invitation to the Australian people to enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Constitution and a Makarrata Commission to enable a process for treaties and truth-telling. 
Teela has published essays in the Griffith Review on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, among other significant issues including First Nations sovereignty. She was also commissioned as the first Contributing Editor in the history of Griffith Review for Acts of Reckoning, based on her first published essay: 2020, the year of reckoning, not reconciliation. Its time to show up!
Teela is also a leading advocate for the Walama Court, a proposal for an Aboriginal Sentencing Court at the NSW District Court jurisdiction. It is currently being piloted.  

Teela Reid has published inThe Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The National Indigenous Times, Marie Claire, Indigenous X, among other platforms. 
For more check out Teela’s publications.

opinions

KEYNOTE

Teela was invited to deliver this keynote for Purrumpa, the 50th celebration of 
First Nations Arts & Culture 2022 - the theme was ‘Defining our Futures’.

My philosophy

It all begins with a brave idea. I believe the world we live in is the world we create. Imagining what is possible requires the courage to think of the world anew and take the necessary action to implement change.