Jimi is joined by Eric Hayward to unpack his submission, on behalf of the West Australian Greens First Nations Committee, to the Senate Standing Committee on Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System; an ongoing inquiry which is due for final report in February 2025. 

Eric  is an experienced and passionate social justice advocate and agent of change, with decades of experience in law & education. He is currently a Law School Guest Lecturer and confirmed PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia. Eric was the first Noongar to complete a UWA Law Degree in 1991 and was awarded the WA NAIDOC Aboriginal student of the year. After working as a WA and Federal public servant, Eric graduated from Edith Cowan University to work as a primary school teacher in difficult to staff schools throughout regional Western Australia from 2003-2018. Eric has since re-entered the legal profession as a Solicitor in a variety of roles. His highlights included delivering community legal education to school aged students in the South West, using Legal Aid’s  R U Legal? Program.

Eric is a father of six children and two grandchildren, with Noongar family connections to the South Coast and Great Southern Forest in Western Australia. He is recognised as an Elder, by the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.

Join the campaign to #RaiseTheAge at https://raisetheage.org.au/