Larissa Behrendt

Larissa Behrendt is an Australian academic, lawyer, writer and filmmaker known for work on Indigenous rights, legal reform and storytelling. She has held leadership roles at Australian universities and advised governments, while publishing legal scholarship, fiction and documentary films that intersect with issues affecting Aboriginal Australians and Indigenous Australians. Her career spans scholarship, litigation, media and public policy across institutions and cultural organizations.

Early life and education

Behrendt was born in Macksville, New South Wales and raised in a family connected to Gumbainggir heritage, with formative experiences informing later work on Aboriginal land rights, Native Title Act 1993, and community law. She studied at the University of Sydney where she completed undergraduate legal studies, followed by postgraduate degrees including a doctorate from the University of Technology Sydney and an LL.M. from the University of Toronto. Early mentors and influences included scholars and jurists associated with Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Mabo v Queensland (No 2), and advocates connected to the Aboriginal Legal Service and Human Rights Commission.

Academic career and teaching

Behrendt has held academic appointments at the University of Technology Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Sydney, teaching subjects linked to Australian law and Indigenous studies. She served as Director of the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning and later as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney and as Professor at the University of Queensland, contributing to curricula on Native Title Act 1993, comparative law and public policy. Her academic leadership included participation in bodies such as the Australian Research Council, the National Native Title Tribunal, and advisory roles for the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and the Lowitja Institute.

Legal work and Indigenous advocacy

In legal practice, Behrendt worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service and as counsel in matters touching on Native Title Act 1993, land rights claims like those following Mabo v Queensland (No 2), and issues before tribunals including the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia. She has provided advice to state and federal agencies including the Australian Law Reform Commission, the New South Wales Attorney General's Department, and the Australian Human Rights Commission on policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her advocacy included collaboration with community organizations such as Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, the Northern Land Council, and the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia on treaty discussions aligned with initiatives in Victoria (state) and discussions similar to processes in Canada and New Zealand.

Writing and media work

Behrendt is the author of legal texts and novels, and has produced documentaries and television projects engaging with topics resonant in works like The Secret River debates and narratives alongside writers such as Kim Scott, Bruce Pascoe, and Tara June Winch. Her fiction titles include novels set against backdrops involving New South Wales communities and national conversations mirrored in programs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and events at the Sydney Writers' Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival. She has produced and directed films screened at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, and collaborated with cultural institutions including the National Film and Sound Archive and the Screen Australia funding body. Media appearances include panels on Q&A (Australian TV program), interviews with journalists from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian (Australia), and features on ABC Radio National.

Awards and honours

Behrendt's honors include recognition by academic bodies such as fellowship in the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and awards from legal and literary organizations including the Australian Human Rights Commission's accolades and prizes from literary institutions like the Miles Franklin Award shortlist and state literary awards. She has been appointed to boards including the Australian Press Council and received honorary degrees from universities such as the University of Technology Sydney and acknowledgments from Indigenous institutions including the Lowitja Institute and the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples.

Category:Australian lawyers Category:Australian academics Category:Indigenous Australian writers