Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service

What Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service does

The Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (TALS) is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation providing free, culturally safe legal and wraparound services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Tasmania. Established in mid-2020 following negotiations led by the Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA) to return Aboriginal Legal Services to Tasmania, TALS operates from offices in Hobart (headquarters), Launceston, and Burnie, with outreach to Risdon Prison and Aboriginal community organisations statewide. Services span criminal law (Magistrates Court, Supreme Court, and appeals), family and child safety matters, family violence prevention via its SiS (Support, Information, Strength) sub-brand, youth diversion through the Bridgewater Youth Hub, an Aboriginal Wellbeing Program in custody, and a 24/7 custody notification service delivered via a freecall line.

TALS is staffed by approximately 18 lawyers plus Aboriginal Liaison Officers, Aboriginal Wellbeing Officers, community engagement, and policy staff, delivering holistic legal-plus-cultural support that mainstream legal aid providers do not replicate. Its wholly-owned subsidiary SiS, launched in September 2022, provides Tasmania's first dedicated Family Violence Prevention Legal Service for Aboriginal victim/survivors of family and sexual violence. The Bail Support Program pilot launched in Launceston in January 2024 adds a post-release community-supervision product. TALS is governed by a Board of Aboriginal directors, with five of seven seats reserved for TRACA-affiliated community organisation representatives.

TALS generates no client revenue; services are free to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people subject to an income test. The organisation is funded through three recurrent streams — the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department under the National Access to Justice Partnership (NJAP), the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), and the Tasmanian Department of Justice's Aboriginal Wellbeing Program — plus project-based grants (notably $1.1M from NIAA for SiS and $623K over four years for Northern Tasmania SiS expansion) and Closing the Gap capacity-building funding for the Bail Support Program. No revenue or audited financial figures are publicly disclosed. The parent entity is the Aboriginal Corporation of Tasmania Legal Services, a non-profit operating in Tasmania, Australia.

Name

Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service

Legal name

Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service

Website

https://tals.net.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TALS is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation delivering free, culturally safe legal and wraparound services — including criminal, family and child safety law, family violence prevention, youth diversion, and prison wellbeing — to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Tasmania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Other Legal Services (54119), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Indigenous legal services
• Criminal law representation
• Family law assistance
• Culturally safe legal aid
• Community legal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding - Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department: The Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department provides funding under the National Access to Justice Partnership (NJAP) to deliver legal assistance and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities across Tasmania.
2. Government Funding - National Indigenous Australian's Agency: The National Indigenous Australian's Agency provides funding for various initiatives to support TALS as an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation in Tasmania.
3. Government Funding - Tasmanian Government Department of Justice: The Tasmanian Government provides funding via the Department of Justice to deliver the Aboriginal Wellbeing Program, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people held in custody and on remand in Tasmania.
4. Free Legal Services (No Direct Revenue): TALS provides free legal services to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Tasmania. Services are provided at no cost to clients, with the organization funded entirely through government grants and partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TALS provides free, culturally safe legal representation and advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Tasmania in criminal law, family and child safety law, and family violence/sexual assault matters, delivered through statewide offices and community/prison outreach. Core services are complemented by the SiS Family Violence Prevention Legal Service, 24/7 custody notification support, the Aboriginal Wellbeing Program for prisoners, the Bail Support Program, the Bridgewater Youth Hub, and TALS Talks community legal education workshops.

Product overview

TALS operates as a unified legal service organization providing culturally safe, holistic legal assistance to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people across Tasmania. The core offering consists of TALS Core Legal Services (criminal law, family law, child safety), supported by the SiS sub-brand for family violence prevention. Additional support programs include the ALO Program for cultural guidance, the Aboriginal Wellbeing Program for prison support, and the Custody Notification Service for 24/7 legal access. Education and prevention services include TALS Talks (school workshops) and general community legal education. The Bridgewater Youth Hub provides youth diversion services, while the Bail Support Program assists those on bail. Policy advocacy is delivered through the Justice Policy Partnership. Together, these programs provide wraparound services from legal representation to community support and early intervention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TALS Core Legal Services
• SiS Tasmania (Support, Information & Strength)
• TALS Talks

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,300 files opened since July 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Brighton CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative for the Bridgewater Youth Hub - a culturally safe, multi-purpose space dedicated to improving social justice outcomes for young people, particularly young Aboriginal community members, in the Brighton municipality.
• Australian Red Cross - TasmaniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Bridgewater Youth Hub project, working with TALS and Brighton Council to create a wraparound support service for youth aged 12-25.
• Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRACA is a collective of Aboriginal community groups across Tasmania. Five out of seven TALS directors must be Board or Committee members of a TRACA organisation. TRACA fought to establish TALS and return Aboriginal Legal Services to Tasmania in 2020.
• Justice Policy Partnership (JPP) through National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services Peak BodymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTALS plays a pivotal role in the Justice Policy Partnership which brings together government bodies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to address disproportionate incarceration rates and advocate for urgent reforms to prevent Aboriginal deaths in custody.
• Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTALS works with AYDC to provide cultural support activities for Aboriginal youth in detention, including NAIDOC Week celebrations with art and music programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia: ALSWA is the largest Aboriginal Legal Service in Australia, providing statewide legal representation, prisoner support, and family violence prevention services. Direct peer to TALS in community-controlled legal aid model and wraparound service delivery.
• Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement: ALRM is South Australia's Aboriginal community-controlled legal service, providing criminal, family, and civil law services with cultural support. Directly comparable to TALS in governance and target population.
• Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service: VALS is an Aboriginal community-controlled legal service delivering criminal, family, and civil legal aid to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria. Closely comparable to TALS in mission, governance model, and service scope, with a larger operational footprint.
• North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency: NAAJA delivers Aboriginal-controlled legal aid across the Northern Territory with a focus on criminal justice, youth justice, and prisoner support. Comparable to TALS in community-controlled model and emphasis on justice reform advocacy.
• Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS NSW/ACT is the peak Aboriginal Legal Service for NSW and the ACT, providing culturally appropriate legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Directly comparable peer in mission and service structure.
• Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service: CAALAS provides Aboriginal-controlled legal services in Central Australia. Comparable peer in remote/regional Aboriginal legal aid delivery, family violence prevention, and prisoner support programs.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Tasmania: Legal Aid Tasmania is the statewide government-funded legal aid commission serving the general Tasmanian population. Overlaps with TALS in criminal and family law but does not specialize in Aboriginal community-controlled delivery or cultural wraparound services.

Others

• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services: NATSILS is the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services nationally. TALS participates in this network; comparable as a sector coordinator and policy advocacy organization.

Emerging players

• Aboriginal Family Legal Services (multiple states): AFLS operates Aboriginal family law services across several states including Tasmania. Adjacent peer to TALS in family law specialisation for Aboriginal clients, with partial overlap in child safety and family violence matters.
• Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service: QIFVLS is one of several state-based Family Violence Prevention Legal Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, comparable to TALS's SiS sub-brand in service focus and funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tasaboriginallegalservice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tasmanian-aboriginal-legal-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service