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Grata Fund

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grata Fund is a not for profit legal fund based in Australia. It's Australia's first specialist non-profit strategic litigation incubator and funder. Grata develops, funds, and builds sophisticated campaign architecture around high impact, strategic litigation brought by people and communities in Australia.[1] Grata Fund uses a movement lawyering approach, an innovative model of collaborative justice which grew out of the US civil rights movement to build the power of the people.[2]

The organisation was founded in 2015[3] by Isabelle Reinecke,[4][5][6] and is partnered with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Faculty of Law and Justice.[7] Among the cases supported by the group are those relating to governmental responses to climate change,[8] freedom of information,[9] and matters of gender identity and sex-discrimination.[10]

In financial year 2023, Grata Fund supported 22 cases, and partnered with 6 legal teams and 30 barristers who provided pro bono legal representation and advice.[11] 40% of these cases were led by First Nations people.[11]

Human Rights

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In August 2024, Grata Fund celebrated a win in one of their longest-running cases.[12] Grata supported the Eastern Arrernte community of Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) in the NT who fought for decent housing.[13] They took the NT government to court in 2015 and won in the High Court of Australia in 2024.[12]

Grata Fund has supported a number of other human rights legal cases including fighting against gag laws that penalised Australian doctors,[14] supporting people locked in refugee detention during COVID-19,[15] and advocating to protect children with disability in school.[16]

Grata Fund also helped to ensure First Nations experts could give evidence in the inquest into the death of Veronica Nelson, a Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung and Wiradjuri woman who died in January 2020, after four days in a police cell.[17]

Grata Fund supported Yasir*, a refugee, in challenging Border Force for the harmful use of restraints on those in immigration detention.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "About Grata Fund". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  2. ^ "Grata Fund". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  3. ^ Ginnivan, E. (2016). Public interest litigation: Mitigating adverse costs order risk. Precedent (Sydney, NSW), (136), 22-25.
  4. ^ Boecker, Brianna (2023). "Five minutes with 2022 WALA not-for-profit leader winner Isabelle Reinecke." Women's Agenda. 28 September 2023. 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ Reinecke, Isabelle (2023). "Guarding the power of the court in our democracy." The Monthly. 27 October 2023. Accessed 12 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Our team." Grata Fund. Accessed 12 April 2024.
  7. ^ "About us." Grata Fund. Accessed 12 April 2024.
  8. ^ Waite, Angelica (2024). "Who are the people taking their governments to court over climate inaction?" SBS. 6 April 2024. Accessed 12 April 2024.
  9. ^ Coade, M. (2019). Litigation: Strategic justice. LSJ: Law Society of NSW Journal, (56), 34-37.
  10. ^ Bastiaan, Stephanie (2024). "Tickle v Giggle womens rights on trial." Women's Forum Australia. April 08, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Impact Reports". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  12. ^ a b "The Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) community's fight for housing rights". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  13. ^ "Renters in First Nations community of Santa Teresa win right to compensation". CHOICE. 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  14. ^ "Doctors4Refugees challenge 'gag laws' about conditions in offshore detention". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  15. ^ "Supporting people locked in refugee detention during COVID-19". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  16. ^ "It takes an even bigger village: tackling disability discrimination at school". UNSW Sites. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  17. ^ "Inquest into Veronica Nelson's death". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  18. ^ "Excessive force against refugees". Grata Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
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