Victoria’s Story: Driving Justice Reform with New Tools for Social Change
As a young lawyer, Victoria Williams watched in shock as a 10-year-old boy was remanded in custody because he had broken into homes for food.
“This small child could not even see over the bar table – it was distressing. These types of experiences were heartbreaking but at the same time provided inspiration to do all I could to help young people stay out of the justice system.”
Since those early days, Victoria has worked tirelessly through the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA) to help drive positive change through her career in First Nations justice and legal support.
“It’s the justice system itself that’s causing harm. If we keep doing the same thing, we're going to keep having the same problems.
“The community and politicians need to understand that locking kids up and punishing kids is not actually making them safer – we need to better support them.”
Receiving a Centre for Social Impact Scholarship was an empowering achievement for the criminal lawyer and justice reform leader, who is eager to apply her studies to achieve further impact, particularly at the level of system change.
“I see it as recognition of not only what I have done so far, but my potential to do even more,” she says.
FOLLOWING THE SPARK FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDY
Victoria received the scholarship to complete a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at the University of Western Australia (UWA) – a degree designed to help today’s changemakers become highly skilled and effective through evidence-based learning. Victoria recently completed the degree and is set to graduate at the ceremony in December.
At the point of enrolling in the Graduate Certificate, Victoria had already spent eight years working on social impact programs for the Aboriginal Legal Services, drawing on her legal and research experience to create social impact.
“I didn't come from any direct formal education in social impact. I had two perspectives from being a lawyer, and from research and reform,” says Victoria. “I was keen to understand how to more effectively demonstrate impact and how to expand and sustain the reach of social impact programs.”
EMPOWERING LEADERS WITH TOOLS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Completing the Graduate Certificate has enabled Victora to strengthen her existing skills with targeted tools for social change.
“The course has taught me so much about leadership, systems thinking, demonstrating social impact and financing social impact,” says Victoria.
From the first unit, Victoria found her graduate studies were re-shaping how she approached her work at the Aboriginal Legal Service.
“The Leadership Unit was amazing because it helped me shift from managing programs and people, to leading for impact,” says Victoria. “Particularly in the last 10 years at the Aboriginal Legal Service, I’ve been trying to solve everything myself. The Leadership Unit showed me how to lead my teams, to trust more and help build their capacity.”
Beyond the technical skills, Victoria found the range of people and perspectives the degree exposed her to were both personally and professionally enriching.
“The different perspectives of people outside your immediate sector, provides a rewarding learning experience,” says Victoria.
“I now have professional connections and friendships that I trust will continue for the rest of my working life and beyond.”
Professor Paul Flatau, Director of the Centre for Social Impact UWA, commended Victoria for her dedication to her studies and reflected on the importance of supporting social-change leaders.
“I’m delighted to have witnessed Victoria’s progress as a social-change leader and to see her graduate from the Social Impact program,” said Professor Flatau. “Like her approach to justice and law reform, Victoria’s commitment to the Graduate Certificate was unwavering and inspiring.
“I am confident that Victoria will go on to apply the skills gained in this degree to generate innovative and lasting social impact.”
AN INSPIRING COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE
After completing her law degree in the early 1990s, Victoria initially began work as a corporate lawyer. It was during a six-week secondment to Legal Aid, however, that she discovered her passion for advocating for people who are facing challenges and disadvantage.
“I immediately realised that I was more suited to working with and helping people rather than working for the corporate sector,” explains Victoria.
From 1995 to 2001, Victoria worked as a criminal lawyer at ALSWA. In 2002, she completed a Master of Laws (Distinction) at the University of Western Australia, focusing on criminal justice. Since then, she has contributed extensively to the Law Reform Commission of WA, working on reports about Aboriginal customary laws, court intervention programs, jury selection, homicide, and domestic violence laws.
For the past decade, Victoria has managed social impact programs at ALSWA for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including the Custody Notification Service, Youth Engagement Program, Bail Support Service, and Work and Development Permit Scheme.
Victoria aims to apply the skills she has gained in the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact to deepening her work in First Nations communities and justice.
“I wanted to learn more and to have better tools,” she says. “To be acknowledged and encouraged with the Centre for Social Impact Scholarship after 30-plus years is a privilege – I’ve got a lot more to do!”
Her journey highlights the value in continuing to empower changemakers at every point in their career.
Combining a sharpened toolset in social change, with her long-term experience in law, reform and advocacy, Victoria is set to continue transforming the legal system and improving justice outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people long into the future.
Find out more about the Graduate Certificate in Social impact .