Since Magistrate Suzette Coates was admitted as a solicitor in 1977, she has worked extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She gained experience by working for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Legal Service in Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns and with Legal Aid Queensland before establishing her private practice on her homeland in Atherton in 1989. Through her practice, Coates continued to work with and act on behalf of Aboriginal families, communities, and corporations in North Queensland. Her extensive understanding and knowledge of Aboriginal lore/law, kinship, and traditions ensured country was returned to the Traditional Owners within the legal framework. Coates also advocated on behalf of Aboriginal families whose relative died in custody and employment for Aboriginal women. In 2006, Suzette Coates was appointed Magistrate in Cairns. Her appointment was welcomed not only by her colleagues but by the people she represented. The materials that follow include some of her notable achievements:

• Representing nine Aboriginal families in North Queensland during the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

• Applying the Land Act (Aboriginal and Islander Land Grants) Amendment Act 1982 (QLD) and Aboriginal Lands Act 1991 to purchase land on traditional country on behalf of Aboriginal Councils. This predated the Native Title Act, 1993 (CWTH)•Acting on behalf of Aboriginal families and Corporations for Native Title claims

• Establish and register Aboriginal Corporations

• Employment for Wujal Wujal women in tourism

• Successfully winning ten Race Relations complaints under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (CWTH) with John Reginald Grainer and Gordon Gertz as against the Royal and Graham Hotels in Mareeba for members of the Mareeba Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

• Successfully winning ten race relations complaints under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (CWTH) for Wujal Wujal against Wet Tropics Management Authority

• The first appeal by judicial review to the Supreme Court of Queensland against a decision of a Magistrate acting as a Mining Warden

• Transfer of ‘Kondaparinga Station’ to the Kuku Djungan Corporation without the excision of their most significant site Ngarrabullgan (Mt Mulligan). This was the creation of a lease back for the creation of a national park on traditional country similar to Uluru. A Queensland first.

Other notable achievements not represented in the material include:

•Member of the Native Title Practitioners Panel since 1999

•Member of the Anti-Discrimination Commission QLD parttime hearing member from 1994

•Member of the Queensland Women’s Consultative Committee for the Reference of Womenand the Law, 1995

•Children’s Representative for the family Court appointed by Legal Aid Queensland 1996

•Commissioner for the Crime and Misconduct Commission, part-time (civil liberties) since2007

•Developed the 1st Duty Lawyer Accreditation Scheme with the Queensland Law Society in1983 and co-author of the Duty Lawyer Handbook

•Countless hours of pro-bono work

•Instructing Solicitor on Wik Peoples v Queensland. This was the first Native Title case wherethe High Court set precedence by allowing access to pastoral leases.

•Established the Coen Murri Court, Queensland, in 2007 to reduce the effects of crime on theCoen community. The Murri Court’s membership was established with representatives fromall the Traditional Owners in the district.