Larissa Behrendt
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| Larissa Yasmin Behrendt[1] | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Aboriginal Australian |
| Citizenship | Australian |
Larissa Behrendt (born 1 April 1969) is an Australian academic and writer of Aboriginal and European descent. She is currently a Professor of Law and Indigenous Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney.[2]
Behrendt completed a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 1992. In the same year she was admitted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales to practise as a solicitor. Behrendt then travelled on a scholarship to the United States, where she completed a Master of Laws at Harvard Law School in 1994, and a Doctor of Juridical Science from the same institution in 1998. In 2000 she was admitted by the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory to practise as a barrister.
During her stay at Harvard Law School, Behrendt also worked in Canada with a range of First Nations organisations. In 1999, she worked with the Assembly of First Nations in developing a gender equality policy, and she also represented the Assembly at the United Nations. The same year she did a study for the Slavey people comparing native title developments in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Since 1998, Behrendt has been a member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)[3], and was appointed to the Institute's Research Advisory Council in 2000. Between 2000 and 2002, Behrendt worked with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, developing various policies, and in 2000 she worked with Mick Dodson at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation developing a reconciliation policy and draft reconciliation legislation.
Her present partner is Michael Lavarch of Queensland, former minister in a federal Labor government.
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[edit] Published works
Behrendt has written extensively on legal and indigenous social justice issues. Her books include Aboriginal Dispute Resolution (1995)[4],and Achieving Social Justice (2003),[5]. In 2005 she was the co-author of the book Treaty.[6]
Behrendt has also written two works of fiction: a novel, Home,[7] which won the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards; the David Unaipon Award in 2002; and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel in the South East Asian/South Pacific region in 2005. Her second novel Legacy,[8] won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Prize for Indigenous Writing (2010).
She also won the award for outstanding achievement in literature in the 2004 Deadlys.
[edit] Awards
In 1993, Behrendt was the winner of the Lionel Murphy Foundation Scholarship.[9] In 2002, Behrendt was the co-recipient of the inaugural Neville Bonner National Teaching Award.[10]
In 2011, Behrendt was named the NSW Australian of the year.[11]
[edit] Controversy
Comments made by Behrendt on the website Twitter disparaging Alice Springs aboriginal elder Bess Price have been the subject of ongoing controversy.[12] While watching crude TV series Deadwood, Behrendt replied to a comment on the site expressing outrage at Price's appearance on the ABC TV Q&A expressing support for the Northern Territory intervention, writing "I watched a show where a guy had sex with a horse and I'm sure it was less offensive than Bess Price."[13] After initially defending the comment as taken out of context, Behrendt apologized by email to Mrs Price,[14] who said the comment showed Behrendt was out of touch with rural Aborigines.[13] Behrendt says the throwaway comment has made her a target for a campaign of character assassination.[1]
Andrew Bolt, a Sydney Morning Herald columnist,used Behrendt's name in two controversial articles[15] about "political" Aborigines. Bolt asserted that Behrendt and other fair skinned Aborigines claimed aboriginality to advance their careers. The Australian court system has since ruled that the articles were inflammatory, offensive and contravened the Racial Discrimination Act.[16][17]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b John Huxley (7 May 2011). "Long life of a throwaway tweet". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/national/long-life-of-a-throwaway-tweet-20110506-1ebsc.html. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/rilc/members/detail.cfm?StaffId=2450
- ^ http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/corporate/council.html
- ^ Behrendt, Larissa (1995). Aboriginal dispute resolution: a step towards self-determination and community autonomy. Federation Press. ISBN 1-86287-178-7.
- ^ Behrendt, Larissa (2003). Achieving social justice : indigenous rights and Australia's future. Federation Press. ISBN 1-86287-450-6.
- ^ http://www.law.unsw.edu.au/profile/sean-brennan
- ^ Behrendt, Larissa (2004). Home. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0-7022-3407-9.
- ^ Behrendt, Larissa (2009). Home. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 9780702237331.
- ^ http://lionelmurphy.anu.edu.au/lionel_murphy_postgraduate_scholars.htm
- ^ http://www.altc.edu.au/award-neville-bonner-award-teaching-winner-2002-larissa-behrendt
- ^ http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/?m=larissa-behrendt-2011
- ^ Leo Shanahan (28 April 2011). "Petition against Aboriginal activist Behrendt proposed". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/petition-against-aboriginal-activist-behrendt-proposed/story-e6frg6nf-1226045877254. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ a b Karvelas, Patricia (14 April 2011). "More offensive than 'sex with a horse': Larissa Behrendt's Twitter slur against Bess Price". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/more-offensive-than-sex-with-a-horse-larissa-behrendts-twitter-slur-against-black-leader/story-fn59niix-1226038768051. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ Patricia Karvelas (15 April 2011). "Larissa Behrendt repents for Twitter slur on black leader Bess Price". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/behrendt-repents-for-twitter-slur-on-black-leader/story-fn59niix-1226039396368. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/its-so-hip-to-be-black/story-e6freal3-1225698790774
- ^ http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCA/2011/1103.html
- ^ The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 September 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/bolt-loses-highprofile-race-case-20110928-1kw8c.html.
[edit] References
- "Larissa Behrendt". Australian Public Intellectual Network. Archived from the original on 22 July 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050722030933/http://www.api-network.com/arn/behrendtl.html. Retrieved 16 November 2005.
- "Larissa Behrendt". Vibe Australia. Archived from the original on 24 October 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051024221259/http://www.vibe.com.au/vibe/corporate/celebrity_vibe/showceleb.asp?id=354. Retrieved 16 November 2005.
- Malcolm Knox (18 September 2010). "Lunch with Larissa Behrendt". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/lunch-with-larissa-behrendt-20100917-15gbs.html.
