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QUT is proud to announce Stephanie Parkin and Cassie Lang as joint winners of the 2023 QUT Outstanding Indigenous Australian Alumnus award. This award recognises their remarkable contributions to the legal industry and unwavering commitment to promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, culture, and heritage.
Stephanie and Cassie are the co-founders of Parallax Legal, a groundbreaking law firm established at the beginning of 2022. Parallax Legal focuses on various critical areas, including native title, cultural heritage, intellectual property, and Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.
Stephanie, a Quandamooka woman of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), is renowned for her work as an Intellectual Property Lawyer and advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and protocols within the arts and broader industries. She serves as the Chairperson of the Indigenous Art Code, a national voluntary industry code of conduct aimed at ethical and transparent arrangements with artists, and in her own community is a Director of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation.
Cassie, a Bundjalung woman, is a distinguished leader within the Native Title and Indigenous Cultural Heritage legal space. With 15 years of legal expertise, she has played a pivotal role in helping Registered Native Title Body Corporates incorporate their cultural governance framework into negotiations and business practices. Cassie is a multiple recipient of the Rising Star Native Title Award by Doyle's Guide and has received Chambers and Partners rankings as an 'Associate to Watch in Native Title Law.' She currently serves as Vice-President of the Indigenous Lawyers Association of Queensland.
Both share a profound passion for empowering their clients and providing support and confidence in exercising their rights. Their work at Parallax Legal embodies the spirit of reconciliation by bringing diverse perspectives together for mutually beneficial outcomes.
Stephanie expressed, "A core value that we hold onto at Parallax Legal really is embedded in the meaning of our name. The term ‘parallax’ is about looking at the same thing from two different points of view, and so for us in the work that we do at Parallax Legal, our work is about bringing perspectives together for our clients."
Cassie added, "As a native title lawyer, my passion and love for the industry that I’m currently in is watching my clients feel empowered and confident as they get educated around how they can exercise their rights. The approach that we bring from Parallax Legal is that we understand what they’re going through from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lens."
"A motivating factor for me right now is knowing the work that we’re doing, knowing that we’re doing it for the right reasons, that we’re doing it for our people,“ said Stephanie.
Looking to the future of the legal industry and improvements they would like to see, both agree that a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history is vital to driving systemic change.
“Something that I think our legal industry would benefit from goes back to understanding the history of our country, understanding the history around the legislation and the policies that founded a lot of the institutions we have in Queensland and Australia, “ affirms Cassie.
Stephanie concludes, "Once you understand the true history of this country and how that applies to the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, you will understand why certain things are the way they are in our legal systems and why it’s important to have practitioners like myself and Cassie at the forefront of those discussions."
The 2023 QUT Outstanding Indigenous Australian Alumnus Award celebrates Stephanie Parkin and Cassie Lang's outstanding achievements and their profound impact on Indigenous rights, culture, and legal practice in Australia.