School of Law: Law School Staff - Irene Watson

Irene Watson
Dip Aboriginal Studies(UniSA), LLB(Adel), GDLP(UniSA), PhD(Uni Adelaide)

Lecturer
First Year Student Mentor (Semester 1)

Irene studied Aboriginal history and culture at the University of Adelaide between 1978-1979 and studied law at the University of Adelaide, where she graduated in 1984.  Following graduation Irene has had a relationship with the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement as a legal practitioner, the Director and also the Chairperson of the organisation.  She has recently returned to ALRM where she has been working on a Stolen Generations test case.  Irene has a strong interest in Indigenous legal issues. She has participated in the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples (Populations) and in 1996 was appointed as a judge to the first hearing of the First Peoples International Court of Justice.  In 1999 she completed a doctorate at the University of Adelaide, titled 'Raw Law', on the question of the continuing or dis-continuing place of Aboriginal law in Australian society.  Irene has written and taught in the area of Indigenous legal issues since 1991.  In 2003 she self published the book  'Looking at you Looking at Me', a history of the south east, the 'ruwi' of her Tanganekald/Meintangk ancestors.  Irene has, since the early 1970s, worked with Aboriginal community issues and continues to slog on with it to this day.