Nyungar-Nyiyaparli-Yamatji lawyer, writer and Adjunct Professor Emma Garlett has been selected as a Finalist for the National Indigenous Times Indigenous Community Leadership Award – part of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards.
Ms Garlett, who is from Geraldton / Jambinu Barna, is a director of the Garlett Group, a sustainability and media firm that is 100 per cent Indigenous women-owned.
She works to celebrate Black excellence within the media space and sustainability. Centering Country and Truth-telling is deeply ingrained into Emma's way of working.
Ms Garlett's drive to inspire the next generation in the name of reconciliation is a key contributor to her nomination for the Indigenous Community Leadership Award.
Her achievements include being the first in her family to obtain a university degree and the first Aboriginal person to earn degrees from both Curtin Law School and Curtin Business School.
She presented her legal research to the United Nations, as a First Nations Rapporteur; bringing truth-telling to the forefront on a global level.
"It's not an easy place to be, but it's an important place to be,'' she said.
In a testament to her leadership and uplifting others around her through knowledge sharing and advocacy as an Indigenous woman, she is an Adjunct Professor for the Australian Federation University and a teaching fellow at the Law School of the University of Western Australia; decolonising the minds of learning law students, to deliver equitable practices within their respective specialisations.
She has also contributed significantly to public debate as a columnist with The West Australian and through her legal commentary.
Ms Garlett has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), a Bachelor of Commerce, Diploma of Business, Certificate IV in Community Development, and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. Her expertise and cultural viewpoint have made her a staunch advocate.
She hosted the "Paint It Blak" podcast, featuring First Nations people from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. Interviewing mob to hear their stories, giving a platform for people to advocate for their passions and their country.
Ms Garlett provides a perspective on current breaking news, deconstructing stereotypes in an analytical approach. Her work as a Director of the Garlett group as a cultural capability trainer has trained She Codes and organisations such as Google and WA Health.
When she is not writing as a columnist, interviewing deadly mobs, teaching law or directing a company that oversees digital business strategy, she can be found uplifting other Indigenous women with her network of the Garlett Group who host Sacred Woman Bush Retreat program called Recharge & Rebalance integrates Aboriginal self-care methodologies to cherish ancient practices, strengthen bonds between Indigenous women and connect with the Country.
"Indigenous communities hold vital insights into sustainable practices, holistic well-being, and storytelling techniques that can guide us toward a more harmonious coexistence with our environment," she said.
The 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards will be held on Friday 27 June 2025 at Pan Pacific, Perth/Boorloo. Visit the Humanitix website to purchase your tickets today.
