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April Lawrie
Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People
Office of the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People
In December 2018, April Lawrie was appointed the inaugural Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People in South Australia by the South Australian Government.
Commissioner Lawrie’s role is to develop policies and practices to improve the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people, particularly in the areas of health, education, youth justice and child protection.
Commissioner Lawrie is a proud Aboriginal woman and heralds from the Mirning and Kokatha people from the Far West Coast of South Australia.
Commissioner Lawrie holds a Social Work Degree which led her to a range of Executive Leadership roles in South Australian Government Agencies including four years as the Aboriginal Justice Director in the Attorney General’s Department, ten years as SA Health Aboriginal Health Branch Director and two and a half years as Director of Aboriginal Education.
Over the last 30 years, Commissioner Lawrie has contributed to the formation of policy at the State and National level, and excellence in service innovation and community development with regard to Aboriginal health, education, child and family services, foster care services, justice services, across the metropolitan and regional areas, including rural/remote.
Commissioner Lawrie strongly believes that we need to bring the voices of Aboriginal children and young people and their communities into how we are designing and delivering health, education, justice and child protection culturally appropriate services so that Aboriginal children and young people can flourish. The Commissioner believes that to improve services and outcomes, we need to recognise the solutions coming from our Aboriginal communities and families and act upon them in a meaningful way.
April lives and works in Adelaide, is married and has three children.
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