ABOUT
NGALAYA
MISSION & HISTORY.
Ngalaya Indigenous Corporation is a registered charity governed by our volunteer Board of Directors. We are the peak body for First Nations lawyers and law students across Aboriginal lands now referred to as New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Ngalaya was founded in 1997 by a group of young Indigenous lawyers and law students at UNSW, and incorporated in 1998. It was the first association of its kind in Australia. Ngalaya (nar-lee-ah) is a Dharug/Dharawal word meaning 'allies in battle'.
We are committed to First Nations justice. We believe that Indigenous lawyers have enormous impacts on their communities and the legal profession. Our mission is to support and grow the next generation of First Nations law-makers. We want to see First Nations people at every level of the legal profession, from graduate Legal Aid lawyers to Supreme Court judges.
We believe in First Nations self-determination and sovereignty. There is a clear role to be played by Indigenous lawyers to support the political and social aspirations of First Peoples across the continent.
GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FIRST NATIONS LAW-MAKERS.
PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS.
Throughout our history, Ngalaya has relied on volunteers and the financial and in-kind contributions of our partners and supporters who make our work possible.
As of 2025, Ngalaya receives an annual contribution from the College of Law towards our core operational costs in pursuit of our charitable purpose of growing the next generation of First Nations law-makers.
Our Corporate Members provide important support for our core work, and in doing so strengthen their own connection to First Nations lawyers and law students within our network.
Outside of Corporate Membership, the following organisations have supported different areas of Ngalaya's work in the 2025-26 financial year:
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The University of Sydney
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Western Sydney University School of Law
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Gilbert + Tobin
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Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
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Allens
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National Environmental Law Association