Cheryl Axleby

Co-Chair, Change the Record Coalition

Cheryl Axleby is the Co-Chair of Change the Record - Australia's only national First Nations-led justice coalition that aims to end the mass incarceration of First Nations peoples and the disproportionate burden of family violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

Cheryl is a proud Narungga woman who is passionate about improving the quality of life for her people. She has spent the last 40 years working within the Aboriginal community, Federal Govt and South Australian Government to improve the lives of First Nations peoples. She has experience working within the Aboriginal community sector, law and justice, women's issues, family violence, youth justice, child and family services and is currently working in the Aboriginal Community Housing sector.

Cheryl has held the positions of CEO of Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement and National Co-chair of National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Legal Services - the peak body representing Aboriginal legal services in Australia, and is currently working in the Aboriginal Community Housing sector.

Cheryl is a cultural change advocate and a champion of Justice Reinvestment and reconciliation. She is alarmed by the ever-increasing number of Aboriginal people trapped within the criminal justice & child protection systems, and works every day to change these dangerous systems that oppress and harm her people.

Hear from Cheryl in Session 3: The possibility and fragility of reform here.