Larissa Behrendt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Larissa Behrendt AO FASSA FAHA
Behrendt at work in 2012
Born	Larissa Yasmin Behrendt 1969 (age 55–56) Cooma, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of New South Wales Harvard Law School
Known for	Academic, writer, Indigenous rights advocate, filmmaker

Larissa Yasmin Behrendt AO FASSA FAHA (born 1969) is an important Australian. She is a legal expert, a writer, and a filmmaker. She is also a strong supporter of Indigenous rights.

As of 2022, she is a professor of law at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She leads research and academic programs at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. She also holds a special position as the first Chair in Indigenous Research at UTS.

Larissa's Early Life and Education

Larissa Behrendt was born in Cooma, New South Wales, in 1969. Her father's family are Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay people. Her mother was not Indigenous.

Larissa's father was an air traffic controller. Later, he became an expert in Aboriginal Studies. He started the Aboriginal Research and Resource Centre at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 1988. This was around the time Larissa began studying there.

After high school, Larissa studied law at UNSW. She earned two law degrees in 1992. That same year, she became a qualified lawyer. She worked in family law and legal aid, helping people with legal problems.

She then won a scholarship to study in the United States. She went to Harvard Law School, a very famous university. She earned a Master of Laws degree in 1994. In 1998, she completed her Doctor of Juridical Science degree there. Larissa was the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from Harvard Law School.

She also studied screenwriting and documentary filmmaking. She learned these skills at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

Larissa's Career and Work

Legal and Academic Work

After Harvard, Larissa worked in Canada for a year. She helped different First Nations groups. In 1999, she helped the Assembly of First Nations create a policy for gender equality. She also represented them at the United Nations.

Larissa returned to Australia in 2000. She became a researcher at the Australian National University. Then she moved to the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). In 2000, she also became a qualified barrister.

Larissa believes Australia should be a republic. This means she thinks Australia should have its own head of state, not the King or Queen of England.

She has helped Aboriginal people in court cases for free. These cases often involved unfair treatment in the justice system. She also worked in the NSW prison system for many years. She held roles in courts, like on the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.

Current Important Roles

As of March 2022, Larissa is a professor of law at UTS. She directs research at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. She also holds a special leadership role as the first Chair in Indigenous Research. In this role, she advises UTS on Indigenous strategies. She is also a member of important Australian academic groups.

Other Important Work

Helping with Education and Community

Larissa has worked hard to improve Indigenous education. She focuses on things like literacy. In 2002, she won an award for her teaching.

She has been on the board of Tranby Aboriginal College. She is also an ambassador for Gawura Campus. This is an Indigenous primary school. In 2012, she helped start the Sydney Story Factory. This program helps kids in Redfern with reading and writing.

In 2011, the Australian government asked Larissa to lead a review. This review looked at how Indigenous people could get into and succeed in university. Her report, released in 2012, was well-received. It suggested ways to help more Indigenous students go to university. The government accepted all her recommendations.

From 2009 to 2012, she co-led the City of Sydney's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel.

In the Arts

Larissa is very active in supporting the arts. She believes more money should go to arts programs. She was the first chair of National Indigenous Television (NITV). This is Australia's first TV network for Indigenous programs.

She has also been on the board of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. This is a famous Indigenous dance company. She was chair from 2010 to 2014. She has also been on the board of Museums and Galleries NSW since 2012.

Larissa has served on the board of the Sydney Writers' Festival. She was also on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

Writing Books

Larissa has written many books about law and Indigenous social justice. Some of her non-fiction books include Aboriginal Dispute Resolution (1995) and Achieving Social Justice (2003). She also co-wrote a book called Treaty in 2005.

She has written three novels (fiction books):

• Home (2002): This book won the David Unaipon Award. It also won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel in her region.
• Legacy (2010): This novel won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing.
• After Story (2021): Her most recent novel.

In 2012, she published Indigenous Australia For Dummies. This book helps people learn about Indigenous Australia in an easy way.

Making Films

Larissa has written, directed, and produced several documentary films.

• Innocence Betrayed (2013, writer)
• In My Blood It Runs (2019, producer)
• Maralinga Tjarutja (2020, writer): This film is about the British nuclear tests at Maralinga in South Australia.

She also worked as an Indigenous consultant for TV documentaries. These include Australia: The Story of Us (2015) and Who do you think you are? (2018–2019).

In 2016, Larissa directed a documentary called After the Apology. This film looks at the increase in Indigenous child removal. This happened after Kevin Rudd's Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples. The film won an award for Best Direction of a Documentary Feature Film in 2018.

In 2020, Larissa directed Maralinga Tjarutja. This documentary tells the story of the Maralinga people. It shows how their lives were changed by the nuclear tests. The film highlights the strength of the Maralinga Tjarutja people. It shows how they continue to fight for their rights to care for their land.

In 2020, she also worked as a writer for the TV series Total Control. She also worked on a documentary called The Fight Together. In 2021, she released the documentary Araatika: Rise Up!.

Radio Show

Larissa hosts a radio show called Speaking Out. It talks about politics, arts, and culture from Indigenous viewpoints. As of March 2022, you can hear it on ABC Radio National and ABC Local Radio.

Awards and Recognition

Larissa Behrendt has received many awards for her work:

• 1993: Winner of the Lionel Murphy Foundation Scholarship.
• 2002: Co-recipient of the first Neville Bonner National Teaching Award.
• 2002: David Unaipon Award for her novel Home.
• 2004: Award for outstanding achievement in literature at the Deadlys.
• 2005: Commonwealth Writers' Prize – Best first novel (Asia/Pacific).
• 2009: Named National NAIDOC Person of the Year.
• 2009: Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Legacy.
• 2011: Named the NSW Australian of the Year.
• 2012: AFTRS's AW Myer Indigenous Award.
• 2018: Australian Directors Guild award for Best Direction of a Documentary Feature Film for After the Apology.
• 2020: Made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This was for her great service to Indigenous education, law, and the arts.
• 2021: Won the Human Rights medal at the Human Rights Awards (Australia).
• 2023: Appointed Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Personal Life

Larissa Behrendt married US artist Kris Faller in 1997. They separated in 2001. She later had a long relationship with Geoff Scott. In 2009, she began a relationship with Michael Lavarch, who was a former Attorney-General of Australia. They married in 2011.

Important Legal Case

Larissa Behrendt was involved in a court case against a newspaper columnist, Andrew Bolt. He had written articles about "fair-skinned Aboriginal people." He claimed they used their Aboriginal heritage to help their careers. The Federal Court decided that these articles were offensive. They went against the Racial Discrimination Act. This law protects people from discrimination based on their race.

Images for kids

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  Larissa Behrendt at work in 2012