Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia

The Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia or ALSWA is an organisation in Western Australia, founded in the early 1970s, that provides legal services to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. It receives financial grants from the Commonwealth Department of the Australian Attorney General and follows conditions required by that Department. Since 2011, the organization has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The Western Aboriginal Legal Service was founded by Essie Coffey,George Winterton, Robert French and others. Winterton had previously been involved in providing pro bono (free) legal advice to Aboriginals. The poverty and legal injustices suffered by Aboriginals in the area were a contributing factor in the founders becoming involved in legal representation and advocacy for them; in 1969 Aboriginals constituted 25% of the prison population in Western Australia, while being only 2.5% of the population. Curfews directed against Aboriginals were common in some areas until the early 1970s, and detention without cause and unprovoked physical attacks by the police also occurred.

In 1972 the group wrote to the Australian government asking for a small amount of money to enable a roster of lawyers to be available to represent Aboriginals locally. To their surprise, the newly appointed minister for Aboriginal affairs, Gordon Bryant, eventually responded asking how much financial support would be required from the government to provide legal representation for Aboriginals in the whole of the state of Western Australia. The service initially operated from the Aboriginal Centre located on Beaufort Street in Perth. In 1973 it had "2 lawyers, 3 Aboriginal court officers and a secretary".

Rob Riley was CEO of the organisation from 1990 to 1995. By the 21st century, Aboriginals make up 40% of the prison population in Western Australia, despite still only constituting 3.5% of the population, and 65% of juveniles detained within the legal system are Aboriginals.

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