Ivy Trevallion is a

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

and community leader. Trevallion, often referred to as "Aunty Ivy", is credited with helping pass the ''Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (Torres Strait Islander Traditional Child Rearing Practice) Act 2020'' through the

Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the unicameral legislative body of the Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the ...

in 2020. It is the first bill in Australian history to legally recognise a traditional custom, namely an ancient

child-rearing Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and educational development from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a biological re ...

practice among Torres Strait Islander people where a child is

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

by a relative or community member. Along with

Alastair Nicholson Alastair Bothwick Nicholson, (born 19 August 1938) is a retired Australian jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia from 1988 until 2004. Early life and education Nicholson was born in 1938 in Melbourne returning ...

and

Charles Passi Charles Passi is an Australian actor and musician from the Torres Strait Islands. His acting career began as a regular on ''RAN Remote Area Nurse ''RAN (Remote Area Nurse)'' is an Australian television program (drama series) that aired on ...

, Trevallion was one of three eminent persons engaged to provide legal, cultural and gender expertise at

culturally sensitive Cultural sensitivity, also referred to as cross-cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness, is the knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of other cultures and others' cultural identities. It is related to cultural competence (the skills needed fo ...

consultations prior to the passing of the bill on 16 July 2020. Her career as a social worker commenced in the 1970's when she enrolled in the Aboriginal Task Force, completing a Community Development Certificate in 1977 and an Associate Diploma in Social Work in 1978. In 1986, Trevallion was one of the first Torres Strait Islander social workers to graduate from the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

. During her career, Trevallion has worked as a social worker, resource officer and coordinate at various organisations and government departments. These include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medical Services, Queensland University of Technology Student Support Services, the Department of Communities, the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services and the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Counselling Service. She has served on numerous boards and committees including the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Alliance. In February 2020, Trevallion was appointed as president of the Torres Strait Islander Media Association. However, it was her advocacy and lobbying for the legal recognition of the traditional child-rearing practices of the Torres Strait as a member and president of the Kupai Omasker Working Party for which she is best known. In 2021, Trevallion was named as a Queensland Great.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trevallion, Ivy Torres Strait Islanders Australian social workers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Torres Strait Islander women 20th-century Australian people 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women 21st-century Australian people