Terri Janke is an
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
lawyer of
Wuthathi/
Meriam heritage. She is considered a leading international authority on
Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP), and is the Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company.
Early life and education
Terri Janke was born in
Cairns
Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people.
The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia, with
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 ...
(
Mer Island) and
Aboriginal (
Wuthathi) heritage, from
Cape York Peninsula
The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
in
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its Tropical North Queensland, trop ...
.
She graduated from the
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
(BA
LLB) in 1995.
In 2019, Janke completed a PhD thesis at the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
, entitled ''True Tracks: Indigenous Culture and Intellectual Property Principles for putting
self-determination
Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage.
Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
into Practice''.
She is also a graduate of the
Australian Institute of Company Directors
The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI).
History
The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...
and LEADR Mediators.
In 2021, Janke published a book based on her PhD entitled ''True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Culture'.'' The book is a resource for respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture, which draws on 20 years of her work on the True Tracks principles.
Career
Janke has worked at the National Indigenous Arts Advocacy Association, where she assisted the legal team in the leading case ''
Milpurrurru v Indofurn''. Janke has also completed work as a legal consultant with the
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on the Pacific Traditional Knowledge Action Plan.
Janke is the Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company, her wholly Indigenous-owned legal firm founded in 2000.
Terri Janke and Company specialises in Indigenous
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
, Indigenous cultural and intellectual property and
business law
Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and organizations engaged in ...
,
and is the largest and oldest Indigenous law firm in Australia.
Janke is respected as one of Australia's leading Indigenous lawyers, and is also considered an expert and international authority on Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP). She has written the leading protocols ICIP models for various industries including film, arts, museum and archival sectors.
Janke has served on the boards of many Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations and associations, with some of her previous positions including deputy chair of the
National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (Deputy Chair),
Tourism Australia
Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting Australian locations as business and leisure travel destinations. The agency is a corporate portfolio agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and ...
,
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...
(Chair) and Ngalaya Indigenous Lawyers Association (Chair), as well as at the
State Library of NSW
The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...
.
[
]
Recognition
* 2007: Highly Commended, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW Aboriginal Justice Award
*2008: invited by the Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
to be a delegate at the Australia 2020 Summit
The Australia 2020 Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held over 18–19 April 2008 at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, aiming to "help shape a long-term strategy for the nation's future". Ann ...
*2011: NAIDOC Indigenous Person of the Year
* 2012:Australian Attorney-General's Indigenous Legal Professional of the Year, 2012
* 2013: Westpac
Westpac Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney.
Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it acquired the Commerc ...
/Australian Financial Review
The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...
100 Women of Influence
* 2015: Finalist, Telstra
Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecomm ...
NSW Business Women's Awards
* Finalist, Indigenous Business, Ethnic Business Awards, 2015
* Finalist, NSW Regional Business Awards, City of Sydney, 2018
* Community Lawyer of the Year, Women Lawyers Association of NSW, 2019
* Indigenous Business Leader of the Year, MyBusiness Awards, 2019
* J.G. Crawford Prize at ANU, 2020, for her PhD thesis, ''True Tracks: Indigenous Culture and Intellectual Property Principles for putting self-determination into Practice''
*Shortlisted, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
Indigenous Writers' Prize for ''True Tracks''
Selected publications
Alongside the leading ICIP protocols and models in various sectors, Janke has many publications on the effect of the law on Indigenous peoples and culture, many of which are commissioned by both government and non-government organisations and institutions.
Papers, reports and books
* Janke, Terri, ''True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture'' (NewSouth, 2021)
* Janke, Terri, ''True Tracks: Indigenous cultural and intellectual property principles for putting self-determination into practice'' (Thesis (PhD), 2019)
*Janke, Terri and Maiko Sentina, ‘Indigenous Knowledge: Issues for protection and management’ (Discussion Paper, IP Australia
IP Australia is an Australian Government agency, responsible for administering intellectual property law in Australia. The agency manages the registration of patents, trade marks, registered designs and plant breeder's rights in Australia. ...
& Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, 2018).
* Janke, Terri and Sarah Grant, ''First Peoples: A Roadmap for Enhancing Indigenous Engagement in Museums and Galleries'' (Australian Museums and Galleries Association
The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA), formerly Museums Galleries Australia and Museums Australia, is the national professional organisation and peak council for museums and public art galleries in Australia. It advocates for ...
, 2018).
* Janke, Terri and Maiko Sentina, ''Indigenous Joint Ventures Information Guide'' (Indigenous Business Australia, 6 April 2018).
* Janke, Terri and Lucinda Edwards, ''Indigenous cultural rights and engagement policy'' (National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia (NMA), in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''Nation ...
, 2015).
* Terri Janke and Company, ''Law Way: Indigenous Business and the Law'' (2013).
* Janke, Terri, ''The Mabo Oration 2011: Follow the stars: Indigenous culture, knowledge and intellectual property rights'' (Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland, 2011).
* Janke, Terri, ''Pathways & Protocols: A filmmaker’s guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts'' (Screen Australia, 2009).
* Janke, Terri'', Beyond Guarding Ground: a Vision for a National Indigenous Cultural Authority'' (Terri Janke and Company, 2009).
* Janke, Terri, ''Code of Practice for Galleries and Retailers of Indigenous Art'' (City of Melbourne, 2007).
* Terri Janke and Company, ''Protocols for Working with Indigenous Artists'' (Australia Council for the Arts, 2007).
* Jenke, Terri, ''Butterfly Song'' (Penguin Australia, 2005)
* Janke, Terri, ''Minding Culture: Case Studies on Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions'' (World Intellectual Property Organisation, 2003).
* Mellor, Doreen and Terri Janke, ''Valuing Art, Respecting Culture – Protocols for Working with the Indigenous Visual Arts and Craft Sector'' (National Association for the Visual Arts, 2001).
* Janke, Terri, ''Our Culture: Our Future – Report on Australian Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights'' (Report commissioned by the , Michael Frankel & Company, 1998).
Journal articles and chapters in books
* Janke, Terri, 'The Streets of My Youth' (2018), '' Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia''
*Janke, Terri, ‘Protecting Indigenous Cultural Expressions in Australia and New Zealand: Two Decades After the ''Mataatua Declaration'' and ''Our Culture, Our Future''’ (2018) 114 ''Intellectual Property Forum'' 21–30.
* Janke, Terri, ‘From smokebush to spinifex: Towards recognition of Indigenous knowledge in the commercialisation of plants’ (2018) 1 ''International Journal of Rural Law and Policy'' 1-27.
* Janke, Terri, ‘Ensuring Ethical Collaborations in Indigenous Arts and Records Management’ (2017) 91(5) ''Australian Law Journal
The ''Australian Law Journal'' is an Australian peer-reviewed law journal which has been publishing since 1927. Studies have found that it is one of the most cited Australian law journals.
A 2002 study found that while on the Federal Court of A ...
'' 375-380.
* Janke, Terri, ‘Guarding ground: A vision for a national Indigenous cultural authority’ in Robert Tonkinson (ed), ''The Wentworth Lectures: Honouring fifty years of Australian Indigenous Studies'' (Aboriginal Studies Press, 2015) 258–280.
* Janke, Terri and Sarah Holcombe, ‘Patenting the Kakadu Plum and the Marjarla Tree: Biodiscovery, intellectual Property and Indigenous Knowledge’ in Matthew Rimmer and Alison McLennan (eds), ''Intellectual Property and Emerging Technologies: The New Biology'' (Edward Elgar, 2012) 293-319.
* Janke, Terri, ‘Copyright, Connections and Culture: Is there a place in the Australian arts industry for a National Indigenous Cultural Authority?’ in ''Courageous Conversations'' (Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development, 2010) 11-16.
* Janke, Terri, ‘Looking Out for Culture: Indigenous arts and cultural expression and copyright, trademarks and designs’ (2004) 26 ''Ngoonjook: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues'' 73.
* Janke, Terri, ‘Respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights’ (1999) 22(2) ''University of New South Wales Law Journal
The Faculty of Law and Justice of the University of New South Wales is a law school situated in Sydney, Australia. It is widely regarded as one of Australia's top law schools. The 2025 QS World University Rankings ranks the UNSW Law Faculty 12 ...
'' 631.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janke, Terri
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Torres Strait Islanders
University of New South Wales alumni
Australian National University alumni
21st-century Australian lawyers
Australian women lawyers
People from Cairns
21st-century women lawyers
Torres Strait Islander women