Terri Janke

Terri Janke was born in Cairns in Queensland, Australia, with Torres Strait Islander (Mer Island) and Aboriginal (Wuthathi) heritage, from Cape York Peninsula in North Queensland.[1]

She graduated from the University of New South Wales (BA LLB) in 1995.[2]

In 2019, Janke completed a PhD thesis at the Australian National University, entitled True Tracks: Indigenous Culture and Intellectual Property Principles for putting self-determination into Practice.[3][2] She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and LEADR Mediators.[4] In 2021, Janke published a book based on her PhD entitled True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Culture[5]. The book is a resource for respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture, which draws on 20 years of her work on the True Tracks principles.[6]

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.[7]

Janke is the Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company, her wholly Indigenous-owned legal firm founded in 2000.[8] Terri Janke and Company specialises in Indigenous intellectual property, Indigenous cultural and intellectual property and business law,[8] and is the largest and oldest Indigenous law firm in Australia.[9]

Janke is respected as one of Australia's leading Indigenous lawyers,[10] 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.[2]

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),[11] Tourism Australia, National Indigenous Television (Chair) and Ngalaya Indigenous Lawyers Association (Chair), as well as at the State Library of NSW.[4]

• 2007: Highly Commended, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW Aboriginal Justice Award[12]
• 2008: invited by the Prime Minister of Australiato be a delegate at the Australia 2020 Summit[1]
• 2011: NAIDOC Indigenous Person of the Year[1]
• 2012:Australian Attorney-General's Indigenous Legal Professional of the Year, 2012[13]
• 2013: Westpac/Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence
• 2015: Finalist, Telstra 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[14]
• 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[15][16]
• Shortlisted, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers' Prize for True Tracks[17]

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.