A recent case has sparked shock and outrage after a woman was accused of falsely claiming Aboriginal heritage to secure bail under Victoria’s softened laws for indigenous people. Haley Terei, a mother-of-four, was granted bail in the Supreme Court of Victoria on charges related to a high-end burglary. She claimed to be an Aboriginal woman of the Yorta Yorta nation, stating that her cultural heritage had been ‘whitewashed’ by her father after her mother’s death. Despite objections from prosecutors, Terei was released on bail by Justice Rita Incerti, citing the need to avoid compounding the incarceration rates of Aboriginal peoples.
However, Terei’s claim of Aboriginal heritage was later exposed as a lie when phone calls made by her in prison revealed that her supposedly deceased mother is not Aboriginal, but alive and living in New Zealand. This deceit led to the revocation of her bail, and she now faces charges of perverting the course of justice, which carry a maximum 25-year prison sentence.
The case has raised concerns about the potential for criminals to exploit the new bail laws intended to reduce the incarceration of Aboriginal people. Opposition spokesman Michael O’Brien highlighted the need for a system that can verify claims of Aboriginal ancestry to prevent such instances of dishonesty. Despite the deception in this case, Justice Incerti defended the current system, stating that there was no need for additional evidence beyond the assertion of Aboriginality by the accused.
The reforms in bail laws were implemented following recommendations from the coronial inquest into the death of Veronica Nelson in custody in 2020. While the intention behind these reforms is to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system, cases like Terei’s highlight the challenges of ensuring the integrity of the process. Moving forward, there may be a need to reevaluate the requirements for proving Aboriginal heritage in bail applications to prevent further abuses of the system.
