Marita O’Connell

Marita holds a Master of Occupational Therapy and was the first allied health professional to hold the post of Court Liaison in Australia. Marita worked as the Court Liaison Officer (CLO) for Forensic Mental Health Services, Tasmania for over sixteen years. In that time, she developed the role of CLO to assist the courts in managing mentally ill defendants including the introduction of the Diversion List to divert vulnerable people out of the criminal justice system. More recently, Marita has moved to a new role within the Department of Justice where she is utilising her clinical skills in a policy, program and legislative environment.  She is hopeful the Fellowship will assist to build leadership skills to fully develop this role. Her passion remains focused on access to justice for vulnerable people.