Page 1794 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 15 June 1993
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the Mabo decision goes to the heart of our relationship with and treatment of our indigenous peoples. The ACT Government is committed to the social, cultural and economic empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to the process of reconciliation.
I am pleased to advise members of the Assembly that the ACT Government has implemented a number of initiatives which contribute to the achievement of these outcomes. In March 1992 we released the ACT's response to the 339 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The response addressed issues such as law reform, policing, health, education and housing, and made a large number of positive and practical commitments to improve services and allow greater access to them by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In so doing, the response set the agenda for initiatives and reforms to advance the position of the ACT's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
On 10 December 1992 I jointly announced with the then acting chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Mr Sol Bellear, a package of initiatives worth approximately $500,000 under the national Aboriginal health strategy. The Government recognises that Aboriginal health is a priority area for action and, through our participation in the health strategy, we are continuing to work towards real improvements in the well-being of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders in the ACT. Members of the Bogong Regional Council played an active role in the development of the package, and their involvement is indicative of the positive and productive links which have been established between the council and the ACT Government.
On 24 March 1993 I announced the formation and membership of the ACT Aboriginal Advisory Council. One of the council's first tasks will be to advise the Government of the form of the proposed Aboriginal keeping place and cultural centre for which the Government has set aside $2.5m from the casino premium. The council was established to provide an effective mechanism for consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to address their particular needs, and to enable the community to participate in decisions which affect them. The council advises me on matters relating to the interests and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT, and on policies and programs to meet their needs. The council will also play an important role in working with the Government to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
The formation of the council was a major step in the Government's response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and was part of the Government's observance of the International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The advisory council met for the first time in April 1993 and has been giving early consideration to the ways in which the international year should continue to be celebrated in the ACT. The advisory council has been working closely with ACT government agencies to discuss details of proposals to celebrate the international year. In involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the advisory council in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs which affect them, I believe that we are well on the way to meeting the aims and objectives of the year. The theme of the international year is "Indigenous peoples - A new partnership", and it is this spirit of reconciliation that the Government also seeks to bring to the issues surrounding Mabo.
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