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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 13 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 4470 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I am pleased to table in the Legislative Assembly today the 1995-96 ACT Government Implementation Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. I also intend to speak about the importance of the process of reconciliation between Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders and the non-indigenous members of the ACT community.

From the time of self-government this Assembly has supported an apolitical approach towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues in the ACT. Mr Speaker, I trust that this approach will continue, as I believe it will, as the motion that we will look at passing later was put together jointly by this Assembly today. I hope that this approach will continue so that we can all work together to reduce the historic disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders and work towards reconciliation between the indigenous and non-indigenous members of the community.

First of all, I would like to inform members of the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. These are outlined in the 1995-96 Implementation Report. There has been a lot of work done towards improving service delivery and creating opportunities for improved economic development. There has also been a strong focus on providing access and advice to government by Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.

I want to emphasise that this Government intends to keep progressing the implementation of the royal commission's recommendations in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Council which I appointed in July 1995. Indeed, monitoring the Government's commitment to the royal commission's recommendations is one of the consultative council's most important roles. This work is critical to the effective implementation of the recommendations. A senior officer has been appointed to provide policy advice to the council in its monitoring role. This position has been funded by an ATSIC grant.

Ministers and chief executives have met with council members to discuss implementation. As a result, the council is developing a work plan to audit relevant programs in each agency and will provide an independent report to me. One of the outcomes of the meetings with Ministers is that there will be specific recognition of issues relating to indigenous people in the Government's customer commitment program. In future, relevant executive performance contracts will include a performance measure relating to the implementation of the recommendations of the royal commission.

The consultative council has considered a wide range of issues and has held discussions on specific service delivery matters with agencies; advised the Government on a number of service delivery issues; provided submissions to inquiries on local and national issues affecting indigenous people in the ACT; contributed to the draft of several pieces of legislation; been briefed on a number of issues, including the budget; and disseminated information throughout the indigenous communities in the ACT.

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