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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4307 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

continued to provide advice to government. Over the past year the consultative council have received briefings, discussed specific matters and advised the Government on the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre; the Aboriginal friends call-out scheme; the report on the mental health needs of indigenous people; the Bringing them home report; strengthening the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee; draft legislation, including the draft Coroners Bill 1997; the Commonwealth-ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education agreement; the ACT native title claim; the community role of the Aboriginal liaison officer position within the AFP, ACT Region; and the ACT-Commonwealth indigenous housing agreement. One of the council's most important tasks, set out in its terms of reference, is to monitor the Government's implementation of its commitment in response to the royal commission. There are also other specific advisory bodies or processes covering the areas of health, education, heritage, youth justice, corrective services, police, park management, and family services.

Law and legislation is the second theme of the report. The majority of the law and justice recommendations have been implemented. The situation regarding the outstanding recommendations - Nos 94, 118 and 151 - is outlined. Legislative changes of particular relevance to the indigenous community over the past year are listed. Preventing deaths in custody and reducing the incarceration rate is the third theme. The ACT has had no indigenous deaths in custody. The Government is continuing to work to ensure that this remains the case. Some examples of this approach are programs such as cross-cultural awareness training in the AFP, the Magistrates Court and Youth Justice, and the establishment of indigenous positions within government programs where they will be in contact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

An important initiative this year was the enhancement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interview friends call-out roster. After considerable consultation with the indigenous community and relevant justice agencies, the Government announced the allocation of $75,000 in the 1996-97 budget and $70,000 recurrently to fund the enhancement of the Aboriginal interview friends call-out roster. The funding allocated is to be divided between three distinct phases of the project - employment of a part-time roster coordinator, payment of a call-out fee to volunteers and an accredited training course for those volunteers. The first group of volunteers are now part way through the course and working on the roster.

The Government is implementing the principle of imprisonment as a last resort through police practices and procedures, diversionary conferencing, a community service order program and periodic detention. The following figures illustrate successful implementation of the principle. During 1996-97 nine indigenous people were involved in diversionary conferencing. That is 2 per cent of offenders. At June 1997, 37 indigenous people, or 6.9 per cent, were subject to community-based orders; and seven indigenous people, or 7.79 per cent, were subject to periodic detention orders. In relation to adult custody, in 1996-97, 35 indigenous men, or 10 per cent, were remanded in custody at the Belconnen Remand Centre, and the average percentage of ACT prisoners in New South Wales gaols who identified as indigenous was 3 per cent.

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