Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (30 November) . . Page.. 3516 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I move:

Mr Speaker, on 26 May 1997, the Commonwealth government tabled the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's Bringing them home report. This report contained 54 recommendations from the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

The ACT government responded formally to the recommendations contained in the Bringing them home report for the first time in 1998. This response outlined proposed government initiatives to support families and assist in the healing process, individual responses to the 54 recommendations of the report, and key measures already implemented along with relevant policies and practices.

As recommended by the Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, the 1999-2000 report covers a financial year and takes a thematic approach under three headings. The first is "Bringing them home-the journey revisited", which outlines the background to this report, including developments in implementing the recommendations so far.

The second is "Acknowledgments and reunion", which describes new activities and progress relating to acknowledgment, apology, family tracing and reunion. The third is "Rehabilitation and self-determination", which addresses recent developments in areas such as wellbeing, healing and guarantees against repetition.

Mr Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the Canberra Journey of Healing Network, formerly the Canberra Sorry Day Network. The network, through its implementation task force, has provided valuable community feedback on implementation issues.

The government has once again honoured its commitments and has made some very significant achievements, including the graduation of two trainees, one male and one female, from the ACT government sponsored mental health worker program at Charles Sturt University; the production of a reconciliation week concert entitled Horizons-Students Dreaming Reconciliation, by ACT and New South Wales government schools and ACT independent and Catholic schools; and the establishment of the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee to assist indigenous people to participate in the decision-making processes that impact on indigenous people in the criminal justice area.

Further achievements included the establishment of an indigenous youth accommodation service to provide medium-term and crisis accommodation; the establishment of an indigenous foster care program which comes under the auspices of Open Family Inc ACT and is run by an indigenous committee with indigenous staff; and the establishment of a designated position for an indigenous liaison officer at the Belconnen Remand Centre to provide support and assistance to indigenous detainees as well as liaise with indigenous health organisations and relevant community support groups.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .