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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 3 Hansard (6 March) . . Page.. 607 ..
MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):
5. reconciliation.
The majority of the royal commission's recommendations have been addressed. However, a number of recommendations address particular organisations, programs or circumstances that are not relevant to the ACT government's jurisdiction, and these have been identified accordingly in the report.
Following the 1997 Ministerial Summit on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, all states and territories except the Northern Territory agreed to develop strategic plans that would address the issues underlying deaths in custody. Subsequently, the key issue for the ACT government is the development and implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy framework and associated strategic plans addressing justice, health, housing, education, training and employment. These are discussed in part 6 of the report.
In the reporting period, the framework was developed in draft and was circulated in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people representative bodies. The plans for health and employment have been completed and released. The plan for justice is in development by the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee, with the consultation stage having begun in September of last year. The plans for education and training are in development and will be in keeping with related national plans.
As noted in the report, there have been no Aboriginal deaths in custody in the ACT. I am also pleased to report that the number of Aboriginal people processed through the police watch-house decreased across all categories between the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 financial years. There were particularly notable reductions in the number of juveniles arrested or taken into protective custody over this period.
The report demonstrates the effort made by this government to address the wider issues underlying deaths in custody. This is with the aim not only of preventing future deaths in custody but of reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the justice system and improving the overall quality of life for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in this territory.
In keeping with the aim of improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Council of Australian Governments agreed in November 2000 to develop a national framework for benchmarking, monitoring and reporting on outcomes for indigenous people. COAG identified three priority areas as follows:
1. investing in community leadership initiatives;
2. reviewing and re-engineering programs and services to ensure they deliver practical measures that support families, children and young people, particularly in the area of family violence, drug and alcohol dependency and other symptoms of community dysfunction; and
3. forging greater links between indigenous communities and the business sector to help promote economic independence.
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