Page 1777 - Week 06 - Thursday, 30 July 2020
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The participation of the chair on the Joint Council on Closing the Gap also ensures that advice is well informed and that the unique aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in the ACT are formally represented.
I am particularly pleased to see the amendment that allows for the functions of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body to include the ability to provide advice to any minister about the views of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the ACT. As the current minister for justice and corrections, there is no doubt that a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues is needed when considering their disproportionate over-representation in the criminal justice system. Direct advice from the elected body will definitely assist me in progressing the agenda of justice reinvestment and building communities, not prisons.
That is not to say, of course, that I have not already been informed by them or by their annual report on the outcomes of the elected body hearings, which I refer to and from which I have drawn guidance in the past. Their recommendations in regard to progressing the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement 2019-28 ensure that we remain on track and focused, and they are certainly very quick to let us know if we are not. I think that is very important.
In fact, the elected body have already played a significant role in the development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement 2019-28. It is my understanding that they, not government, determined the core and significant areas of focus. Their ability to provide clear guidance on expectations and mechanisms for reporting and holding government to account is highly valued and is a demonstration of Aboriginal-led engagement with government processes.
The agreement represents a long-term commitment to self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, ensuring that systems and processes of government better meet the needs of that community and that tangible economic and social impacts are delivered. That is our shared goal, and I am pleased to see that the elected body’s ability to provide advice to government at all levels has been strengthened. It demonstrates our commitment to walking the talk and doing it together.
I am also pleased that the amendments will allow for the public hearings of the elected body to be broadcast, as it simply makes them more accessible. I understand that the broadcasting, while not specifically required, if desired will need to be undertaken by an entity other than the Office of the Legislative Assembly and that whoever provides the broadcast will be immune from prosecution in the same way that the Assembly broadcasts have that protection. My only area of concern is, of course, ensuring that sufficient resourcing and relevant expertise are allocated for that purpose, should it be required.
I note the government amendments that have been put forward this week. I also indicate now that I support them, rather than speaking again later. I do not believe they are controversial in and of themselves. They simply make it clear that nominees for positions on the elected body do not need to disclose any political party affiliations and that the commencement date of this legislation will be the day after notification.
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