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Social Justice Report 2005 Media Pack back to contents Community Guide Community Guide | Community Guide in PDF Media Releases Social Justice Commissioner says results mixed in the implementation of new arrangements for Indigenous affairs (16 February 2006) Indigenous rights watchdog challenges governments to commit to health equality within a generation (16 February 2006) Speeches, Audio and ...

Australia"s sole independent watchdog on Indigenous rights and programs said the government"s progress in implementing the new arrangements for Indigenous affairs over the past 12 months has been mixed - with some significant developments in promoting whole-of-government coordination, but some worrying gaps and challenges yet to be adequately addressed.

The Social Justice Report 2005 covers the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. The Report considers progress in achieving improvements in the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and sets out a human rights framework for achieving health equality within a generation.

This report covers the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. It considers two issues that are of major concern to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Mr Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in Northern Territory, respectively. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and worked in the public sector for over 30 years.

The Social Justice Report 2005, Native Title Report 2005 and Community Guide were launched by the Social Justice Commissioner on March 31, 2006 at the Museum of Sydney.

As you may know, my role as Social Justice Commissioner requires me to produce two annual reports on Indigenous rights issues - the Social Justice Report and the Native Title Report.

The most comprehensive statement of this right is Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).1 Article 12 states:

It is with great pleasure that I present my first Social Justice Report (the Report) as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, having commenced my five-year term on 1 February 2010.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, has issued a challenge to Australian governments to address Indigenous health inequality and inequality of opportunity through a new campaign outlined in this year"s Social Justice Report.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner, Tom Calma, argues in the Native Title Report 2005 that the Australian Government's proposal to encourage individual leases on Indigenous land will not necessarily lead to improved economic outcomes for Indigenous people.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was established in 1990 by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (Cth). The Act made provisions for the establishment of 35 representative Regional Councils on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

Education In 2002, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were less than half as likely as a non-Indigenous people to have completed a post-secondary qualification of certificate level 3 or above (that is post-graduate degree, graduate diploma or certificate, bachelor degree, advanced diploma, diploma and certificate levels 3 and 4).[1] Nationally in 2004, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were half as likely to continue to year 12 as non-Indigenous students.[2]

Access to primary health care It is estimated that in 2004, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enjoyed 40% of the per capita access of the non-Indigenous population to primary health care provided by general practitioners.1

I am recommending that the governments of Australia commit to achieving equality of health status and life expectation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people within 25 years.

In accordance with the functions set out in section 46C(1) (a) of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth), this report includes 5 recommendations - 3 in relation to Achieving health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people s and 2 in relation to the new arrangement in Indigenous affairs. The report also contains 5 follow up actions that my office will undertaken over the next twelve months in relation to the new arrangements. These and the recommendations are reproduced here and appear at the relevant part of the report.

Over 1996-2001, there was an estimated difference of approximately 17 years between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous life expectation.[2]

The term 'Shared Responsibility Agreement' (SRA) describes agreements between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and groups and Australian governments based on the principle of mutual obligation. The principle of mutual obligation requires both parties, the community and the Government to each contribute towards making the agreement work. This fact sheet looks at SRAs in the light of human rights principles and considers developments during the first 12 months of SRA-making.