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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.

When we look at the many issues that face Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, it is easy to get paralysed by their complexity, entrenched nature and the sheer size of the challenge. But as an optimist, I believe that there is a lot that we can do to address these problems. There are many different tools available to suit the varying circumstances that face our diverse communities…

5.1 Introduction The significant role of business to respect and support our human rights is increasingly being recognised. Although the protection of human rights remains the responsibility of government, business is realising that human rights are both relevant and fundamental to their operations. In many of the conversations I have had with business and community leaders across the…

1.1 Barriers People with disabilities do not enjoy equality before the law when they come into contact with the criminal justice system in Australia. Whether a person with disability is the victim of a crime, accused of a crime or a witness, they are at increased risk of being disrespected and disbelieved. If a victim, their disability may be seen to mitigate the offender’s guilt; if a…

The new arrangements for Indigenous affairs have brought about a number of changes to programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. During the past year, the Australian Government has reviewed the operation of the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) and aligned it with mainstream employment programs.

Bringing Them Home - the Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families (the National Inquiry) - made 54 'head' recommendations, 83 recommendations in total [1], to address what was referred to as 'the continuing devastation of the lives of Indigenous Australians'. The implementation of most recommendations requires action…

3.1 Introduction In chapters 1 and 2, I look back over the past 20 years that the Social Justice Commissioner position has been in place and think about the journey and our learning over this time. In this chapter, I want to explore how those lessons can take us forward to chart a confident course into the future and how the realisation of our rights can produce long term sustainable…

While feedback in relation to the legal system was actively sought throughout all of the consultations, a number of targeted consultation sessions with individuals and organisations specifically involved or engaged in the legal system were also undertaken. These included:

a) Do Indigenous peoples have a right to self-determination? b) What is Indigenous self-determination? c) Summary - Defining Indigenous self-determination

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.

1.1 Introduction 1.2 Machinery of Government changes 1.3 The 2014 Budget 1.4 Leadership, representation and engagement 1.5 Constitutional recognition 1.6 Indigenous Jobs and Training Review 1.7 Closing the Gap 1.8 Stolen Generations 1.9 International developments 1.10 Australian Human Rights Commission complaints 1.11 Conclusion 1.1 Introduction At the beginning of this reporting period, we…

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 8 recommendations – 3 in relation to the accessibility of mainstream services under the new arrangements for Indigenous affairs, 1 in relation to engaging with Indigenous communities under the new arrangements for Indigenous affairs and 4…

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.

In my role as Social Justice Commissioner I am required to produce two annual reports on Indigenous human rights issues – the Social Justice Report and the Native Title Report. The reports, which are tabled in federal Parliament, analyse the major changes and challenges in Indigenous affairs over the past year. They also include recommendations to government that promote and protect the…