Search results

1.1 Introduction This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner (Social Justice Commissioner) role under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth). When I first started in this position I was asked if any of the previous Commissioners had left any words or notes of advice. I answered them ‘no, but they all…

Social Justice Report 2006 Back to Contents Appendix 1: Chronology of events relating to the administration of Indigenous affairs, 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2006 This appendix provides an overview of the main events with regard to the administration of Indigenous affairs to 30 June 2006. It commences with a summary table and is followed by a detailed description of each event. Date Event/summary…

The removal of the children from Wave Hill by MacRobertson Miller aircraft was accompanied by distressing scenes the like of which I wish never to experience again. The engines of the 'plane are not stopped at Wave Hill and the noise combined with the strangeness of an aircraft only accentuated the grief and fear of the children, resulting in near-hysteria in two of them. I am convinced that the…

Social Justice Report 2011 Back to Contents Chapter 3: A human rights-based approach to lateral violence Chapter 1: The Year in Review Chapter 2: Lateral violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Chapter 3: A human rights-based approach to lateral violence 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Human rights and lateral violence (a) The Declaration (b) Applying the principles of the…

This table provides a collective overview of the responses made by governments to the Inquiry's Recommendations. Analysis of government responses together with details of individual government initiatives, where they are known, are provided in the body of the Implementation Report.

Social Justice Report 2003 back to contents Chapter two: Reconciliation and government accountability In the Social Justice Report 1999, my first report as Social Justice Commissioner, I identified four key themes and challenges that existed in the approach of the federal government to Indigenous policy making at the time. These were moving beyond welfare dependency, accountability,…

This appendix contains the survey form that my Office compiled and sent to all Indigenous communities and organisations that had entered into a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA) with the federal government by 31 December 2005. By this date 108 SRAs had been finalised, and they involved 124 communities.

The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) (RDA) makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. The proscriptions of unlawful discrimination in the RDA potentially apply to Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs), including:

In its final recommendations, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation proposed that there be a legislative requirement for the Social Justice Commissioner to monitor progress towards reconciliation on an annual basis. In the Social Justice Report 2000 it was noted that while legislative amendment to this end was desirable, this task could be undertaken under my existing functions. Accordingly,…