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The Commission has prepared a number of Summary Sheets which provide a brief overview of issues covered by the Social Justice Report 2003. Click on the links below to access:

This is my fourth Social Justice Report as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. The focus of this year’s report is family violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities.

In my role as Acting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner I am pleased to present the sixth report regarding the enjoyment and exercise of human rights by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, pursuant to section 46 of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986.

That there be established a regular federal parliamentary committee of inquiry into the progress of the new arrangements in Indigenous affairs and progress in achieving whole-of-government service delivery to Indigenous communities.

This is my sixth, and final, Social Justice Report as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. It covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

[1] The full text of the Bilateral Agreement is available online at: http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/Publications/Files/Bilateral_Agreement.pdf, accessed 24 January 2008. [2] Andrews, K., (Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations), CDEP 2006-07 To Build On Success, Media Release, 1 July 2006. [3] Bishop, J., (Minister for Education, Science and Training), Early childhood focus for Indigenous…

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 14 recommendations- 2 in relation to support for building on promising practices in family violence and child abuse and 12 in relation to the Northern Territory intervention. The report also contains 1 follow up action that my office will…

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.

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 

To develop a nationwide picture of existing government initiatives that address family violence, the Social Justice Commissioner sent correspondence to all State, Territory and relevant Australian government departments[1] requesting information on their policies and programs during the period 2006-2007.

The Social Justice Report 2002 discusses initiatives currently underway or in development at the federal, state and territory levels in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. The report commends the following positive developments in Indigenous policy:

This provides an overview of the main events leading up to the introduction of the new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs on 1 July 2004, as well as the key events which have occurred since that time to implement the new arrangements. For further detail on each of the events please refer to Appendix One.

Family violence and abuse is occurring at an unacceptable level in our Indigenous communities. It is a scourge that damages our families and communities, traumatises our women and children and tears at the fabric of our culture.

This year's Report discusses a large number of initiatives currently underway or in development at the federal, state and territory levels in relation to policy making in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. It notes for example the following positive developments in Indigenous policy:

This is my third Social Justice Report as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and covers the period 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

The most recent report on Indigenous languages in Australia, the National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) Report 2005, found that the situation of Australia’s Indigenous languages is grave and requires urgent action. Of the 145 Indigenous languages still spoken in Australia, 110 are critically endangered. All of Australia’s Indigenous languages face an uncertain future if immediate…

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…

The Government has established an expert panel in order to ensure appropriate public discussion and debate about the proposed changes and to provide an opportunity for people to express their views.

This appendix summarises the main findings from research and consultations conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission between 2001 and 2006 that relate to family violence and abuse in Indigenous communities. The summary has also been published in a more detailed research paper prepared by the Social Justice Commissioner in 2006 entitled Ending family violence and abuse in…

This document is intended to provide a brief overview of the main findings of the Social Justice Report 2002. See the executive summary of the report for a more detailed description of the reports findings.