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14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Introduction: A Handful of Soil
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… -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice and Native Title Report 2007 Community Guide
In my role as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 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. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Appendix 1: Letters to the Editor
After watching all the media news on the night of May 26, and all you 'Australians' ... simply refusing to say 'I'm Sorry', I felt ashamed to be an Australian and I would like to clarify the 'Sorry' issue as I understand it. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012SpeechEssentials for Social Justice: Close the Gap
Between December 2007 and July 2008 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, will deliver a series of key speeches setting out an agenda for change in Indigenous affairs. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Chapter 4: Government Responses to the Recommendations of Bringing Them Home
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… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech
Social Justice Report 2009 and the Native Title Report 2009 Launch
Good morning, I would like to begin by paying my respects to the Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation, the traditional owners of the land where we gather today. I pay my respects to your elders past and present. And thank you, Allen Madden, for your generous and warm welcome to country for all of us here at Redfern today. -
8 December 2020Book page
Part 2: Supporting strong families and communities
Learn about issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls face and the legal and social initiatives that work to address them. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Chapter 1: The Aftermath for Indigenous Peoples
It has been worth it because the wider community is more aware of the issues and our history, but the opening of the old scars has been difficult. It's vital that the truth comes out, though. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2001: Chapter 6: Reconciliation – National progress one year on
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,… -
14 December 2012Book page
Annual Report 1999-2000: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Under section 46C(1)(a) of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth), the Social Justice Commissioner is required annually to submit a report to the Attorney-General on the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Aboriginal persons and Torres Strait Islanders (the Social Justice Report). -
14 December 2012Book page
Annual Report 06-07: Chapter 6 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
I have spent a lot of time this past year convincing people from all walks of life that the challenges facing Indigenous peoples in this country are not insurmountable. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 2: Constitutional reform: Creating a nation for all of us - Social Justice Report 2010
A century ago, the Australian people engaged in a debate about creating a nation. They held meetings...They wrote articles and letters in newspapers. Many views were canvassed and voices were heard. The separate colonies, having divided up the land between them, discussed ways of sharing powers in order to achieve a vision of a united Australia. The result was the Australian Constitution,… -
Commission – General
14 December 2022Speech2022 Human Rights Day Oration by Larissa Behrendt
"No More Just Tinkering at the Edges" Human Rights Day Oration by Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO 9 December 2022 I pay my respects to the Gadigal and the Elders who have kept knowledge on this country and shared so generously this unceded land. Before I start, I would like to thank the Commission for the honour of the 2021 Human Rights Medal. The award reflects a long-term… -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 3: Remote Indigenous education: Social Justice Report 2008
...education is the engine room of prosperity and helps create a fairer, more productive society. It is the most effective way we know, to build prosperity and spread opportunity...[1] -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
8 September 2023Speech
CEW Leadership Summit
Introduction in language Hello everyone. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of Naarm, all the Countries of the Kulin Nations, and I pay my respects to Elder’s past, present and emerging. I recognise our First Women, our mothers, sisters, aunties, and daughters who have cared for our communities, shared knowledge and culture, and nurture future generations through women’s ways of… -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2003: Chapter 2: 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, participation and reconciliation.[1] Since the release of that report approximately four years ago, the key themes… -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 4: Cultural safety and security: Tools to address lateral violence - Social Justice Report 2011
Lateral violence is a multilayered, complex problem and because of this our strategies also need to be pitched at different levels. In Chapter 3 I have looked at the big picture, with the human rights framework as our overarching response to lateral violence. In this Chapter I will be taking our strategies to an even more practical level, looking at how we can create environments of cultural… -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2007 - Appendix 2
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. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2001: Chapter 4: Laws mandating minimum terms of imprisonment (‘mandatory sentencing’) and Indigenous people
On 13 April 2000, the Senate requested the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to inquire into all aspects of the agreement between the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth regarding the Territory’s mandatory sentencing regime; the consistency of mandatory sentencing regimes with Australia’s international human rights obligations; and Western Australia’s… -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 3 - Introduction: Social Justice Report 2009
When I commenced writing this chapter in 2008, Australia did not have a national Indigenous languages policy. However in August 2009, for the first time in Australia’s history, the Commonwealth Government launched a strategy for preserving Indigenous languages: Indigenous Languages - A National Approach 2009 (National Approach). The National Approach sets out the Commonwealth Government&…