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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 left ...

State and Territory legislation, programs and policies in the areas of child welfare, adoption and juvenile justice are intended to provide a non-discriminatory framework for the administration of services. In many cases, programs are designed with the objective of reducing the extent of contemporary removals of Indigenous children and young people. In spite of this, the over-representation of Indigenous children among children living separately from their families and communities, temporarily or permanently, remains high.

The international human rights norms against which practices of racism and discrimination against Indigenous people must be judged are the guarantees of equality before the law and racial non-discrimination. These norms are recognised in every major international human rights treaty, convention and declaration. They are recognised and protected in the following instruments to which Australia is a party.

Family violence and abuse is causing untold damage to the cultures and fabric of Indigenous societies. It is damaging our communities, our families, our women, our children and our men. All Indigenous people are entitled to live their lives in safety and full human dignity - without fear of intimidation, family violence or abuse. This is their cultural and their human right. Like all Australians, Indigenous peoples are also entitled to the full and equal protection of the law.

A central function of HREOC is to undertake education programs that increase public awareness and generate discussion of human rights and anti-discrimination issues within Australia. HREOC’s legislative responsibilities are:

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.

The meeting was chaired by Ms Shobha Sharma, ECLO Coordinator, NSW Police and attended and facilitated by Omiema Sukkarieh and Susanna Iuliano from HREOC. The consultation took place as part of the ECLO Coordination Meeting and was attended by 19 of the invited participants.

The objective of the Commission’s new strategic plan is to build on the Commission’s strengths so that it is in a better position to help build an Australian culture where human rights are understood, respected and enjoyed by ‘everyone, everywhere, everyday’.

The Commission has a function of intervening, with the leave of the Court, in proceedings that involve issues of human rights, equal opportunity in employment and age, race, sex, marital status, pregnancy and disability discrimination.

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.