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The Council of Australian Governments has agreed to a partnership between all levels of government to work with Indigenous Australian communities to achieve the target of closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. COAG committed to:

The Council of Australian Governments has agreed to a partnership between all levels of government and Indigenous Australian communities to achieve the target of closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. In relation to Indigenous Australians’ health, COAG has committed to:

During 2003, the government's approach to reconciliation has continued to be restricted to measures that fall within its 'practical' reconciliation approach. This has the consequence of there being a partial framework for progressing reconciliation with significant issues of unfinished business left in abeyance. The report establishes that progress in advancing 'practical' reconciliation over the course of the year has been variable.

I could tell you of heartbreak, hatred blind I could tell of crimes that shame mankind Of brutal wrongs and deeds malign Of rape and murder son of mine

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, I undertook to provide an annual evaluation of progress towards reconciliation as part of the social justice report.

Social Justice Report 2011 Back to Contents Appendix 2: Chronology of Events Relating to the Administration of Indigenous Affairs 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011 DATE EVENT / SUMMARY OF ISSUE 2 July 2010 Torres Strait Islander sea rights recognised by Federal Court The Federal Court recognised the Torres Strait Regional Sea Claim Group’s native title rights over about 37 800sq. km of sea between Cape ...

...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]

Our challenge for the future is to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The core of this partnership for the future is closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities.

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’s plan to preserve Indigenous languages through targeted actions. They are:

The year 2001 marked the tenth anniversary of the final report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The 5 volumes and 339 recommendations that comprise the national report of Commissioner Johnston remain among the most extensive, frank and devastating examinations of the impact of colonialism on the Indigenous peoples of this country.

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.

This will be how we assess the success or otherwise of the reconciliation process in years to come. The reconciliation process has the potential to be as significant, and difficult, as the process that led to the joining together of the states into one indissoluble federation in 1901. It challenges us to adapt the structures of society in ways that ensure that first nation peoples can participate fully, be welcomed and have our cultures respected. Integral to this process is an acknowledgement of the wrongs of the past and an acceptance of the need for a restructured relationship.

Our challenge for the future is to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The core of this partnership for the future is closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities.