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Social Justice Report 2006 Back to Contents Downloads Download the full report in PDF format (7.21 MB) Community Guide Chapters Introduction (PDF 649 KB) Chapter 1 (PDF 357 KB) Chapter 2 (PDF 1.37 MB) Chapter 3 (PDF 1.91 MB) Chapter 4 (PDF 1.24 MB) Appendix 1 (PDF 1 MB) Appendix 2 (PDF 382 KB) Appendix 3 (PDF 320 KB) Appendix 4 (PDF 314 KB) ...

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 report is provided in accordance with section 46C of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986, which provides that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is to submit a report regarding the enjoyment and exercise of human rights by Aboriginal persons and Torres Strait Islanders, and including recommendations as to the action that should be taken to ensure the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by those persons.

This report covers the period from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. It considers two issues that are of major concern to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In submitting this report I am required to make any recommendations as to actions that should be taken by governments to improve the recognition of the human rights of Indigenous people.[1] This year’s report contains 12 recommendations, which are reproduced here and discussed further in the relevant chapters.

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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities: Key issues.[1]

Homelands still belong to the people, we want to build homes on our land and live there. When we come to the homeland we come back to the peace and quiet. ... It is a much better environment on the homelands, better things for the children.[1]

[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 education, Media Release, 7 July 2006, available online at: http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Bishop/2006/07/B001070706.asp, accessed 24 January 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]

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.

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 collection of statistics has been chosen for their relevance in highlighting the key characteristics of the Indigenous population. It focuses on key areas such as health, education, employment, housing, and contact with criminal justice and welfare systems. Where possible, the data is presented in a way that identifies absolute and relative change in the situation of Indigenous peoples over the past five and ten years, and provides some international comparisons.