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The first twelve months of the federal government's new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs has ended. The primary focus of this period has been on abolishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and creating new processes to engage with local Indigenous communities and coordinate mainstream delivery of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Twelve months on, the new arrangements remain in a transitional phase. It will be a number of years before they are fully locked into place.

That the governments of Australia commit to achieving equality of health status and life expectation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people within 25 years.

This Appendix provides an overview of main events since the introduction of the new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs on 1 July 2004. It commences with a summary table and is followed by a detailed description of each event.

Members of the National Indigenous Council (NIC) will meet with Land Councils/Native Title Representative Bodies (3 June 3005) to advance their discussions on the issues surrounding Indigenous land tenure.

Obligations to ensure effective participation exist in nearly all the main human rights treaties. These obligations have been synthesised into the principle of free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples.

It is a story of colonisation; the threat of losing our cultural authority to manage our societies; and the despair that has come from that disempowerment. It is a story of grief and trauma and the continued pain of living with grog, drug and violence.

Improving the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a longstanding challenge for governments in Australia. While there have been improvements made in some areas since the 1970s (notably in reducing high rates of infant mortality1) overall progress has been slow and inconsistent. The inequality gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians remains wide and has not been progressively reduced.

Alienate: 1. To dispose of, often used in relation to an interest in land. Alienation may be formal (such as by grant or conveyance), informal and involuntary (such as compulsory acquisition by the state). 2. To sell, lease or otherwise dispose of under the Crown lands Acts or any other Act relating to alienation of Crown land: (NSW) Crown Lands Act 199 s.172(1). See also Acquisition; Conveyance; Crown land; Grant.

This report is my second as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and marks a transition from a calendar year reporting period to a financial year to comply with s.46(1)(a) of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act (1986) (Cth). As the Native Title Report 2004 reported on the period January to December 2004, this report covers the period January to June 2005.

This table includes summaries of every native title determination that occurred during this period, and notable or interesting agreements; it does not include every Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) registered or other native title agreements made over this period, due to the large volume. A snapshot of applications, determinations and ILUAs from this period is provided at the end of this table.

Improving the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a longstanding challenge for governments in Australia. While there have been improvements made in some areas since the 1970s (notably in reducing high rates of infant mortality1) overall progress has been slow and inconsistent. The inequality gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians remains wide and has not been progressively reduced.

Climate change has been regarded as a diabolical policy problem globally. The potential threat to the very existence of Indigenous peoples is compounded by legal and institutional barriers raise distinct challenges for our cultures, our lands and our resources.[1] More seriously, it poses a threat to the health, cultures and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples both here in Australia and around the world.

The Australian Government has signalled that economic development is a central focus for the Indigenous Affairs portfolio this term. The Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs, created in May 2004 to drive and coordinate the federal Government’s Indigenous policies,1 identified as one of three key areas2 for priority action:

This report has focused on proposals for the leasing or alienation of Indigenous land, with a specific focus on the Indigenous Land Tenure Principles released by the National Indigenous Council (NIC). The purpose of this Chapter is to discuss these Principles from a human rights perspective, with a particular focus on the right to development.

As my predecessor pointed out in the Native Title Report 2003, native title is a political process as well as a legal process. Indigenous people enter a relationship with the State on the basis of their identity as the traditional owner group of an area of land. In some cases native title has provided the first opportunity since colonisation for a relationship of this type to be formed.