2017-04-04
A preliminary report handed down by the UN special rapporteur on Indigenous rights on Aboriginal incarceration and child removal has thrust Australia’s inaction into the international spotlight, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.
“Our First Peoples have shouted from the rooftops how best to reduce Aboriginal incarceration and Aboriginal community organisations have clearly outlined initiatives to address child removal. Successive Governments have brazenly refused to listen. In a preliminary UN report handed to Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion, these areas of inaction have been spelled out, the Government now needs to act.
“I support the report’s recommendations to introduce justice targets, which the PM has softened on but is yet to commit to with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs is still refusing to implement, I also agree we urgently need to re-allocate money for National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, who represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“Victoria Tauli-Corpuz is right to say the Indigenous Advancement Strategy undermines self-determination and centralises service delivery. I have long held these concerns and this came out of the senate inquiry I initiated.
“Rather than chucking this preliminary report on the pile. I urge Minister Scullion to sincerely consider the positive impact he could have by implementing the recommendations outlined by the UN and in many other reports. We cannot rest on our laurels.”