2015-12-02
Questions without Notice today have revealed the Government is still not planning to introduce Justice Targets despite evidence it could reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates, said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.
“Today in the Senate I pointed to an important report by the Change the Record Coalition on Aboriginal incarceration and violence through Questions Without Notice and a supported motion.
“This Blueprint for Change in Closing the Gap on incarceration and violence must be considered by the Government.
“In the last decade there has been an 88% increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration, this is not good enough.
“The Change the Record report also shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are now 13 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous Australians, amongst other worrying statistics that represent a failure to Close the Gap.
“I urge the Government to heed the calls of the Senate and work with State and Territory Governments to Close the Gap in imprisonment rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“We must urgently move towards Closing the Gap on imprisonment rates, and rates of violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.
Motion reads:
Senator Siewert: To move—That the Senate—
(a) notes:
(i) the report from the Change the Record Coalition, Blueprint for change: Changing the record on the disproportionate imprisonment rates, and rates of violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and
(ii) that the Change the Record Coalition is a significant group of leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, human rights, legal and community organisations
(b) acknowledges that:
(i) in the past 10 years we have seen an 88 per cent increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison,
(ii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 13 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous Australians, and
(iii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence than non-Indigenous women; and
(c) calls for:
(i) Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work together to close the gap in imprisonment rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and cut disproportionate rates of violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly women and children, and
(ii) urgent and coordinated national action to close the gap in imprisonment rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cut disproportionate rates of violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly women and children.
Questions without notice read:
To the Minister for Indigenous Affairs:
Given that when the Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody was established, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People were 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than non- indigenous Australians and now Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People are 13 times more likely to be incarcerated.
1. What is the Government going to do to address this issue? Will you establish a national whole-of-government approach as called for by Change the Record Coalition?
1. How many of the recommendations from the Royal Commission Deaths in Custody have been implemented? Does the Government have a plan to implement the remainder of the recommendations?
2. Given the appalling gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal incarceration rates will the government introduce justice targets?