Bringing-Them-Home-Report-Web

Because of their high unemployment rates, low educational levels, low family incomes, etc.,Aboriginal youth are at higher risk of offending in the first place. The introduction of far-reachingsocial justice strategies designed to address the inequitable position of Aboriginal people withinthe South Australian (and Australian) community are clearly required. But although this was oneof the key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, theextent to which this is occurring seems to be limited (Wundersitz 1996 page 205).Social justice measures taken by governments should have special regard to theinter-generational effects of past removals. Parenting skills and confidence, the capacityto convey Indigenous culture to children, parental mental health and the capacity to dealwith institutions such as schools, police, health departments and welfare departmentshave all been damaged by earlier policies of removal.Unless these conditions are altered and living conditions improved, social andfamilial disruption will continue. Child welfare and juvenile justice law, policy andpractice must recognise that structural disadvantage increases the likelihood ofIndigenous children and young people having contact with welfare and justice agencies.They must address this situation.The denial of social justice violates the basic citizenship rights of Indigenous peoplein Australia. Citizenship rights include rights to standards of health, housing, educationand equality before the law enjoyed by other Australians.There is growing concern about the abject failure of governments – state, territory andcommonwealth – to adequately address the rights of Australia’s Indigenous people. All thereports on Aboriginal services and funding are indicating that the situation for Aboriginal peopleis not improving. Health, education, housing, water, infrastructure, and roads are all basiccitizenship rights of Australians, yet Indigenous people are not receiving an equal level of serviceoutcomes (Northern Land Council submission 765 page 16).Earlier inquiries have made detailed recommendations relating to social justice.Commonwealth, State and Territory governments have committed themselves toimplement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths inCustody addressing social justice. The Inquiry commends those recommendations anddraws attention to the link between the appalling living conditions in many Indigenouscommunities and the need for a social justice response built on the right to selfdetermination.The previous Commonwealth Government committed itself to a social justicepackage as the third tidr of response to the High Court’s decision in Mabo (No 2). 3 TheCouncil for Aboriginal Reconciliation, ATSIC and the Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Social Justice Commissioner each prepared a report on how to achieve socialjustice for Indigenous Australians. The Cape York Land Council urged the Inquiry to‘strongly advocate’ to government the implementation of a social justice package(submission 576; see also Northern Land Council submission 765 pages 3 and 16).Indigenous groups argued that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice