ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS WILL BE KOORI CHILDREN

1. Background
1.5.3 Roadmap for Reform
47. The Victorian Government announced the Roadmap
for Reform in April 2016, setting an agenda to ‘shift from
crisis response, to prevention and early intervention’.
Allocation of $168 million was announced for these
initiatives, with $16.48 million over two years allocated
specifically for improved outcomes for Aboriginal
children in out-of-home care.
48. The Roadmap for Reform acknowledges the systemic
issues and need for early intervention that has
repeatedly been identified through recent Victorian
inquiries, including the Commission’s “…as a good
parent would…” inquiry into residential care, the Royal
Commission into Family Violence, VAGO inquiries and
Victoria’s Vulnerable Children’s Inquiry.
49. The Commission welcomes these initial
announcements and commitment by government
for greater focus on early intervention and attention
to the cultural safety needs for Aboriginal children
and families and the commitment to the principle
of Aboriginal self-determination in the Roadmap
for Reform agenda.
50. The Commission considers that it is critically important
that government ensures that case management
transfer, decision-making and placement of Aboriginal
children shift from mainstream services to ACCOs.
Also of critical importance is the need for a culturally
rich and competent workforce across the welfare
sector. These are important first steps in creating much
needed change; however, there is much more that can
and should be done, which will be outlined in further
sections of this report.
1.6 Key national inquiries relating
to Aboriginal people
51. An examination of two key national inquiries follows: the
National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, and
the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
1.6.1 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths
in Custody
52. These inquiries, now over two decades old, continue
to have lasting relevance today. Many of the systemic
findings continue to be observed in our current
approaches to child welfare, policies and practices
regarding Aboriginal people. Progress by successive
governments has been poor in addressing
disadvantage and effecting change.
53. In August 1987, the RCIADIC was established to
investigate the deaths of 99 Aboriginal people who
died while in police custody or in prison between
1 January 1980 and 31 May 1989. There was community
concern about the large number of deaths and the
accompanying poor explanations for their occurrence.
The final report was delivered in 1991, and 339
recommendations were made.
54. The recommendations focused on the adequacy of the
police and coronial responses to deaths in custody;
the provision of educational, vocational and legal
services for Aboriginal youth; cultural diversity and the
need for culturally sensitive practices to be embedded
throughout the service system; managing alcohol and
substance abuse; improving police relations with and
treatment of Aboriginal people; improving custodial
care; and the continued recognition of the importance
of reconciliation.
55. The RCIADIC found that Aboriginal people did not
die at a higher rate than non-Aboriginal people in
custody; however, Aboriginal people were found to be
significantly over-represented in all forms of custody.
What the RCIADIC did find was that 66 of the 99 deaths
were Aboriginal people who had been removed as
children from their family, community and culture.
56. Accountability for the implementation of the
recommendations of the RCIADIC has been poor.
The RCIADIC was a Commonwealth undertaking,
yet the recommendations were directed at state
and territory governments to implement operational
changes. In 2005, the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Forum
completed an implementation review of the RCIADIC
recommendations. This was followed in 2015, with the
Review of the Implementation of RCIADIC, May 2015,
commissioned by Amnesty International Australia,
which found that Victoria had implemented only 27
of the recommendations made by the RCIADIC.
1.6.2 National Inquiry into the Separation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Children from Their Families
57. In August 1995, the Australian Government
commissioned the Commonwealth Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission to conduct a national
inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children from their families. The inquiry
was led by the late Sir Ronald Wilson and Professor
Mick Dodson, who was at that time the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Undertaking an extensive program of hearings across
the country, nearly 800 submissions were received
by the inquiry. The majority of submissions came
from Aboriginal individuals and groups, as well
as government and church organisations.
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