Tag Archives: Australian Human Rights Commission

NACCHO Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Children’s Health : Download @AusHumanRights Children’s Rights Report 2019 — In Their Own Right : Our kids continue to face significant disadvantage across a range of domains

“ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia continue to face significant disadvantage across a range of domains relevant to their rights and wellbeing, including in relation to health and education outcomes, discrimination, exposure to family violence, and overrepresentation in child protection and youth justice systems.

Most recommendations made throughout this report apply to all children living in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

However, given the significant disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, this chapter (12 ) contains recommendations which are specific to their circumstances.”

Extract from Australia’s first Children’s Commissioner, Megan Mitchell who today launched her final report – one of the most comprehensive assessments of children’s rights ever produced in Australia.

See Pages 256 to 271 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children or read Health extract below

Download full report 300 + Pages 

childrensrightsreport_2019_ahrc

Read over 380 Aboriginal Children’s Health articles published by NACCHO over the past 8 years

AHRC Press Release 

The report makes clear that the mental health of Australian children is not being cared for sufficiently and that Governments must do more to ensure children’s wellbeing.

Commissioner Mitchell said: “Not only do children require better access to mental health services, but they also need earlier intervention and higher quality care.”

The report calls on the Federal Government to develop a National Plan for Child Wellbeing and to appoint a Cabinet level Minister with responsibility for children’s issues at the national level.

National data shows one in seven children aged four to 17 were diagnosed with mental health disorders in a 12-month period, and rates of suicide and self-harm are increasing.

Suicide was the leading cause of death for children aged five to 17 in 2017, and Indigenous children accounted for almost 20% of all child suicides. There were 35,997 hospital admissions for self-harm in the ten years to 2017.

Other urgent concerns highlighted in the report include that, from 2013 to 2017 there was a 27% increase in reported substantiations of child abuse and neglect. The number of children in out-of- home care has increased by 18% over the last five years. Also, approximately 17% of children under the age of 15 live in poverty.

Commissioner Mitchell said: “The increase in neglect and abuse of children is a particularly worrying trend, as is the increase in children living in out of home care. We must do better.”

The report shows children in vulnerable situations suffer most through a lack of government focus. This includes Indigenous children, children with a disability, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and LGBTI children.

Commissioner Mitchell said: “There is a gap between the rights we have promised vulnerable children and how those rights are implemented. It is vital that we address the gap in order to better protect children’s rights.”

Attorney General Christian Porter tabled the report in Parliament on Thursday, 6 February.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the oldest civilisation on earth, extending back over 65,000 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are vastly diverse in culture, language and in spiritual beliefs.[i] At the time of colonisation, there were over 500 separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations, over 250 languages spoken, and 800 dialectical varieties.[ii]

In its Concluding Observations (2019), the Committee on the Rights of the Child urged the Australian Government to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their communities are meaningfully involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies concerning them.[iii]

Health Inequality 

The disparity in health status between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their non-Indigenous counterparts remains a crucial human rights issue within Australia.[iv] This is despite the investment in Closing the Gap—a national strategy to reduce health and related inequalities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which has been in place since 2008.

In its Concluding Observations (2019), the Committee on the Rights of the Child urged the Australian Government to promptly address the disparities in the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.[v]

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported in 2018 that there are major gaps in data on important health issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.[vi] This includes culturally-appropriate data that measures wellbeing, treatment of mental health conditions, sexual health (including use of contraception and sexual health services), and use of primary health care services.[vii]

It pointed out that data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 10–14 years is limited, compared to those aged 15–19 and 20–24, as both the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Health Survey 2012–13 and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2014–15 were more focused on adults.[viii] 

In 2018–19, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) has, for the first time, included up to two child members of each selected household aged 0 to 17.[ix] The results from NATSIHS 2018–19 will be available in late 2019.[x] The inclusion of those aged 0 to 17 is a welcome addition.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) also welcomes Mayi Kuwayu: The National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing and hopes that it will collect data on children aged 0–17.[xi]

Child mortality

Since the Closing the Gap target baseline was set in 2008, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child mortality rates have declined by 10%.[xii]

However, the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and non-Indigenous children has not narrowed, because the non-Indigenous rate has declined at a faster rate.[xiii] It is for this reason that measuring the gap is not always helpful.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants are three times as likely as non-Indigenous infants to die between one and six months of age, and twice as likely to die for all other age categories except for one day to one week old, where the risks are equivalent.[xiv]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 2.1 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday compared to their non-Indigenous peers.[xv]

Ear disease

Ear disease is a significant health issue facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–14 are 2.9 times more likely to have long-term ear or hearing problems compared with non-Indigenous children.[xvi]

Limited access to primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can result in delayed diagnosis, treatment and management of health conditions.

Long-term ear or hearing problems are linked to delays in speech and language development.[xvii] These can have lasting impacts on educational and workforce outcomes.

The AIHW pointed out in its report on Australia’s Health 2018 that there is no national statistical profile of ear disease and associated hearing loss for Aboriginal and Torres Strait children based on diagnostic assessment. It argued that, without good-quality surveillance, it is difficult to understand the size and key determinants associated with the hearing problem.[xviii]

Obesity

The most recent data available from the AIHW shows that in 2012–13, 30% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 were overweight or obese, compared with 25% of their non-Indigenous counterparts.[xix]

One in five (20%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 were overweight and one in ten (10%) were obese. At age 15–17, 35% were overweight or obese. About one in five (21%) were overweight, while about one in seven (14%) were obese.[xx]

Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys aged 2–14, 18% were overweight and 10% were obese. At age 15–17, 21% were overweight and 17% were obese. Among girls aged 2–14 and those aged 15–17, 21% were overweight and 11% were obese.[xxi]

Children with obesity are more likely to be obese as adults and have an ‘increased risk of developing both short and long-term health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease’.[xxii]

Mental health

The likelihood of probable serious mental illness has been found to be consistently higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children compared to their non-Indigenous peers.[xxiii]

National Coronial Information System data show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 4–17 accounted for 19.2% of all child deaths due to suicide between 2007–15. [xxiv] Specifically, there were:

  • one to three deaths in the 4–9 year age range
  • one to three deaths in the 10–11 year age range
  • 12 deaths in the 12–13 year age range
  • 45 deaths in the 14–15 year age range
  • 62 deaths in the 16–17 year age range. [xxv]

The AIHW collects hospital data on intentional self-harm. Children who engage in intentional self-harm, with or without suicidal intent, often only experience hospitalisation because they cannot manage their injury without medical intervention. Approximately 8% of hospitalisations for intentional self-harm between 2007–08 and 2016–17 involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.[xxvi] Of the 2,928 hospitalisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, 17 (<1%) were for children aged 3–9, 859 (29%) were for children aged 3–14 and 2,052 (70%) were for children aged 15–17.[xxvii]

In its Concluding Observations (2019), the Committee on the Rights of the Child called on the Australian Government to prioritise mental health service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, including addressing the underlying causes of children’s suicide and poor mental health.[xxviii]

Sexual health

The fertility rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers are approximately 5.8 times the rate for non-Indigenous teenagers (52 per 1,000 females compared to nine per 1,000 females).[xxix]

The Committee on the Rights of the Child in its Concluding Observations (2019) specifically called for the Australian Government to strengthen its measures to prevent teenage pregnancies among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls, including by providing culturally sensitive and confidential medical advice and services. [xxx]

The levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in children, especially those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, are particularly concerning. The rates of infection within these communities are recognised as being the highest of any identifiable population in Australia.[xxxi]

For example, 2016 data from the Northern Territory, shows there were 161 notified cases of chlamydia in Aboriginal children under 16 years compared to three cases in non-Indigenous children; 186 notified cases of gonorrhoea in Aboriginal children under 16 years compared to one case in a non-Indigenous child; 26 notified cases of syphilis in Aboriginal children under 16 years with no notified cases for non-Indigenous children; and 240 notified cases of trichomoniasis in Aboriginal children under 16 years with no notified cases for non-Indigenous children.[xxxii]

Aboriginal Medical Services play a crucial role in providing health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Research has suggested that ‘one of the most productive ways forward with regards to improving knowledge and increasing safe sex practice among young Aboriginal people is through community-controlled organisations’.[xxxiii]

[i] Reconciliation Australia, Share Our Pride, Our shared history (2019) <http://shareourpride.reconciliation.org.au/sections/our-shared-history/&gt;.

[ii] Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Indigenous Australian Languages, 2019 (14 March 2019) <https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/indigenous-australian-languages&gt;.

[iii] United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations on the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Australia, 82nd Sess, UN Doc CRC/C/AUS/CO/5-6 (30 September 2019) para 46(a).

[iv] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Trends in Indigenous Mortality and Life Expectancy 2001–2015 (Report, 1 December 2017) vii.

[v] United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations on the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Australia, 82nd Sess, UN Doc CRC/C/AUS/CO/5-6 (30 September 2019) para 36(a).

[vi] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent and youth health and wellbeing 2018 (Report, 2018) xii.

[vii] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent and youth health and wellbeing 2018 (Report, 2018) xii.

[viii] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent and youth health and wellbeing 2018 (Report, 2018) 6.

[ix] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (2018) <www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/Home/Survey+Participant+Information+-+National+Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Health+Survey>.

[x] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (2018) <www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/Home/Survey+Participant+Information+-+National+Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Health+Survey>.

[xi] Mayi Kuwayu: The National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing (2019) <https://mkstudy.com.au/&gt;.

[xii] Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Closing the Gap Report: Prime Minister’s Report 2019 (Report, 2019) 10 <https://ctgreport.niaa.gov.au/&gt;.

[xiii] Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Closing the Gap Report: Prime Minister’s Report 2019 (2019) 10 <https://ctgreport.niaa.gov.au/&gt;.

[xiv] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s health 2018 (Report, 2018) 317 <www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/7c42913d-295f-4bc9-9c24-4e44eff4a04a/aihw-aus-221.pdf.aspx?inline=true>.

[xv] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s health 2018 (Report, 2018) 31 <www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018/contents/table-of-contents>.

[xvi] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s health 2018 (Report, 2018) 322 <www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018/contents/table-of-contents>.

[xvii] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s health 2018 (Report, 2018) 321 <www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018/contents/table-of-contents>.

[xviii] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s health 2018 (Report, 2018) 329 <www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018/contents/table-of-contents>.

[xix] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, A Picture of Overweight and Obesity in Australia 2017 (Report, 2017) 14 <https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/172fba28-785e-4a08-ab37-2da3bbae40b8/aihw-phe-216.pdf.aspx?inline=true&gt;.

[xx] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Overweight and obesity: an interactive insight: A web report (19 July 2019) <www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/overweight-obesity/overview>.

[xxi] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Overweight and obesity: an interactive insight: A web report (19 July 2019) <www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/overweight-obesity/overview>.

[xxii] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Children Who are Overweight or Obese (2009) 1 <www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/LookupAttach/4102.0Publication24.09.093/$File/41020_Childhoodobesity.pdf>.

[xxiii] Mission Australia, Youth Survey Report 2017 (2017) 4 <www.missionaustralia.com.au/publications/research/young-people>.

[xxiv] National Coronial Information System. Report prepared for the National Children’s Commissioner on Intentional Self-Harm Fatalities of Persons under 18 in Australia 2007–2015. Report prepared on 07/02/2018.

[xxv] National Coronial Information System. Report prepared for the National Children’s Commissioner on Intentional Self-Harm Fatalities of Persons under 18 in Australia 2007–2015. Report prepared on 07/02/2018.

[xxvi] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Data request Specification on self-harm prepared for the Australian Human Rights Commission 2007-2008 to 2016-17 (2018).

[xxvii] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Data request Specification on self-harm prepared for the Australian Human Rights Commission 2007-2008 to 2016-17 (2018).

[xxviii] United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations on the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Australia, 82nd Sess, UN Doc CRC/C/AUS/CO/5-6 (30 September 2019) para 38(a), (b).

[xxix] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Children’s Headline Indicators: Teenage Births (2018) <www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/childrens-headline-indicators/contents/indicator-14>.

[xxx] United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations on the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Australia, 82nd Sess, UN Doc CRC/C/AUS/CO/5-6 (30 September 2019) para 39(a).

[xxxi] Royal Commission and Board of Inquiry into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory (Final Report, 2017) vol 3b, 82.

[xxxii] Royal Commission and Board of Inquiry into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory (Final Report, 2017) vol 3b, 82.

[xxxiii] The Kirby Institute, Sexual Health and Relationships in Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Results from the first national study assessing knowledge, risk practices and health service use in relation to sexually transmitted infections and blood borne viruses (Report, 2014) 54.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health report alert : 2016 #AHRC Social Justice / Close the Gap report released

social-justice

   “ The Australian Government follow through on the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 by:

  • providing new, quarantined funding for each of the activities outlined in that plan; and
  • continuing to work with the National Health Leadership Forum to oversee the progress of the plan. “

  Recommendation 7 see all 28 recommendations below

“Indigenous people are self-determining and resilient. We can provide clear input on policy, based on evidence and experience. The question is, when will governments listen?

“Governments and their policymakers must listen to, value and implement the practical solutions proposed by Indigenous Australians,”

Deputy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Robynne Quiggin

The Social Justice and Native Title Report 2016, tabled today 3 December  in Federal Parliament, includes an agenda for reform based on solutions proposed by Indigenous Australians.

DOWNLOAD the Social Justice report here : ahrc_sjntr_2016

Or Word file copy here

Close the Gap

This year also marks 10 years since the beginning of the Close the Gap Campaign on 17 March 2006. The response of the Australian Government to the campaign has led to a broader community understanding of the challenges for addressing Indigenous health inequality, and has led governments to make substantial improvements to their policies and programs nationwide.

This has included through the adoption of benchmarks and targets over a 25 year period, and significant reforms to inter-governmental funding arrangements to meet these. Solid progress has been made over the last decade, including in the areas of infant and child health, smoking rates and increased access to medicines.10

There is still a long way to go to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within a generation, but it is important to acknowledge that sustained change is a long term goal. It will require consistent and concerted efforts to maintain funding and policy directions and support direct initiatives such as community controlled medical services.

DOWNLOAD the previous released Close the Gap Report referred to here

progress_priorities_report_ctg_2016_0

Australian Human Rights Commission President, Gillian Triggs, said governments must genuinely engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to address issues such as property rights, justice targets and escalating incarceration rates.

Professor Triggs, who is acting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, said significant numbers of Indigenous Australians are passing away from violence, illness or a combination of both while detained by the state.

“This rate of incarceration and death, 25 years after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, is intolerable,” Professor Triggs said.

Deputy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Robynne Quiggin, said reforms proposed by Indigenous Australians during the year include:

  • Delivering on measures set out in the Redfern Statement
  • Implementing reforms developed by the Indigenous Property Rights Project
  • Allowing income programs to be opt-in

Ms Quiggin said these initiatives, together with continuing consultations on constitutional recognition, would enable structural change and deliver a system which values Indigenous knowledge and the human rights of Indigenous peoples.

The Social Justice and Native Title Report 2016 is the seventh and final report covering the term of the previous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda.

Commissioner Gooda resigned in August 2016 to join the Royal Commission into the Child Protection and Youth Detention Systems of the Northern Territory.

Text Box 1.2: Call for Action by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations[i]
  Commit to resource Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led solutions, by:

Restoring, over the forward estimates, the $534 million cut from the Indigenous Affairs portfolio in the 2014 Budget to invest in priority areas outlined in this statement; and

Reforming the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and other Federal funding programs with greater emphasis on service/need mapping (through better engagement) and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations as preferred providers.

Commit to better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through their representative national peaks, by:

Funding the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) and all relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations and forums; and

Convening regular high level ministerial and departmental meetings and forums with the Congress and the relevant peak organisations and forums.

Recommit to Closing the Gap in this generation, by and in partnership with COAG and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:

Setting targets and developing evidence-based, prevention and early intervention oriented national strategies which will drive activity and outcomes addressing:

  • family violence (with a focus on women and children);
  •  incarceration and access to justice;
  •  child safety and wellbeing, and the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care; and
  •  increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access to disability services;

Secure national funding agreements between the Commonwealth and States and Territories (like the former National Partnership Agreements), which emphasise accountability to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and drive the implementation of national strategies.

Commit to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to establish a Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in the future, that:

  •  Is managed and run by senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants;
  •  Brings together the policy and service delivery components of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs and ensures a central department of expertise;
  •  Strengthens the engagement for governments and the broader public service with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the management of their own services.

Commit to addressing the unfinished business of reconciliation, by:

Addressing and implementing the recommendations of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, which includes an agreement making framework (treaty) and constitutional reform in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

[i] Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations Unite, ‘The Redfern Statement’ (Group statement, 9 June 2016) 5, 15-17 <http://nationalcongress.com.au/the-redfern-statement/>.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: The Australian Government follow up the initial meetings with Indigenous leadership with regular consultations which materially inform policy and legislation impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Recommendation 2: The Australian Government pursue the key priorities for change and recommendations outlined in the Redfern Statement, utilising the Council of Australian Governments and other processes to engage states and territories.

Recommendation 3: The Australian Government establish and promote a monitoring and reporting framework to measure government progress in relation to Indigenous child welfare.

Recommendation 4: The Australian Government, as a matter of urgency, support the development of justice targets, Justice Reinvestment initiatives and other evidence based state and territory legislative, administrative and service delivery initiatives that will contribute to substantial reductions in Indigenous incarceration rates.

Recommendation 5: The Australian Government prioritise early intervention and prevention initiatives that provide comprehensive support and protection from violence to vulnerable Indigenous populations including women, children and the elderly.

Recommendation 6: The Australian Government ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).

Recommendation 7: The Australian Government follow through on the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 by:

  • providing new, quarantined funding for each of the activities outlined in that plan; and
  • continuing to work with the National Health Leadership Forum to oversee the progress of the plan.

Recommendation 8: The Australian Government work with the Western Australian Government to ensure that the principles of free, prior and informed consent underpin the consultation with Aboriginal peoples regarding any proposed land tenure changes as a part of its Regional Services Reform policy.

Recommendation 9: The Australian Government support the outcomes of the national consultations conducted by the Referendum Council.

Recommendation 10: The Australian Government include the United Nations on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in the definition of human rights in the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 (Cth) and review existing legislation, policies and programmes for conformity with the UNDRIP.

Recommendation 11: The Australian Government encourage state and territory governments to consult with Indigenous peoples about the need to establish or re-establish stolen wages reparations schemes.

Recommendation 12: The Australian Government should make the Cashless Debit Card and the Community Development Program in remote communities’ voluntary, opt-in schemes (See Social Justice Native Title Report 2015, Recommendation 5).

Recommendation 13: The Australian Government conduct independent evaluations of the Cashless Debit Card Trials and Community Development Program which involve participation and feedback from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples directly affected and make these evaluations publically available.

Recommendation 14: The Australian Government work with the states, territories and relevant stakeholders including the National Native Title Tribunal, to ensure the integration of key information about the Indigenous Estate on state and territory land title information systems.

Recommendation 15: The Australian Government support Indigenous land holders to more comprehensively map the extent of their Indigenous Estate.

Recommendation 16: The Australian Government support the Indigenous Strategy Group’s endorsed model(s) for long-term leasing.

Recommendation 17: The Australian Government support the review of state and territory land use planning regimes in consultation with Indigenous organisations to ensure the Traditional Owners of the Indigenous Estate can exercise the right to free, prior and informed consent regarding land use planning decisions.

Recommendation 18: The Australian Government:

  • recognise the key roles that native title Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs), Native Title Representative Bodies and Service Providers (NTRB/SPs), the National Native Title Council and locally based, Indigenous-led specialist cultural and economic development organisations play in driving and supporting economic development on the Indigenous Estate; and
  • ensure these Indigenous-led organisations are properly funded and supported to carry out this important work, in addition to any statutory duties they may have.

Recommendation 19: The Australian Government support locally based research and scoping initiatives to identify Indigenous-led economic development opportunities suited to the unique land holdings and strengths of Traditional Owner groups, including opportunities to develop the cultural economy, partner with local operations and ‘tap in’ to industry initiatives in the broader region.

Recommendation 20: The Australian Government fund effective, applied training in business and other skills to build the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander directors and managers.

Recommendation 21: The Australian Government support the analysis of risks for both Indigenous land holders and financial institutions with the objective of developing a new risk framework to underpin decision making, investment and business practices regarding the Indigenous Estate in partnership with Indigenous people and financial institutions.

Recommendation 22: The Australian Government support legislative and policy measures to allow Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) to freely choose the best incorporation method for their purposes and support the regulators to assist PBCs in governance and incorporation matters.

Recommendation 23: The Australian Government continue to support and resource locally designed employment programs including ranger and other culturally based land management programs beyond the current 2020 commitment.

Recommendation 24: The Australian Government support the development of tailored governance arrangements and other tools to support effective benefit sharing and wealth management strategies.

Recommendation 25: The Australian Government work with the states and territories to avoid limiting recognition of native title rights to take resources in consent determinations.

Recommendation 26: The Australian Government prioritise funding Native Title Representative Bodies and Native Title Service Providers (NTRB/SPs) to pursue native title compensation claims on behalf of their clients through litigation or agreement making.

Recommendation 27: The Australian Government continue to support and resource the Australian Human Rights Commission to facilitate the Indigenous Property Rights Project with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, government and other stakeholders, in order for the agenda developed by the Indigenous Strategy Group to be further advanced and achieved.

Recommendation 28: The Australian Government, in cooperation with representative bodies, use the UNDRIP to develop subject specific indicators and work with the Australian Human Rights Commission to monitor the implementation of UPR recommendations relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

 

NACCHO racism and Aboriginal health news: Support STAR Standing Together Against Racism in health

Austmap

The STAR Project is about Standing Together Against Racism in health care and health professional education.

Tragically, racism remains common in Australian health services.

While there is an anti-racism strategy for sport, there is none yet for health where it affects Australia’s most vulnerable people.

Most health students and staff don’t like racism in health care.

However, they also tell us that they don’t quite know what to do when they see it – is it their responsibility, might there be retaliation, do they have the skills to handle it effectively?

MORE INFO HERE

The STAR Project gives all health students & staff members the chance to:-

ªMake a dignified, personal statement against racism
ªGain confidence & develop skills to handle racism
ªShow targets of racism that most health staff are their allies
ªHelp build a culture of anti-racism in health care

Racism Makes People Sick

The saying racism makes us sick is actually true, not just in the sense that most health students and staff are appalled by it.  Evidence clearly shows the patho-physiological pathway that links racism to stress and to poorer mental and physical health.  Smoking is not tolerated in health services as it is a health hazard.  So why racism is still tolerated?

People who are most targeted by racism are usually those who also most need health care. When people experience racism, they, their family & their community, are less likely to:-
ª  Trust health staff and fellow students
ª  Access education and health care
ª  Become true partners in their own education and health care

Where the STAR Project comes from


STAR was begun by students & staff at the Faculty of Medicine, Health & Molecular Sciences at James Cook University. They have come across many students & colleagues around Australia who wanted to do something to stop racism in health. So they initiated the STAR Project.

Racism demeans the work of decent health students and staff.  It makes study & workplace environments hostile for both the targets and bystanders of racism. The STAR Project acknowledges that staff may sometimes be the targets of racism from the public and that this can be hurtful.

However, this racism does not carry the power of racism coming from staff and it is racism in our own ranks that we can do something about.

ª The gold star symbolises hope for change

ª The stethoscope is a universal tool of the health professions

ª Each point stands for 1 word à Stand – Together – Against – Racism

ª It is a classy, little, 20 mm badge – anti-racists are the classiest!

ª For busy anti-racist – it is comes out of the wash untarnished

Wearing a little, gold badge will not get rid of racism in health on its own. Racism is endemic in health services & goes much deeper than the cruel, everyday racism that health students, staff and patients encounter. But, STAR is one way of bringing focus to racism in health care..


STAR supports Australia’s anti-racism strategy

Greg

STAR supports the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (HRC) new anti-racism strategy,   Racism: It Stops With Me. There is an anti-racism strategy for sport, but not for health. Health services should be safe places, free from discrimination, for patients, families, staff & students.

Health care should set an example, not lag behind in our greatest national challenge, to CLOSE THE GAP. It is hoped that STAR will support the great work of HRC & demonstrate to them that health students & staff have an appetite for an anti-racism strategy for health.

Show your support for the STAR Project

Our aim is to have 100 000 health staff and students wearing STAR badges on their lapels, lanyards and stethoscopes. We would like to see workplaces become racism unfriendly.

For more information, or to order  STAR  stickers, brochures. badges for lanyards & stethoscopes and mugs, for you or your students and fellow staff at the

www.starproject.co

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NACCHO health and racism news:Adam Goodes and Aussie stars unite to stamp out racism

 

 258820-130525-adam-goodes

The racist incident at the Swans vs Collingwood game last Friday night should not overshadow the magnificent performance by Adam Goodes (pictured above Friday night Indigenous Round ) nor the wonderful activities this week to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous players to the AFL, but it reinforces the need for ongoing education and the importance of calling racism out when it is witnessed.”Play by the Rules Co-Chair, Graeme Innes

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The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Racism. It Stops With Me campaign and the Play by the Rules program have partnered to produce a powerful new TV Community Service Announcement (CSA) for sporting organisations to play at their events and to promote on their websites and through their social media forums.

REFER previous NACCHO communique Racism and Health consequences

 “The TV CSA (and several radio CSAs) will be broadcast nationally until the start of August and will also be available on the Australian Human Rights Commission and Play by the Rules YouTube channels and websites,” said Commission President, Gillian Triggs.  

The TV CSA features an all-star cast of Australia’s best known sporting heroes including:

Sally Pearson (athletics), Adam Goodes (AFL), Liz Cambage (basketball), Greg Inglis (rugby league and NRL Indigenous All-stars), Peter Siddle (cricket), Mo’onia Gerrard (netball), AFL Indigenous All-stars, Archie Thompson (football/soccer), Cameron Smith (rugby league), Drew Mitchell (rugby union), Timana Tahu (rugby league), Nick Maxwell (AFL) and some grassroots athletes of different ages and backgrounds.

They reinforce the simple message – Racism. It Stops With Me.

 Despite a range of programs and policies, incidents of racism and discrimination still occur on a regular basis from the elite to grassroots level across a range of sports every season.

 “Sport is all about having fun, competing safely and getting a fair go, regardless of your skin colour, background or culture.

Whether you’re a player, spectator, coach or official, there’s simply no place for racism or discrimination in sport,” federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Play by the Rules Co-Chair, Graeme Innes said. “The alleged racist incident at the Swans vs Collingwood game last night should not overshadow the magnificent performance by Adam Goodes nor the wonderful activities this week to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous players to the AFL, but it reinforces the need for ongoing education and the importance of calling racism out when it is witnessed.”

 Executive Director of Sport and Recreation Tasmania, Craig Martin, also a Play by the Rules Co-Chair, said, “With the AFL, Rugby League, Netball and Rugby Union seasons all now in progress, the Football (soccer) season just finished and the Cricket Tests about to commence in the UK, this is a timely opportunity to remind everyone in sport that racism is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”

 Racism. It Stops With Me is an initiative of the National Anti-Racism Strategy which invites all Australians to reflect on what they can do to counter racism wherever it happens. Sporting organisations can take a strong stand against racism by committing to the Racism.

It Stops with Me campaign at: itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au/it-stops-with-me/support-campaign.

Clubs can also access tools and resources to stamp racism out of sport at:

www.playbytherules.net.au/component/content/article/81-resources/links/1245-racism-in-sport-toolkit?highlight=WyJyYWNpc20iXQ

 

Play by the Rules is a unique collaboration between the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission, all state and territory departments of sport and recreation, all state and territory anti-discrimination and human rights agencies, the NSW Commission for Children and Young People and the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA). For more information on how to promote safe, fair and inclusive participation within your sporting club or organisation contact admin@playbytherules.net.au or visit www.playbytherules.net.au .

 

Media contact: Brinsley Marlay (02) 9284 9656 or 0430 366 529

NACCHO political alert: What does the act of recognition mean for Aboriginal people ?

Mick

Unanimous support key to Indigenous recognition

“It can serve as a vehicle to increase and improve our resilience, self-worth, relationship with the broader Australian community and relationship with governments. Importantly, this recognition will be of great benefit to the Australian nation as a whole in coming to terms with our past in such a positive manner”

Mick Gooda

Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has urged cross party support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill 2012, due to be considered in Parliament on Wednesday 13 February.

It is hoped the Bill will pass without opposition on what is also a day of great significance – the 5th anniversary of the national apology to members of the Stolen Generations.

Commissioner Gooda said “the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act 2012 would be an important step towards the main goal of constitutional reform. It should also serve as a springboard for further action to prepare the nation for a referendum.”

Commissioner Gooda believes unanimous support for the Act would be a demonstration of goodwill and commitment from all parties to furthering progress towards a referendum to reform the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Unanimous bipartisan support is particularly critical given the bill includes a sunset clause of two years at the end of which time this recognition would lapse.

“The great potential of constitutional recognition should not be underestimated. It can serve as a vehicle to increase and improve our resilience, self-worth, relationship with the broader Australian community and relationship with governments. Importantly, this recognition will be of great benefit to the Australian nation as a whole in coming to terms with our past in such a positive manner,” said Commissioner Gooda.

However, constitutional reform must go beyond the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and address provisions of the Constitution which permit, enable or anticipate racial discrimination, said the Commissioner.

“This is not a conversation that is restricted to the political domain. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations, the general public, civil society and business groups all have a crucial role to play in building momentum towards a referendum,” said Commissioner Gooda.

The Social Justice Commissioner has also called on Australians to acknowledge the anniversary and the significance of the apology to the stolen generations 5 years ago.

The apology on February 13 2008 was a recommendation by the Australian Human Rights Commission’s landmark 1997 Bringing Them Home report.

An important step along the journey of reconciliation, the apology was an acknowledgment of the human rights breaches against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families.

Mick Gooda-Effective Aboriginal governance must start with us

Mick Gooda,Social Justice Commissioner

“Give us a chance to take control – effective Aboriginal governance must start with us, with our peoples and our communities”

 

Mick Gooda, Social Justice Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, today  launched his 2012 Social Justice and Native Title Reports in Sydney

 In the Social Justice and Native Title Reports looks at a range of development that have occurred during the reporting period (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2012).

A key theme of both reports is what constitutes effective governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Note for NACCHO Governance project “Our Business , Our way” click here

Commissioner Gooda acknowledges that over past decades there has been a failure to appropriately support governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In his reports, Commissioner Gooda calls for a new approach; an approach that supports, enables and empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to determine their own futures.

“In order for a community to achieve its aims, the governance structures of that community must be culturally relevant and meaningful.”

“For Indigenous governance to be effective it is not enough to import foreign governance structures into communities and expect that those communities will be able to function effectively within those structures,” said Commissioner Gooda.

Commissioner Gooda looks closely at the Northern Territory and the damage caused by ill-conceived government action. The Northern Territory is a poignant illustration of how government action diminishes the capacity of communities to determine and address their specific needs.

“The period since 2007 has been one of great upheaval in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities. Local government reforms coincided with the Northern Territory intervention and together were felt by communities as one assault.”

“The extent and regularity of imposed change faced by remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities has unsettled the governance structures and shifted decision-making responsibility from communities to centralised government institutions.”

“The Local Government reforms removed Community Council structures while the intervention also dismantled existing structures and organisations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities,” said Commissioner Gooda.

“To leave people feeling like they have no control over their lives has a real human impact as highlighted in the Northern Territory in the last 5 years. We know from national and international research that disempowerment results in ill health and even increased suicide rates.”

Drawing on the extensive existing research, Commissioner Gooda articulates a three pronged framework for the effective governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

First, the foundation of the framework is community governance and self-determination.

“Effective Indigenous governance must start with us – with our peoples and our communities

We need to take control of the running of our own communities.”

The second aspect is effective organisational governance. The third aspect of the framework is the importance of government and other external influences.

“We know from decades of research, that government can and often does have a determinative impact on communities’ ability to achieve their aims,” said Commissioner Gooda.

“Government typically does not have the necessary skills and cultural competency to engage effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There have been many reports detailing the impacts of this lack of capacity. Further, funding is often provided on a short-term basis and the requirements of government agencies are often onerous in proportion to the amounts of funding available or provided.”

“Where government plays the right role in the governance framework, that is, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to govern themselves, great things happen.”

“I am constantly impressed by the creativeness and commitment of our communities and groups within communities to finding solutions to the range of complex challenges we face. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities achieve these success stories all the time, often in the face of significant obstacles, and I have included a number of these in my reports,” said Commissioner Gooda.

Full reports available online at:

Social Justice Report http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/sj_report/sjreport12/index.html

Native Title Report http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/nt_report/ntreport12/index.html

 

Media contact: Emily Barker  0419 258 597