Mr STIRLING - 1994-12-01
Recently, the Attorney-General stated that the government would not support the establishment of an Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee. The Minister for Aboriginal Development's department has an ATSIC-funded position and a total of $150000 in ATSIC funds to facilitate the involvement of Aboriginal people in oversighting the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Why doesn't the minister tell the Attorney-General what is done in his department? Does he support the establishment of an independent Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee as called for by Aboriginal Territorians?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, in my role as Minister for Aboriginal Development, we are providing a coordinating service across government in relation to the implementation of the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The specific issue of an Aboriginal Justice Advisory Commission is a question that should be directed to the minister responsible, the Attorney-General. However, allow me to say that, from the outset, our government did not support that recommendation in the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. It was one of the 3 recommendations in those reports that did not receive the support of the Northern Territory government for
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good and valid reasons. That is not to say that the government should not be addressing issues in relation to coordinating the development of justice programs and consultation. However, we believe that, as recommended in the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the formation of such committees is particularly inefficient and far from being cost effective in delivering the outcomes that are the basic objective of the reports. The government is looking at alternative means of achieving the objective instead of taking the simplistic approach of saying that, because the Royal Commission recommended something, it should be done irrespective of whether or not it works.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, in my role as Minister for Aboriginal Development, we are providing a coordinating service across government in relation to the implementation of the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The specific issue of an Aboriginal Justice Advisory Commission is a question that should be directed to the minister responsible, the Attorney-General. However, allow me to say that, from the outset, our government did not support that recommendation in the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. It was one of the 3 recommendations in those reports that did not receive the support of the Northern Territory government for
Page 372
good and valid reasons. That is not to say that the government should not be addressing issues in relation to coordinating the development of justice programs and consultation. However, we believe that, as recommended in the reports of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the formation of such committees is particularly inefficient and far from being cost effective in delivering the outcomes that are the basic objective of the reports. The government is looking at alternative means of achieving the objective instead of taking the simplistic approach of saying that, because the Royal Commission recommended something, it should be done irrespective of whether or not it works.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016